Frequently Asked Questions

If you’re looking for more information on home birth, midwifery care, pregnancy or postpartum support please review the information below.

  • Midwives are skilled care providers who specialize in supporting healthy low-risk pregnancy, birth, postpartum, well-person care, and early newborn care.

    There are several types of midwives, each with distinct training pathways, credentials, and levels of legal recognition. Common titles include Certified Professional Midwife (CPM), Licensed Midwife (LM), Licensed Certified Professional Midwife (LCPM), Direct-Entry Midwife (DEM), Certified Nurse-Midwife (CNM), and Certified Midwife (CM).

    A midwife’s experience, scope of practice and style of care may vary based on training, certification, and state law.

    In Illinois, midwifery is legally recognized through two primary paths:

    • Certified Nurse-Midwives (CNMs): Licensed by the state of Illinois as Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs). Most CNMs practice in hospitals, sometimes in collaboration with or under the supervision of obstetricians. A smaller number may attend births in birth centers or occasionally in home birth settings.

    • Licensed Certified Professional Midwives (CPMs): As of October 2021, Illinois passed the Licensed Certified Professional Midwife Practice Act, which allows CPMs to apply for state licensure. As of January 2025, licenses are now available. Licensed CPMs specialize in out-of-hospital birth (home and birth centers). Their credential is regulated nationally through the North American Registry of Midwives (NARM).

    In addition, traditional or community midwives may serve families outside of the state licensing framework. These midwives often draw on rich experience, apprenticeship training, or cultural traditions, and continue to play an important role in supporting families who seek care that aligns with their values and heritage.

    Each path into midwifery brings unique strengths, and families may choose based on their birth setting preferences (hospital, birth center, or home), their philosophy of care, and the relationship they feel with the provider.

    The best way to find the right fit is to talk directly with midwives in your community, ask questions, and explore the model of care that feels aligned with your family’s needs. Illinois law supports midwifery care through CNMs and licensed CPMs, giving low-risk families more access than ever before to safe, compassionate, and personalized maternity care.

  • Planned home birth with a trained and experienced midwife has been shown in multiple studies to be a safe option for low-risk mothers. Research from countries with well-integrated midwifery systems—such as the Netherlands, Canada, and the United Kingdom—demonstrates that when midwives are skilled, properly trained, and supported within a healthcare system, outcomes for both mothers and babies are excellent.

    In fact, the Lancet Midwifery Series and systematic reviews published in the Cochrane Database highlight that midwife-led continuity of care reduces the likelihood of interventions, lowers rates of cesarean birth, and improves overall maternal and neonatal outcomes.

    Globally, there is a growing recognition of the need for more midwives. The World Health Organization (WHO) emphasizes that scaling up midwifery education and access is one of the most effective ways to reduce maternal and neonatal mortality and morbidity worldwide.

    Midwives are highly skilled healthcare providers who safeguard physiological birth, uphold safety, and provide trusted guidance for families throughout pregnancy, birth, and postpartum.

    We know that physiological birth—birth that unfolds with support for the body’s natural processes of labor, birth, and breastfeeding—is fundamental to safe and healthy outcomes. The midwifery model of care, and home birth in particular, are uniquely designed to protect these physiological processes.

    Families planning home birth with midwives are more likely to experience practices that support mobility, individualized care, immediate bonding, and breastfeeding—all of which contribute to long-term health and resilience.

    Risk assessment is a vital part of home birth preparation and includes consideration of population-level statistics, but also each family’s personal health, medical and birth history, values, accountability, and safety.

    This requires midwives with excellent training and a commitment to respectful, collaborative care—along with systems that support smooth referral and safe transfer when needed.

    References

    • Cochrane Pregnancy and Childbirth Group. Midwife-led continuity models versus other models of care for childbearing women. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2024.

    • Renfrew, M.J., et al. Midwifery and quality care: findings from a new evidence-informed framework for maternal and newborn care. The Lancet, 2014.

    • World Health Organization. 2021 State of the World’s Midwifery Report. WHO, 2021.

  • Throughout your pregnancy, we monitor carefully to confirm that you and your baby remain low-risk and good candidates for home birth, which significantly reduces the likelihood of complications. We also take time to talk through what to expect, including both normal processes and the less-common complications or emergencies.

    Our training and experience allow us to evaluate and respond to potential issues as they develop. Many situations can be safely managed at home.

    If at any point the birthing person or baby is not tolerating labor well, if a complication occurs that cannot be safely managed at home, or if the birthing person decides they would prefer hospital care or pain medication, we coordinate a smooth transfer to a local hospital where a hospital-based provider will assume primary care.

