Frequently Asked questions

I want a home birth but what if my partner is skeptical?
We completely understand your situation and we would be happy to speak with your partner, or other family member, about your birth options.

Partners usually just want to know if it is affordable and that we have guidelines in place to cover emergencies.

It is, and we do. 

Licensed Midwives in Arizona have basic guidelines, issued by the Arizona Department of Health, that must be followed in order for a midwife to maintain licensure. We do these guidelines one better and apply empirical, evidence based care to the logic stream. The result, thus far, has been an absolutely perfect safety record. 

How much does it cost?
$500 - $5,500 Depending on form of payment and insurance coverage.
We want you to have the best possible midwife care at a reasonable price. The exact cost and payment schedule will be thoroughly explained after we have received your Verification of Benefits. We accept HSA, cash, check, credit card and insurance (when available) for payment. 

What is included? 
It depends on your selected place of birth and your insurance coverage. The standard package includes: Prenatal, home birth and postpartum care, doula birth care, complementary verification of insurance benefits through The Phoenix Birth Center, discounts on various services and classes. 

Do you take my insurance? 
Probably! Lets find out! We offer complementary verifications of benefits. If you are covered for maternity care through private insurance, we can usually work with your insurance company on an out-of-network basis and sometimes we can get an in-net-work exception. We will collect your insurance verification information at your tour or consult.  If you have insurance, we will not be able to give you a breakdown of payments until your benefits have been verified. 

Do you have Practice Guidelines for safety?
Yes we do! The safety of you and your baby are very important to us, of course! Our prenatal and birth guidelines are strictly monitored by the Arizona Department of Health and are informed by the North American Registry of Midwives.  

Though we seek to bring a certain levity to our tasks and to present a down-to-earth approachability, we take our work very seriously and do not take lightly the respect that we have earned as experts in our field.

While we have a professional duty to maintain community standards, we also, more importantly, have a moral and personal duty to ensure that our mothers and babies have the best outcomes possible. 

We may be midwives but we are also mothers, daughters, sisters and aunts. We would no more want anything untoward to happen to one of our mothers or babies than we would to a member of our own family. 

When we say that we want our clients to think of us as family, we really mean it. 

What is the difference between home birth and birth center birth?

• The primary difference is convenience. You don't have to worry about setting up or cleaning up. While we take care of most of that for you at home, preparing for home birth does require more effort than preparing for a birth center birth.

• Depending on the size of your home, it may be more convenient for you to have extended birth support and visitors at the center.

• Our discounts usually apply to birth center, rather than home birth.

• We have nitrous oxide available for pain management at the center.

I am with a hospital practice and want to switch to home birth, what do I do?
Switching care to Midwives Rising is easy! All you need to do is schedule your first appointment and we will take care of the rest.

How far do you travel?
For the most part, if you are willing to drive to us, we are willing to drive to you!

Within Arizona, we travel from Phoenix as far north as Sedona and as far South as Maricopa. As far east as Apache Junction and as far west as Buckeye. Locations further away than 20 miles from us may incur an extra per mile travel fee.

What is your philosophy about birth?
We could talk for days about the importance of clinical standards, birth rights, birth as a natural process, and the overriding importance of the mother's philosophy. But since they are all encompassed by this one simple statement, we would rather put it this way:

“Every baby is the child of a queen and has the potential to be the brightest light the world has ever seen.

— Midwives Rising! Arizona

We are serious! We truly believe that mothers and babies should be treated as if the world depends on them. Because it does! This isn't just a thought. It is a thought but it is much more than that. It is the guiding philosophy of our practice. It shapes our every policy and guideline for the use and implementation of every test, procedure, therapy and class that we offer.

Do you offer natural healing alternatives? 
Yes! Many! Natural remedies are our first go-to when it comes to managing the common discomforts of pregnancy. 

What if I want an ultrasound, or I don't want an ultrasound, etc...
Your care should reflect your choices. We provide care based on shared decision-making. This means that we provide you with information regarding the risks and benefits of any test or procedure and you decide what is right for you. Together we implement a plan that respects your wishes and needs. 

