Home birth & midwifery care in Phoenix, Arizona

That’s probably the most common question we hear! The first thing that we do for safety is to carefully screen all women during their prenatal care. In this way, only the very healthiest of women start out their labor at home. Out of these low-risk women, anywhere from 85-90% will give birth at home without complications that require transfer. The remaining 10-15% of low-risk women will be transferred for a variety of reasons. The great majority of transfers are not emergencies.

During labor we will be checking your blood pressure, pulse and temperature and listening to the baby’s heartbeat at frequent intervals with the Doppler. After birth we will be checking both you and your baby frequently. If any of these vital signs are abnormal, you and/or your baby will be transferred to the hospital for higher risk care.

Every woman has the choice to decline testing. I, however, need to be able to document that you are low-risk and that your baby has no major birth defects that mean you should give birth in a hospital. If you choose to decline all testing, then you will not be able to birth at home with Canyon Midwifery.

We are available by phone 24/7Call if you think you're in labor and we will help you figure out if it's time for us to join you at your home for baby's birthday party!

We will be with you continuously when you are in active labor. Active labor means at least 6 cm of dilation with very frequent contractions. If we come to check you and you are in early labor (less than 6cm) we might go home and return when your labor is more active. After the birth, we stay about 2 hours to make sure you and the baby are recovering normally. If needed, we will stay longer. Plus we are always available by phone.

We will give you a complete list of the items that you need to gather together and have ready by 36-weeks for your birth. These are mostly things you already have at home.

Licensed, trained and experienced midwives will attend your birth with their Registered Nurse (RN) assistants.

We are fully trained and have the necessary medications and equipment to handle a variety of different problems outside the hospital. In most cases, we are able to stabilize the situation and transfer is not needed.

During your prenatal care course you will have blood tests, an ultrasound and glucose testing. We will also be checking you at routine prenatal care intervals to make sure all is well. Your visits will be monthly until 28 weeks, every 2 weeks until 36 weeks and then weekly until the baby is born.

We have AquaDoula birth pools available to rent for your home birth. This cost is separate from the global fee. You can also purchase your own pool at inhishands.com

Every home is different and every family has a different style of daily life. We will give you an instruction sheet about preparing your home and we really expect just the basics of home safety and cleanliness. We will need some clear space to set up our birth supplies. We will take care to leave your home as we find it.

That depends on the type and number of pets. If you have large or aggressive dogs you will need to put them in another room. If you have a lot of cats, we may not be able to take care of you due to severe cat allergies. Reptiles and snakes will need to be in their habitats. Call if you have other specific questions about your pets.

A doula is a professional labor support person. The word doula means “woman caregiver” or “women’s servant.” Doulas are trained to give continuous support to the couple throughout labor and birth. She may also bring labor tools to the birth. Some doulas also provide childbirth education and breastfeeding support. Some are postpartum doulas who help care for the entire family after the birth. The doula does not provide any medical care. In a home birth setting, your midwife will often provide this ongoing support and care. If you think you may need or want this extra support, go to the DONA International website for more information.