    We remain by your side to provide continued support throughout the transfer and labor. Once you and your baby are discharged, we resume postpartum and well-newborn care to support you both in continuing to thrive.

  • Yes. No. Maybe? That's a question only you can answer. Like many midwives, I'm not here to convince you that home birth is right for you. The truth is, not every family feels safe or secure birthing at home, and that's okay.

    My role is to hold space for open and honest conversation. I listen to your vision, desires and concerns, review health considerations and answer your questions with transparency. I provide resources to help you educate yourself to make informed choices. I explain how I support physiologic birth, how I respond to shifts outside of normal, including rare emergencies and the tools I carry to manage them.

    The best birth experiences are those where the birthing person feels safe, respected and supported. You trust your body and the process of birth, knowing you can lean on your own strength, your care provider and chosen support people for reassurance and grounding, especially if labor becomes intense or unfolds in unexpected ways.

    Pregnancy, birth and postpartum are profoundly personal experiences. No matter where or with whom you choose to give birth, it's worth investing the time and energy to discover what matters most to you.

  • Most concerns from loved ones are rooted in care and love, though they are often mixed with fears about safety or misunderstandings about what home birth and midwifery care truly provide. Clear communication and empathy are invaluable here, especially as each of us carries personal stories and experiences that shape how we view birth. Family and friends are no different.

    At times, communication may mean staying grounded in your intentions while keeping dialogue open. At other times, it may mean choosing to share your plans only with those you know will be supportive, or perhaps with no one outside your home at all.

    For partners or spouses, the need for reassurance is especially important. They want to know that their partner and baby will be safe and well cared for, and it is difficult, if not impossible, to plan a home birth without their support.

    Choosing home birth carries a greater sense of responsibility, and their confidence matters deeply. In our practice, the birthing person and their partner or spouse (if present at the birth) must be supportive of the home birth plan. One of the true strengths of midwifery care, however, is the time given to building trust. There is space to ask questions, explore concerns, and nurture confidence in the process.

    It’s also very beneficial for anyone you plan to have present at your birth to attend an appointment or the home visit around 36 weeks. Ultimately, the birthing person decides both where they will give birth and with whom, and having a supportive circle makes that experience safer, stronger and more empowering.

  • Many families worry about the “mess factor” with home birth but the reality is, it’s usually far less than people expect. While birth naturally involves some body fluids (amniotic fluid, blood, meconium), most are surprised by how minimal it really is. Midwives are pros at keeping any mess manageable! While you’re busy getting to know your beautiful new baby, your birth team will quietly take care of cleanup, start a load of laundry, and leave your home just as it was before birth.

  • Deep water immersion is a powerful comfort tool during labor and birth, providing relaxation, pain relief, and greater freedom of movement. Warm water soothes and supports the body, helping pelvic tissues stretch more gently. Many of our clients choose to labor in the tub, and quite a few decide to welcome their baby in the water as well. Water birth is one of the many options for comfort and is always part of our prenatal discussions. We provide the pool and walk you and your partner through setup and supplies, allowing you to focus on the experience, not the logistics.

  • The majority of your prenatal visits will occur at our office, in Oswego, IL:

    155 Chicago Road First Fl, Oswego, IL 60543

    We will have at least one home visit, typically between 36-37 weeks. All postpartum and well-newborn visits during the first month take place in the comfort of your home. Families return to our office for an optional 4-week visit and a 6-week visit, which marks the completion of care.

  • Profound Birth primarily serves families within a 35-mile radius of Oswego, Illinois. A travel or mileage fee may apply for clients who live more than 60 minutes from our office. We do occasionally travel beyond our standard service area, depending on the practice's birth schedule. Please reach out to inquire about our availability.

    Our practice typically supports families throughout the greater Fox Valley region and Chicagoland area, including Oswego, Aurora, Naperville, Yorkville, Plainfield, Montgomery, North Aurora, Sugar Grove, Batavia, Geneva, St. Charles, and surrounding communities. We also serve families in parts of Kendall, Kane, Will, DuPage and DeKalb counties, as well as select areas of LaSalle, Grundy and Cook counties.

  • Profound Birth is an out-of-network provider with all insurance companies. We partner with Mindful Midwifery Billing Services to help you explore whether your insurance plan may offer reimbursement. This service is optional but highly recommended. If you would like to pursue insurance reimbursement, you can begin the process here (password: birth).

  • Very often, yes. Late transfer decisions are evaluated on a case-by-case basis and depend on our availability, the reason for transfer, any health conditions or risk factors, and the prenatal care you have received during this pregnancy.

