What are postpartum visits like with the Cincinnati Birth Center?

We believe quality postpartum care is crucial and America’s maternity care system is sorely lacking in this area.

Instead of offering just one or two postpartum visits, we offer five postpartum visits for home birth and birth center families. This includes a one day and three day home visit, a visit between 1-2 weeks, a one month visit, and a six week visit. If a family is struggling with breastfeeding or postpartum issues, we will add additional postpartum visits.

What do postpartum visits look like? We believe the mother and baby are not a separate unit, but exist as a dyad. This means you can’t separate the health of one from the other.

Our visits involve an evaluation of your health, including vital signs, bleeding level, and healing of your bottom. We ask about breastfeeding and provide education and support. Additionally, we review the birth and talk about how everyone is processing it. There is a lot of time given for emotional support, whether it’s for the transition from going from a family of two, to three, or extended family relationship dynamics, or fears that can arise.

“We offer five postpartum visits for home birth and birth center families. This includes a one day and three day home visit, a visit between 1-2 weeks, a one month visit, and a six week visit.”

We check over baby and discuss weight gain and signs of appropriate growth. Most of the visit is done right where the newborn should be-in one of the parent’s loving arms. We may provide the routine newborn heart defect and metabolic disorder screenings at the one day and three day visits, as well as file your baby’s birth certificate.

Midwives use herbs for a variety of uses postpartum, including healing herbal sitz baths, help with breastfeeding issues, and for emotional support.

What sort of tools do we offer which are different from the American medical model? Firstly, we offer a listening ear and open heart. We want to hear your story because we know it matters. We want to give you enough time to tell it.

Secondly, midwives and lactation consultants work with a variety of modalities. We provide education about nutritional support for healing or through anxiety and stress. When a person is suffering from pain due to hip or postural alignment, we can make appropriate referrals for physical therapy and chiropractic care. We take mental health seriously and have a lot of available resources for those who are struggling with feelings of guilt, anxiety, or sadness.

In addition, we may use traditional and ancient methods of postpartum healing, such as herbal baths, massage, or teas.

So, what are you looking for in your postpartum? How can someone set themselves up for a postpartum experience that leaves them healthier than ever? We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments!