Providing full-spectrum prenatal, postpartum, well newborn care, and homebirth services in central and southern Minnesota
Traditional Midwifery
Model of Care
Caring for the Whole Person
The traditional midwifery model of care is holistic, tending to each client as a whole person. Health is comprised not only of the physical body, but social, spiritual, mental, and emotional aspects as well. Each client's course of care can be as unique as each person themselves. This healthcare model provides ample time to: build a relationship of mutual trust and respect; provide education and true informed consent; discuss options; and facilitate processes of shared decision making.
Routine Care
Prenatal
The prenatal care schedule follows guidelines informed by ACOG and the World Health Organization. Visits are typically 45 to 60 minutes long with time spent exclusively face-to-face with your midwife. Over the course of care, we monitor physical health by offering routine labs and assessing vitals, as well as fetal growth and wellbeing; through shared decision making, your midwife is also able to order and review ultrasounds. We allow ample time to provide individualized counsel. Topics covered include, but are not limited to: pregnancy symptoms & physical adaptations, self-care, preparation for birth, parenthood and more. In our care, your midwife is available at an on-call basis as clients are provided with information about reaching out for urgent and non-urgent matters.
Postpartum
The postpartum period begins immediately after birth, at which time the midwife remains at the family's home until two to six hours postpartum. Thereafter, clients recieve two visits within the first week and two additional visits up to 4-6 weeks postpartum. Care is focused on overall wellbeing, newborn feeding, growth, and more. Clients are educated prenatally on all medications and tests offered for the well newborn according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. These include: vitamin K & "eye ointment" medications, as well as hearing, metabolic and congenital heart formation screenings. Clients consenting to any or all of the above may be provided these medications and tests by your miwife in the home setting. Lifestyles Midwifery does not supply the CDC recommended hepatitis B vaccine. At any time, clients wishing to establish pediatric care may have records released to their provider of choice.
Lifestyles' "Radius"
Routine prenatal and postpartum visits are currently offered in-home for clients within a very generous radius of the Twin Cities. Midwife Ashtyn is also passionate about reaching the far southwest of Minnesota, and in order to provide this as a sutainable option, also offers routine visits in Mountain Lake, MN in the comfort and privacy of Center Point Church's Fireside Room. Clients meeting at the Fireside Room still recieve at least one prenatal and one postpartum home visit.