    To complete a thorough assessment before scheduling an initial appointment, late transfers must provide records from both previous pregnancies and births, as well as their current prenatal care. It’s important to note that fees are not prorated for late-entry into care.

    Beginning home birth midwifery care later in pregnancy requires the same full scope of services, condensed into a shorter timeframe. This often involves more focused visits and less time to develop the continuity and relationship we typically cultivate. Even so, our commitment remains to provide safe, attentive, and personalized care for you and your baby.

  • We bring both our hearts and hands, grounded in a deep respect for the sacredness and normalcy of physiologic birth. Alongside that, we carry essential medical equipment to support safety when needed, including oxygen, resuscitation tools, anti-hemorrhagic medications, herbs, IV supplies, sterile instruments for cord clamping and suturing, suturing supplies, a stethoscope, blood pressure cuff, doppler and fetoscope for monitoring baby’s heart tones, and an infant scale.

    We also bring comfort tools such as a birthing stool, rebozo, peanut ball, and essential oils to support you throughout your labor.

    During prenatal care, we provide you with a list of household supplies to prepare your home and birth space. These often include fresh towels, extra bedding, a clean bowl for the placenta, and nourishing snacks and drinks to sustain you and your birth team.

  • Prenatal care is relaxed, relational, and deeply educational. We value clear communication and work closely with you to identify your goals, values, and resources to support you in making choices that feel right for you & your baby.

    Our approach embraces the balance between science and the natural rhythms of birth, while honoring the historical traditions of midwifery and holistic health. Some practices are well-researched, others are rooted in wisdom passed down through generations.

    Science and evidence, intuition and experience, intellect and spirit, body and mind, culture, family, and ancestry are all dynamic parts of the whole. As we walk through your pregnancy, birth, and postpartum, we’ll reflect on how each element shapes and informs your lived experience.

    Prenatal visits are scheduled every four weeks until 32 weeks, then weekly until your baby arrives. Each visit lasts about an hour, providing time for both clinical care and meaningful conversation.

    We will take your vitals, measure your baby’s growth, listen to heart tones, and assess position with abdominal palpation. We also discuss prenatal nutrition, movement, common discomforts, emotional readiness, and your vision for pregnancy, birth, and postpartum.

    Lab services are available in the office and can often be completed during your scheduled appointment, while ultrasounds are referred out.

  • We provide home visits at 24 hours, 7 days, and 14 days postpartum, with the reassurance that you can always reach us by call or text in between. During each postpartum visit, we monitor your vitals, assess bleeding, and check on your overall healing.

    We offer hands-on lactation support, including guidance with latch and positioning whenever it’s needed. We’ll also talk through postpartum nutrition, hydration, and supplements to help restore your strength.

    Just as importantly, we create space to talk about how you are feeling emotionally. Postpartum is a time of profound change, and we want you to feel seen, supported, and resourced, with referrals provided if additional care would be helpful.

    Your baby receives individualized attention at these visits as well. At the 24-hour visit, we provide routine newborn screenings, monitor weight & feeding to ensure your little one is thriving. We also bring and complete your baby’s Birth Certificate and Social Security paperwork at one of these appointments.

    In addition to these visits, we offer an optional in-office check at 4 weeks, and we conclude care at 6 weeks postpartum with a final in-office appointment. Our 6-week visit includes a thorough check of your vitals, a comprehensive infant exam, and meaningful conversation about your birth story and transition into parenthood.

    While this visit often feels bittersweet, it is also a celebration, honoring the journey you and your baby have walked together and sending you forward with confidence into the next season of family life.

  • The short answer is, “Yes!” We have supported many births with siblings present, and it’s always beautiful to witness them welcoming their new baby. Siblings will need to have a dedicated support person who is not your partner, so that your partner can remain fully focused on you.

    The longer answer is that it truly depends on your child or children. You know them best. Some kids may feel overwhelmed by the sights and sounds of birth, become restless with the waiting, or feel unsettled when a parent’s attention is elsewhere. To help prepare them, we recommend reading children’s books about birth, and watching calm birth videos together on YouTube.

  • You have the right to choose who supports you and who is present to witness your birth. We ask that anyone you plan to invite also attend the home visit so we can meet them and make sure that everyone's expectations align. Those you welcome into your birth space should be people you deeply trust and who are ready to enthusiastically support you. Labor will likely stall or slow if you don't feel safe and supported.

    We strongly recommend that each person present have a specific role, such as caring for children or pets, preparing food, or helping with household needs, rather than simply observing. In our experience, having extra people without a clear role often creates distraction and often does not contribute positively to the flow of labor.