What if you have two births at once?
With three midwives, there is plenty of us to go around. 

Do you offer home visit appointments? 
YES! For our cash pay clients who live within 8 miles of our office, we can offer home visits. 

Can my children come to the prenatal appointments?
Yes! Children, friends, family and assistive animals are welcome here. We do suggest coming to a few alone, just so that we focus totally on YOU but we understand that may not always be possible.

Does my partner need to come to the appointments? 
Not necessarily. It is good for them to come to at least a few but we understand that may not always be possible. 

How long are the prenatal appointments?
As long as you need them to be. 30 mins - 2hrs seems fairly typical. 

What happens at a normal prenatal appointment?
Aside from laughing, eating and visiting, we check your vitals, listen to baby, measure growth, check urine, order or follow up on labs, discuss nutrition, discuss birth plans and generally try to get to know each other a little better. 

Do I need to take a prenatal vitamin? 
Maybe yes, maybe no. We usually suggest that women meet their nutritional needs through real food. That said, some supplements can be beneficial. 

Can I keep exercising throughout my pregnancy? 
Generally, yes. If you can do it, you can do it! We do suggest limiting sports that have a high rate of injury. Walking is the best thing that you can do for pregnancy and birth fitness. We suggest walking 1-3 miles 2-5 times a week. 

Do you offer childbirth classes?
Yes! We offer many different types of child birth, health and personal well-being classes. 

Do you do water-births?
Yes! Water birth, land birth, silent birth, prayerful birth, community birth, teepee birth, outdoor births... Whatever, we are game. Our job is to offer you options, to explain the risks and benefits of each and to respect your choice. 

Can my partner catch the baby?
Yes! Partner, grandparent, sibling, friend, whomever you would like. We will be right by their side to gently assist in the process. 

Can my children attend the birth?
Yes! If you want. It is YOUR birth and you are free to invite whomever you want to be there. We do suggest that younger children have an appointed care provider. If you do not have one, we are happy to help with that. (Same with dogs, friends, grandparents, other family members).

I want a low-intervention, almost unassisted birth. Can you help with that? 
Sure. We would be happy to discuss your desires with you. 

This is my first baby and I feel like I would benefit from a more hands-on, birth coaching type of experience. Is this something that you can provide? 
Of course! We do not have any preconceived notions about what any woman may need during pregnancy or birth. Our magic purse has handkerchiefs that can make us seem to disappear and a glove that can make it seem like we have 4 hands each! What ever a woman needs of us is exactly what we want her to have. 

I live in an apartment. Can I have a home birth? 
Of course! Apartment, trailer, teepee, guesthouse, whatever or wherever... babies don't need much space and neither do we. 

I have always envisioned myself birthing outdoors. Can you do that? 
We have attended many out-door births. If it is where you want to be, it is where we want to be.

What do you provide for pain management?
We address pain management beginning in pregnancy. We want your experience to be as comfortable as possible. For that to happen, we need to support your optimal health during pregnancy. Nutritional status, emotional health, knowledge base, hydration, baby's position and general fitness all play a role in the perception of pain. Therefore we address these early on in care so that you can enter labor in the best shape possible. Because of this, our transport rate for pain relief is very low. Once in labor, we can use hydrotherapy, aromatherapy, TENS, acupressure, acupuncture, massage, hypnosis, Body-Talk, herbs, minerals, homeopathics and other remedies and techniques to help make you as comfortable as possible. If those are not working for you and you are at the birth center, we have nitrous oxide gas available for you.

Do you do VBAC births?
On a limited basis, yes.

Do you do lotus births?
If that is what you want, we can help you with that. 

Do you provide postpartum care?
Yes! Our packages range from basic postpartum care that includes unlimited office visits to extensive packages that include a full 28 days of light housekeeping and meal delivery. 

What is the first step in working with you?
The first step is to schedule a home birth consult or a birth center tour with us. There is no cost and we will schedule enough time for us to explain your options to you. Message us. Someone from the office will get right back to you.