FAQs - Onyx MidwiferyOnyx Midwifery

Frequently asked questions

Everything you need to know about Onyx Midwifery’s care and services.

The most significant difference in the 2 types of care is that midwifery care is collaborative care and OB/GYN care can be very physician/hospital driven. In midwifery care, the client plays an integral part in determining their course of care based on informed consent substantiated by evidence based birth. Midwives on average spend 1 hour with their clients each visit, connecting to the whole woman. Each visit includes assessing nutrition, optimal lifestyle choices, mental & emotional health, providing educational support and diagnostic assessment of mother and fetus. Care with an OB/GYN averages 10-15 minutes, where many topics of concern aren't addressed fully. Your care in the hospital is largely provided by labor/delivery nurses (until you are pushing and your physician has been called) and is driven by strict hospital protocols.

While having a natural birth does not involve the use of pain medications, there are many modalities & remedies midwives use to help manage the pain of natural childbirth. Having a natural birth involves using breathing techniques, meditative and holistic practices to manage the pain associated with labor. Movement while laboring and laboring in warm water can also provide tremendous comfort during labor.

Yes. As long as you are a low risk home birth candidate, and meet other criteria indicating such, there is a very good chance you can safely achieve a natural, vaginal home birth after a C-section. Studies show that a healthy woman with optimal spacing between pregnancies and a low transverse C-sec incision have a 60-80% chance of a successful vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC).

Unfortunately, most insurance companies, do not cover a planned home birth outside of the hospital setting. Most HMO and Medi-Cal plans do not reimburse clients for home birth. You are encouraged to find out if your plan will reimburse you by submitting a super-bill to your insurance company. We also encourage clients to contact a knowledgeable insurance biller to navigate this complicated system and to get the best reimbursement possible, if possible. We can refer you, just inquire. Currently, we do not accept Medi-Cal clients at this time but are working towards approval in order to do so....stay tuned.

Yes, Onyx Midwifery has several different service packages; each with their own service description, fee and payment plan. This information is made available during a private client consultation. We accept major credit cards, Venmo, PayPal, Zelle and cash.

Midwives in the state of California are licensed by the Medical Board of California. We are required to stay up to date in basic emergency skills such as CPR and neonatal resuscitation. Midwives are trained to respond to emergencies that can be safely managed unless an emergent transfer is deemed necessary. In the event of an emergency requiring hospital/physician care, we are required to transfer your care by enacting our 911 emergency protocol. Midwives also remain current with evidence-based practices in the profession, continuing education and attending regular peer reviews.

Home births are considered very safe for a healthy woman whose pregnancy is full term. Studies have shown that home births have fewer medical interventions, fewer medically assisted births, more perineal integrity and lead to better breast feeding/bonding outcomes because birth and the most sensitive time following birth is undisturbed. Being in a familiar space surrounded by family/friends enhances feeling safe, which in turn empowers women to labor safely and naturally; trusting in their body to let this natural, physiological process called birth unfold. Recent studies in the US, UK, Europe, Australia and New Zealand have concluded that home birth in a low risk, full term, healthy pregnancy does not garner adverse neonatal and maternal birth outcomes.

As soon as you find out you are pregnant, with 8 - 12 weeks being ideal. This way any preexisting conditions or concerns can be addressed and monitored early on in the pregnancy.

Home births involve far fewer medical interventions and allow the normal physiological birth process to unfold on its own course. This makes for an undisturbed, safe and immensely fulfilling birth experience where maternal/infant bonding is supported immediately and breastfeeding is established very early on. Hospital births often subscribe to the laboring woman birthing within hospital mandates and rarely allow a woman to labor safely on her own, however long that might be. Medical interventions (Pitocin) are often used to progress labor which often leads to an epidural and unwanted C-sections. The mother experiences a much harder and longer recovery time, is often separated from the newborn which in turn interrupts maternal/infant bonding and difficulty establishing breastfeeding.

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