Best Midwives 2022
Lotus Moon Birth
Lotus Moon Birth is led by licensed and experienced midwife, Shelia Feldman, LM, CPM. The Calabasas, California-based practice offers midwifery services such as prenatal care, home birth, water birth, newborn exam, and doula and monitrice services. Shelia Feldman is also certified in basic life support for adults, infants, and children.
Tribe Midwifery
Tribe Midwifery has been servicing pregnant women and families in Los Angeles, California and communities nearby with the highest quality of maternity care for many years. Led by a certified and licensed Los Angeles midwife, Debbie Allen LM, CPM, they offer compassionate and comprehensive midwifery services such as well-woman care, prenatal care, postpartum care visits, doula services, childbirth education, labor and birth care, and more. Tribe Midwifery also offers placenta encapsulation.
Childbirth at Home - A Labor of Love
Childbirth at Home - A Labor of Love is a midwifery practice that has been serving pregnant women and families in Los Angeles, California for many years. Their midwives offer holistic and evidence-based midwifery care in a safe, comfortable, and bucolic environment. They are licensed to provide preconception and fertility counseling, complete prenatal care, home birth, water birth, and extended postpartum care as well as support for twin pregnancies and deliveries. The practice also offers birth packages at affordable rates.
Natural Birth Center and Women's Wellness
Natural Birth Center and Women's Wellness is a trusted midwifery center that has been serving women in Los Angeles, Whittier, and surrounding areas since 2004. Simona Istrate, founder, is a Certified Nurse Midwife with over 30 years of experience. She is a respected member of the American College of Nurse Midwives. The midwives at NBCWW are licensed and certified in California and offer compassionate, personalized, and holistic care for pregnant women and families. They offer a wide variety of midwifery services including prenatal and postpartum care, birth services, and wellness care for women. Birth center, home birth, VBAC, and water birth options are available to the women they serve. Childbirth education and breastfeeding classes are also offered at the center. The midwives collaborate with doulas and other healthcare providers and the birth center is registered with the American Association of Birth Centers and the Commission for Accreditation of Birth Centers.
Home Birth Service of Los Angeles
Home Birth Service of Los Angeles is a Sherman Oaks, California-based birthing center that is composed of licensed and knowledgeable midwives who are dedicated to providing comprehensive and personalized midwifery care for pregnant women and families. They have been serving the community for more than 36 years, providing a wide variety of midwifery services such as preconception counseling, pregnancy testing, contraceptive counseling, well-woman care, home birth care, postpartum care, and more. The practice also provides newborn examination and breastfeeding counseling.
LA Midwife Collective
LA Midwife Collective is a team of licensed and experienced midwives in Santa Monica, California who offer personal and professional midwifery care for pregnant women and families. They specialize in home birth and also offer water birth, preconception care, VBAC, placenta encapsulation, and more. Past clients commend the practice for its efficient and cost-conscious approach in delivering their services.
Tender Loving Childbirth
Tender Loving Childbirth is a midwifery care provider in Los Angeles, California that offers a wide variety of midwifery services, including prenatal care, labor and birth care, and postpartum care, and breastfeeding support. The practice provides a free consultation.
Motherhood Blooming Services and Midwifery
Motherhood Blooming Services and Midwifery is a team of licensed and knowledgeable midwives in Arcadia, California that are committed to providing their patients with the highest quality of maternity care. They have been serving the women and families in the community and offer a variety of services, including preconception counseling, wellness care, home birth, water birth, and individualized labor support. The practice is a member of the Midwives Alliance of North America.
Aleksandra Evanguelidi, LM, CPM
Aleksandra Evanguelidi, LM, CPM is a caring and reliable Los Angeles-based midwife who is committed to providing pregnant women and families maternity care and education. She has over 15 years of experience in midwifery care services, specializing in home birth, water birth, natural birth, preconception, fertility, and women's health. She also offers prenatal and postpartum care. Aleksandra Evanguelidi, LM, CPM is a licensed midwife by the Medical Board of California.
MadreluzLA
MadreluzLA is a caring and reliable midwifery care provider in Redondo Beach, California that is dedicated to providing its clients with high-quality midwifery services and health care at reasonable rates. It is founded by licensed and experienced midwife, Lauren French Hoy, who offers individualized education, counseling, and comprehensive maternity care for pregnant women. Her midwifery service includes prenatal care, labor and birth care, postpartum care, well-woman care, childbirth education, and breastfeeding support. MadreluzLA also offers prenatal and postnatal yoga classes.
Birthing Rhythm Midwifery
Birthing Rhythm Midwifery is a team of knowledgeable and experienced midwives in Sherman Oaks, California who provide high-quality and holistic midwifery care for pregnant women and babies. They offer a wide variety of midwifery services, ranging from preventive prenatal care to postpartum care. The practice also specializes in home birth and offers individualized midwifery care as well as well woman gynecology care.
Pure Births
Pure Births provides individualized, holistic, and women-centered midwifery care for pregnant women in Valencia, California and the surrounding communities. They offer assistance with home births, water births, and monitrice and also offers prenatal care, newborn and postpartum care, gynecological care, and more. The practice's phone support is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Los Angeles Midwives
Los Angeles Midwives helps mothers to deliver their babies and offers care for the pregnancy, prenatal, and postpartum stages. Its midwives care for pregnant mothers and help them to deal with the medical challenges of pregnancy. This service helps mothers to deliver their babies in a safe environment and does umbilical clamping, immediately delivers newborns to mothers, and attends to new mothers for a 48-hour period. Los Angeles Midwives provides clients with several postpartum visits to assess their health and deliver useful information.
Expert Answers To Common Questions:
- Introduction
- What is a midwife?
