Julie Gorenc CNM, CPM and Kara Winkler CNM
Julie Gorenc CNM, CPM and Kara Winkler CNM
Trusting Birth and Empowering Families
Pregnancy Health
A healthy pregnancy begins with a trusted and supportive relationship with your care attendants. Our first prenatal visit with you and your family typically lasts 90-120 minutes, and follow up visits may last 30-60 minutes. We take the time to address your physical and emotional needs to ensure that your prenatal experience is one that you will cherish. Visits will take place at our home-like office setting, and we will visit you in your home at 36 weeks.
Labor and Birth
Your home is the most familiar and peaceful place for you to birth your sweet baby. You will have the freedom and support to invite those that you desire to attend this most awesome event. You will be encouraged to eat and drink, change positions, rest, walk, labor in a birth tub, and even deliver in the tub if you so desire. You will get to recover in your own bed to snuggle your baby. We honor our mamas, as they are the true givers of life. After your birth, we remain with you and your newborn for typically 2-3 hours.
Postpartum and Newborn Care
A return visit to your home is made 24-48 hours after your delivery, to assess you and your baby’s wellbeing. We assess breastfeeding and baby’s weight, collect the newborn screening, and gather any needed information for the filing of the birth certificate. Follow-up is then in our office at 1-2 wks, 6 wks, and at any other time that may be necessary.
Why Homebirth
Why do families choose homebirth And How safe is it?
As providers of homebirth services, we treat our women and families with respect and believe in client autonomy. We believe in true informed consent. Cervical exams are never done (during prenatal visits or even in labor - especially when membranes have ruptured) unless there is an absolute need to know, and only after receiving consent. Movement and position changes are encouraged in labor, as is eating and drinking during this most physical time for your body. There is never pressure of time unless there is some concern for mom or baby - time and patience will nearly always result in a vaginal delivery without the addition of any medications to speed up labor. Homebirth is also healing for women who may have had a traumatic previous delivery.
Planned homebirth is as safe, if not safer, than hospital birth. Especially for those women who had very fast previous deliveries - it is much safer to be at home than to be speeding to the hospital only to deliver in the wheelchair, the lobby or the hallway, or to actually deliver your baby in the car. As homebirth midwives we carry all necessary emergency equipment and know when transport is necessary.
There’s no place like home.
Julie and Kara
Long-term friendship
Certified Nurse-Midwives (CNM) since 2000 and 2005, always having worked together, we make a great team. Our mutual respect is obvious, and we work so well together to provide intimate and personalized care.
Great minds think alike
Always growing and learning, we believe that birth is physiological and after many years of hospital delivery, we have finally come home to homebirth where we could not be happier. Julie is also a CPM (Certified Professional Midwife) and Kara is working towards this as well.
Birth and Moms Matter
We practice true midwifery care - we believe in women, in birth, and in the age-old concepts of support, patience and respect in order to provide the best environment for a peaceful and rewarding birth experience.
Our Friends and Families
Homebirth Statistics 7/2018-9/2019
Planned Homebirth Statistics 7/2018-9/2019
95% Homebirth Success/5% transfer rate
Of six moms who delivered in the hospital after planning homebirth, three were actually admitted to the hospital prior to labor for medical reasons and thus are not considered in the transfer rate; for transfer from planned homebirth, reasons were pain relief and exhaustion, and attempt at vaginal birth after cesarean with prolonged second stage.
79% Homebirth success for first-time moms
For the three moms who had hospital births, one was a vaginal birth after induction for a medical reason; one was a vaginal birth after transfer for pain relief and exhaustion; and one was a c/s for failure to progress.
75% successful VBAC rate
7% c/s rate
How much does homebirth cost?
It is often said that birth is an investment. In other words, families must decide what is important to them and what do they wish to get out of one of the most joyful experiences in their lives. What do they want to spend their money on? Do they care if, at the end of the experience, they feel that they got their money’s worth? That they would do it all over again? Do they feel that relationships are important? That their feelings and wishes are honored? That they will remember their experience forever in a positive way and look back on it in happiness? Because every mother, and even their partners, will always remember their birth experiences for the rest of their lives.
Care provided by homebirth midwives is very different than the traditional physician/hospital experience. We become a part of your family. We walk the journey with you. We are there for you. We support and honor you. While our care is more comprehensive, the cost for such care is actually a lot less than that of hospital-based care.
While we are in-network with most insurance companies, your cost can vary depending on their reimbursement to us. Unfortunately, some insurance companies do not quite get how much they are saving by not paying the hospital, and you may have to advocate for yourself if they fail to acknowledge their responsibility to both you and to us. Nonetheless, typically homebirth will cost less than hospital birth, as most families will have deductibles and co-insurance. Please contact us if you have more questions.
