You have found the right place! Whether you know exactly what you’re looking for, or are still feeling out your options, we can help you find the services you need.

If you are looking for a class to help you prepare for childbirth, you may be looking for a childbirth educator.
If you are looking for a great way to stay fit and relaxed during your pregnancy, you may be looking for a yoga class. If you are looking for a woman to help support you physically and emotionally during your labor and birth, you may be looking for a doula .
If you are looking for a woman to care for you during your low-risk pregnancy and home birth, you may be looking for a midwife.
If you are looking for a natural way to combat postpartum fatigue and sadness, you may be looking for placenta encapsulation.

Our professionals are standing by and ready to answer any questions you have about your pregnancy. If you are still unsure of whom to call, please call one of our volunteer consultants (coming soon), she will listen to your needs and concerns and help you to reach the right person.

MAKING DECISIONS ABOUT BIRTH
Written by Danielle Hegdale

People in our culture spend more time and effort researching to buy a stereo system, a car, probably a camera, than they do checking out what their choices are for birth.” –Patricia Bernhardt, Clinical Assistant Professor, NYU Midwifery Program. “The Business of Being Born” A common philosophy is that all decisions come from who we are, how we define ourselves. The two main choices to make about pregnancy and birth from which all other choices come from, start with who our educated guide will be and where we plan for labor and birth to happen. Our pre‐pregnant health status can strongly influence available these options in your choice‐making.

CARE PROVIDERS: there are a wide range of options: doctor, midwife or even no one at all (unassisted or freebirthing)

The care provider we choose depends on our preference or what makes us feel the most comfortable and safe. Finding what makes us best able to feel safe enough to birth our baby is an important part of providing vital healthcare for and to our baby. Some say the most important.

Midwifery model of care is focused on family choices and personalized care. Prevention and nutrition are cornerstones to this option. Doctor or conventional model of care is focused on safety and treatment. Intervention and tests are the main tools in this option. Only mom and family can decide what is the right choice for their family.

Family practice doctors focus on the healthcare needs that the general family needs and are certified by the American Board of Family Medicine. General practice doctors also fall into that category. DO doctors focus on finding the source of health issues treating the whole person, and are certified by the American Osteopathic Association. MD doctors focus on alleviated discomfort from symptoms and are certified by the American Board of Physician Specialties. OB doctors are gynecological surgeons. Their focus is to resolve health abnormalities within their expertise of female reproductive medicine. They are certified by the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology. An OB is usually an OB/GYN but not every gynecologist is an OB. Nurse Practitioners (RNP) are certified by their individual specialty Board of Nurse Practitioners. Physicians Assistants (PA) are certified by the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants. They have privileges to manage birth in a few hospitals around the country.

There is also a wide range in the kinds of midwives depending on which state of location. Direct entry midwives typically learn by self‐study and frequently apprentice with an experienced midwife. Many states have a legislated licensure process, creating Licensed Midwives. Oklahoma does not have legislation for or against homebirth or out‐of‐hospital midwives. There is legislative inference that midwifery is not considered a practice of medicine. North American Registry of Midwives (NARM) provides a national certification: Certified Professional Midwife (CPM) for a midwife who has verified training, knowledge and skill. A Certified Nurse Midwife (CNM) is a registered nurse (RN) with specialized training in midwifery and is certified through the American Midwifery Certification Board (ACMB). A point to make is that many Direct Entry Midwives have practiced safely for decades. As with a doctor, the choice of a midwife should be based on being comfortable with that professional as much as their credentials.

BIRTH PLACE: there is basically three options: hospital (several are available in the Tulsa area), birth center (none currently open), our own home

With these choices come decisions about medication and tests during pregnancy and birthing process, birth education and preparation, documenting the experience, supplemental health care options (chiropractics, massage, acupuncture, placenta encapsulation, etc.)

TYPES OF BIRTHS: Another consideration is the large variations of births: vaginal birth, natural childbirth, waterbirth, vaginal birth after c‐section (VBAC) at home or otherwise, planned c-section birth after c-section.