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What is a midwife?
A midwife is a primary care provider that manages healthy pregnancies and births. Licensed midwives (LM) provide the majority of planned home birth and birth center births in California. Licensed midwives provide safe, personalized care for heathy pregnancies where there is an absence of complications or variations that require a higher level of care.
Midwifery care includes monitoring the physical, emotional, and social well-being of the pregnant individual throughout the childbearing cycle, providing individualized prenatal care and continuous care during labor and birth. Additionally, care with a midwife routinely includes close follow up care and lactation support for mother and baby during the hours days, weeks and first two months after the birth. When necessary, licensed midwives refer clients to other health care providers, such as physicians, nutritionists, or physical therapists.
Licensed midwives meet and exceed the criteria set by the World Health Organization for safe maternal Care. As a result, families who plan care with a licensed midwife experience a cesarean rate of fewer than 15% and experience far fewer birth interventions. Licensed midwives evaluate the mother and baby vital signs throughout the course of care, order routine blood work, facilitate prenatal screening and carry the necessary tools for labor and birth: fetal heart monitors (dopplers), emergency and prophylactic medications, oxygen, I.V. fluids, and suturing materials for those with minor vaginal lacerations.
Licensed midwives are also emergency first responders when situations arise that
need immediate attention, such as resolving shoulder dystocia (the baby's head comes out but the shoulders get stuck), correcting heavy postpartum bleeding to prevent hemorrhage and helping newborn to breathe if it needs assistance at birth.
What is ‘Community birth'?
Community birth refers to childbirth that is planned to take place in your home or a freestanding birth center and is attended by a licensed health care provider.
CAM and CALM encourage all consumers to verify the license status of individual providers before starting care. The Safety of planned community birth is in the planning with a qualified provider.''
(Information courtesy of CAM and CALM official website.)
What is the difference between midwife and doula?
Doulas provide continuous emotional support. Offering wisdom and resources for pregnant women and their partners to prepare for labor and birth. Doulas give advice on comfort measures such as relaxation and positioning. The most crucial role of the doula is providing continuous emotional reassurance and nurturing though labor, birth or in the postpartum period. She is never the decision maker. She does not catch the baby at birth nor does she perform vaginal exams. The doula is often there in addition to the partner of the laboring person to form a support team.
Monitrice Services include hands on support during labor which include clinical assessments such as monitoring vitals, monitoring baby's heart tones and assessing cervical dilation. Most Monitrices are apprenticing midwives who also do some doula work while working to obtain Certifications and Medical Board Licensure.
WISE ROOTS TEAM
Sherrie LeGendre LM,CPM
I am a wife and a mother of four incredible children.
My own birth experiences raised many questions for me. Within my first two pregnancies and births I felt vulnerable, fearful and did not know I had birthing options or choices. I found myself leaving the decisions regarding my life and my care completely in the hands of my care providers as if total accountability belonged to them.
Eventually I learned better and did better.
I graduated from Nizhoni Institute of Midwifery Class of 2018, then later achieved NARM certification. Some other certifications include Lactation, CPR/Neonatal Resuscitation, Blood Borne Pathogen certification for Placenta Encapsulators, HIPPA Compliance,
ongoing..
I began my journey in birth work believing I could help change the alarming number of health disparities especially among women of color. Like many midwives, I started out 12 years ago as a doula, growing into a midwife through many hours of schooling and years of hands on learning and training. Through various apprenticeships I had the honor of being mentored by some of the most amazing midwives in California gaining valuable experience learning in hospital, attending to home births and several busy birth center settings and going on to serve many happy families.
I love birth. I love babies. I love the earth and wisdom in creation. I love empowering families to make their own well informed decisions . I enjoy helping women see the wisdom in their own body. Embracing the unique relationship of trust I build with my clients, my aim is to contribute to the community by providing true informed consent and empowerment to the family unit as a whole. Fathers are important, sibling inclusion is important. Families value the lessons in their own experience when given the dignity to choose and decide rather than having their health options dictated.
As a Medical Board licensed, Certified Professional Midwife I manage pregnancies from beginning to end, attending to prenatal & postpartum clients and catching babies in and around Los Angeles, Long Beach, Burbank, Riverside. I love my job.
SHAWN - BILLING COORDINATOR
Shawn brings a warm glow to the team with her wit and personality. With over 20 years billing experience, this professional mother of two oversees the successful completion of Wise Roots Midwifery business accounts, ensuring the preparation and billing of complex client invoices in compliance with firm policy.