What Are Your Practice Considerations for COVID? Can I have support people with me for my birth?
As of August, 2021: for Office and Home Visits: masks are a requirement. The building our office is in is a Healthcare Facility following CDC guidelines. Persons entering the building are required to wear a mask throughout their time in our building.
Despite Covid, your partner and children's participation and inclusion in your care is VERY IMPORTANT. They are actively invited to be part of each visit as you like
For births, you may have any support people of your choosing. We do not ask birthing parents to wear masks during birth. We do ask your additional supporters or children over 3 years old to wear masks throughout the time we are present in your home.
If the situation changes again with Covid, we may change again and we hope you will understand. We have been following similar guidelines created by community midwives and will likely continue to do so.
How many midwives are there in your practice?
Kayti is a one - midwife practice, attending your prenatal visits as well as your birth and postpartum visits. You will know me well by the time you are having your baby. :)
How Many Births Do You Take a Month?
As a solo practice I can comfortably attend 3-4 births a month. This means1 birth a week which is very manageable.
What kind of equipment and training do you bring to a birth? (How do you keep us safe?)
All community midwives bring lifesaving equipment, training and resources with us to your home birth. All the things you would expect to find in a labor and delivery unit at a hospital or birth center - resuscitation equipment for baby, medications to stop excessive bleeding, suturing materials in case you tear - we bring it all TO YOU. For more on this, see my video: What We Bring to A Birth on YouTube.
If I had to be transferred to a hospital, what would be the process? Who would drive me? Which hospital would we transfer to? Would you go to the hospital with me? Would you stay with me through the birth?
Statistically, 15% of first time birth givers and 5% of those who have had babies vaginally will have to transfer from a planned home birth. For first time birthers, 10% of this 15% is non-emergent, for pain relief and rest. The other 5% of transfers (first time and subsequent births) are for medical necessities. This could include non urgent medical conditions, such as meconium in the amniotic fluid, small decelerations in the baby's heart rate, or lack of progress. Other medical emergencies requiring transfer would be hemorrhage uncontrolled by the 4 medications we bring, or a baby who is not breathing well on their own.
For pain relief or other non urgent medical conditions, such as meconium in the amniotic fluid, we take private vehicles. Your partner will drive you. If we need to move quickly and urgently, an ambulance call is made.
Under normal circumstances, we anticipate that Kayti will transfer with a family into the hospital as a doula, to provide continuity between birthing environments and help you navigate the options newly available to you in a hospital environment. I generally stay with or near you through the birth, until you are nursing your baby and you're settled in well.
HOWEVER, with Covid, birth support people have been significantly restricted and the restrictions make it not feasible to stay with you while also having other clients to attend and a higher level of potential for Covid exposure in a large healthcare facility. For this reason. while restrictions at hospitals are still in place, I cannot, unfortunately, accompany you into the hospital. It's always a good idea to have a doula but this new set of circumstances makes it even more so.
We transfer to whichever hospital makes sense based on your home's location and insurance. San Diego hospitals are generally very inclusive and we have good relationships so we can transfer easily.
We resume your postpartum care when you return home as normal.
Do you help with baby's position? Do you know Spinning Babies?
YES!! I LOVE and use Spinning Babies in office visits and throughout your birth as needed. I am a Spinning Babies Enthusiast. This technique is so valuable for its ability to help babies turn and head on out!