- How long does it take to become a midwife?
- What kind of education does it take to become a midwife?
- How much does a midwife cost?
- What is the difference between a midwife and doula?
- Can a midwife deliver a baby?
- What qualifications do you need to become a midwife?
- Can you become a midwife without a degree?
- Can a midwife deliver a baby in a hospital?
- Can you have both a midwife and an OBGYN assist you with the birthing process?
- Can you go see a midwife if you are not pregnant?
- Can a midwife prescribe birth control?
- Can you have an epidural with a midwife?
- Is a midwife covered by insurance?
- When should you see a midwife?
- Can you have a home birth without a midwife?
- When do you make a birth plan with a midwife?
- Q: Introduction
- A: Pregnancy is a complicated life event that can be exciting, joyous, scary, and overwhelming. Skilled health care services are essential for pregnant women. You need a professional to guide you through the pregnancy, birth, and prenatal period. Many woman consider using a midwife to provide this care.If you're considering hiring a midwife, you probably have a lot of questions about what they do, how they can help you, and what type of education they have. Here, you'll find the answers to these and other common questions.
- Q: What is a midwife?
- A: A midwife supports a woman throughout her pregnancy, during labor and delivery, and postpartum. Certified nurse midwives may also deliver the baby. They typically help women have a more natural pregnancy and childbirth experience. Midwives may also provide other female-centric healthcare services, such as family planning and routine gynecological care.
- Q: How long does it take to become a midwife?
- A: Certified midwives must receive training that’s approved by the North American Registry of Midwives. NARM programs typically take about three years to complete. Candidates seeking higher levels of certification may opt to first earn a bachelor’s degree, which takes three to four years.
- Q: What kind of education does it take to become a midwife?
- A: Certified midwives receive training or formal education. The levels of education vary, impacting the type of certification they can attain. There are certified nurse-midwives, certified non-nurse midwives, and certified professional midwives. All certifications require basic training. A bachelor’s degree is required for higher levels, along with midwifery education programs.
- Q: How much does a midwife cost?
- A: The flat-rate fees commonly charged for midwife services differ depending upon where you live. However, service packages typically range in cost from $3,000 to $9,000. The fee includes prenatal care, labor and delivery, and post-natal care.
- Q: What is the difference between a midwife and doula?
- A: Doulas focus mainly on the mother and her needs to enhance the birthing experience. They provide comfort and emotional support during labor. However, doulas don’t deliver babies. Midwives are healthcare professionals who offer a wider range of services, including gynecological exams. They're also trained to deliver babies.
- Q: Can a midwife deliver a baby?
- A: Certified midwives are qualified to deliver babies vaginally. They undergo training and receive education for this purpose, among other related skills training. Healthy moms with low-risk pregnancies are suitable candidates for midwife services. Midwives can't perform cesarean section deliveries.
- Q: What qualifications do you need to become a midwife?
- A: Each state has their own laws and regulations governing the practice of midwifery. Some states don’t allow non-nurse midwives to practice at all. Nurse midwives (CNMs) can legally practice throughout the United States. They must be licensed registered nurses with specialized training in midwife services from an accredited program.
- Q: Can you become a midwife without a degree?
- A: Yes. Some midwives have no degree, license, or certification. They’re called lay midwives. They typically learn their skills through apprenticeships and informal training with hands-on experience. Laws vary from state to state regarding lay midwives.
- Q: Can a midwife deliver a baby in a hospital?
- A: Some hospitals permit certified midwives to deliver babies in their facilities. It depends on the type of certification the midwife has, the relationship between the medical facility and the midwife, and other factors. Midwife-assisted births are most commonly performed in birthing centers.
- Q: Can you have both a midwife and an OBGYN assist you with the birthing process?
- A: Many midwives work with select OB/GYNs. A midwife often refers their patient to the OB/GYN if they see signs of a higher-risk pregnancy. They may then provide collaborative care. These types of arrangements should be discussed and approved as early as possible in a pregnancy.
- Q: Can you go see a midwife if you are not pregnant?
- A: Yes. Many midwives offer family planning services and basic gynecological care. They can perform well-woman checks and annual exams. Certified midwives can also offer health counseling and education, supporting women who are planning a pregnancy. Menopausal management is also available. State laws apply.
- Q: Can a midwife prescribe birth control?
- A: Some states allow CNMs to prescribe birth control. This may include traditional birth control pills and medical abortion medication. They can also order tests and prescribe some pain medication and various therapies or treatments. Check the laws in your state for more specific information.
- Q: Can you have an epidural with a midwife?
- A: Many midwives focus on natural childbirth with less medical intervention. But, most midwives are perfectly fine with the use of epidurals during labor. Their focus is on what’s best for the mom and baby.
- Q: Is a midwife covered by insurance?
- A: Most health insurance policies cover midwife services for pregnant women. There are likely to be stipulations and eligibility criteria. So, review your policy carefully to ensure your chosen midwife and their services meet the criteria.
- Q: When should you see a midwife?
- A: If possible, you should choose a midwife before you become pregnant. Then, schedule the first visit before the 10-week mark. Visits are usually scheduled monthly for the first 28 weeks. Frequency increases near the end of the second trimester, and throughout the third trimester.
- Q: Can you have a home birth without a midwife?
- A: Yes. But it's not recommended. Complications can occur that put you and your baby at risk. You can still have a very natural and fulfilling birthing experience with a midwife. Do research to find one whose practices are in line with your desire to have minimal medical intervention.
- Q: When do you make a birth plan with a midwife?
- A: You should start considering a birth plan as soon as you become pregnant. Then, discuss your options and preferences at the first appointment, so you can develop a plan that ensures you and your midwife are on the same page.