A Certified Professional Midwife (CPM) is a knowledgeable, skilled and professional independent midwifery practitioner who has met the standards for certification set by the North American Registry of Midwives (NARM) and is qualified to provide the midwifery model of care. The CPM is the only international credential that requires knowledge about and experience in out-of-hospital settings.

Midwives provide comprehensive care in all aspects of women’s health. This includes low-risk maternity care, attendance at births, postpartum care, contraceptive counseling, screening of routine gynecological problems, as well as histories and physicals.

The State of California also requires additional licensure. This licensure is overseen by The California Medical Board and the Department of Justice. The midwives at Ohana Midwifery are also California Licensed Midwives (LM). This license is issued by the state. Not all states require this license. California does – but Nevada does not. Most states require all LMs to have there CPM as well.

Certified Nurse Midwife (CNM), this midwife has a degree in nursing as well as midwifery. CNMs typically work in a hospital or birth center setting. Although in some states they may also attend home births.

Midwifery care is for normal healthy pregnancies. The care is very one on one and personal. Your appointments are typically 1 hour face to face with your birth team. This allows for ample time for all of your questions to be answered so that you may make the best choices for you and your baby. We respect a families choice to choose their experience and will always go out of our way to make sure that your needs are met, your questions answered and that you feel comfortable in your options and choices.

We believe that a woman’s body knows how to handle labor in a safe natural manner. Women are literally designed to give birth. We believe that natural childbirth is a safe option for healthy women with normal pregnancies. We are there to monitor the well being of the mother and child throughout labor and birth. We are trained to watch for signs that could indicate the need for a hospital transfer – and we know the appropriate steps to take if that need arises.

Yes we can refer you to one of our imaging centers for ultrasounds. Most insurances cover routine ultrasounds. We do not have an ultrasound machine in the office (but we would like one if anyone would like to donate one to us!)

We have all of the necessary medications and equipment to suture you if needed.

No we do not provide pharmaceutical pain meds in labor. We do however have a host of herbal remedies and comfort measures that may help you throughout your labor.

Yes we love VBACs however we do require a copy of your medical records from your previous birth and a late term ultrasound.

Yes we do. We call it the aquadural! We will bring a tub to your labor of you would like. You may choose to labor in it and get out for your birth or to birth in the tub. Either is fine and completely your choice. We bring the tub to your labor and do all of the set up and break down . You are responsible for your own tub liner.

Yes, the baby grows inside a bag of water inside of you. The baby is not designed to breathe until its face is exposed to air. Water birth is a gentle transition for the baby from the womb to the world. We believe it is a gentle choice for both mom and baby.

Licensed midwives may carry medications. We do not carry pain medications or medications to augment your labor. We do carry medications to deal emergency situations and routine medications for the newborn.

es we offer free consultations for you and your family. We also happy to provide you with a list of all of the midwives in our area so that you may interview us all and make the choice that is right for you and your baby. Contact us here!

In the unlikely event of an emergency we will typically contact your local EMS and get you to a hospital quickly. We are also equipped with all routine emergency equipment. We are trained to treat birthing mothers and newborns in emergency situations until an ambulance arrives. In reality most transfers that happen are for non emergency reasons such as stalled labors or request for pain meds. When this situation arises we typically transfer by car at an uncrushed pace.

In NV yes with a second skilled midwife in attendance if you choose to have your breech at home. The baby must also be in the frank breech position. We can not attend breech births in CA.

Yes we love family births, although is not a bad idea to have some childcare backup just in case.

Midwives must maintain current certification for adult, infant and neonatal resuscitation. Both of the midwives at Ohana Midwifery are well trained in neonatal resuscitation and carry current certification.

We see you once a month until you are 32 weeks then we see you at 32 and 34 weeks and then once a week until your baby arrives. Postpartum we see you at 24 hours and again at 3 days post birth and 1 week post birth in your home. We continue to see you at 3 weeks and 6 weeks and sometimes 8 weeks in the office for postpartum and well baby check ups.

Yes we offer you all the standard Obstetrical testing. We work with several labs in the area to fit your insurance or cash needs. Many labs can be performed in our office for your convenience.

Yes we take insurance. One of our staff members will call your insurance company directly to see what your particular plan will cover. We also have a cash pay option. We are happy to offer a variety of payment plans to suite your financial needs.

In the event that we transfer to a hospital one of your midwives will go with you. She will stay by your side in a supportive role until the birth of your child. Most of our transfers go very well. We are typically well received by the hospital staff and treated very well. We are blessed in our area with excellent OBs and a lovely nursing staff.

We can attend twins in NV but not CA and a second skilled midwife would be called to attend.

We file all of the birth certificate information for you with the state and depending on where you live we will let you know the process for obtaining the documents once they are processed. If you and your partner are unmarried you will have to fill out a paternity affidavit.