What is a Licensed Midwife?

A Licensed Midwife is an independent provider, who aims to implement the Midwive’s model of care. Midwives often support families that are aiming for a lower intervention physiologic birth.

A Licensed Midwife can provide your routine prenatal care, attend your birth, and provide postpartum care without doctor oversight. Licensed Midwives can collect lab testing, administer labor medications, prescribe pregnancy ultrasounds, complete newborn exams, and newborn metabolic screening. We even file your birth certificate. 

In Florida, Licensed Midwives are required to attend a three-year approved in-state midwifery education program, complete clinical requirements under the supervision of a preceptor midwife, pass a national written examination (the NARM), report annual statistics, and complete continuing education for license renewal. For further information see

https://www.nacpm.org/new-page-2

https://midwivesassociationofflorida.org/Become-a-Licensed-Midwife

Do you accept my insurance? Do you accept Medicaid?

Here at Illuminated Midwifery, we do not accept Medicaid or private insurance. We do have a third-party biller that clients often utilize to receive reimbursement/credit for payment of our services. Please see the following link https://www.illuminatedmidwifery.com/blog for further information on third-party billing. 

What is your fee? What does it include?

Illuminated Midwifery's current fees are 5500.00 (planned hospital birth) to 7500.00 (full care paid extended payment schedule) depending on the care package you've chosen, and your payment plan. The fee covers regularly scheduled visits in the comfort of your home, labs drawn at home, on-call Midwife support, access to your records and portal 24/7, birthing in the comfort of your home, lactation support, and three postpartum visits (more postpartum visits as needed) and best of all, knowing who will be attending your birth.   

The fee does not include *ultrasound fees, *lab fees, *consult fees, birth supplies, or other professional support fees (i.e. lactation support/doula services/childbirth education classes.)

*These fees are usually covered by insurance.

How do I know if I am a good candidate for homebirth?

Parents planning a homebirth should be in generally good physical and mental health, have family and community support available, and be prepared to give birth without pain medication. Licensed Midwives are required to complete a risk assessment of each client, reviewing health conditions and history. This screening tool helps us to determine if each person is a good candidate for home birth. Certain risk factors do not mean you cannot have a home birth, but it may require us to consult with an OB or Maternal Fetal Medicine Specialist during your care. By law,  Licensed Midwives in Florida cannot provide birth support for parents with uncontrolled gestational diabetes, high blood pressure, certain medication use, persistent breech (baby stays head up after encouragement to turn), or twin/multiples births.

http://flrules.elaws.us/fac/64b24-7.004

How do you handle emergencies?

Licensed Midwives are trained specifically for community birth, including how to prevent, avoid, and resolve complications during labor, birth, and immediately postpartum. Licensed Midwifery care supports home birth families by continuing to screen families in our care, monitoring for pregnancies that stay in the healthy low-risk category. This continued screening helps minimize emergencies during labor. For rare and unexpected emergencies, we carry emergency equipment such as anti-hemorrhagic medications, IV fluids, neonatal resuscitation supplies, and oxygen. For every family, we develop a customized emergency backup plan that is discussed well in advance of your birth. 

What types of tests do you offer? What tests can I decline?

Please see the blog post "Let's talk about testing". https://www.illuminatedmidwifery.com/midwiferyinfotoknow/blog-post-prenatal-testing-options