Midwifery

Midwife and birth assistant care for labor and delivery

Tools

  • Birth stool
  • Yoga slings
  • Birth balls
  • Peanut ball

We provide

  • Feeding support
  • We support nursing!
  • Human milk boosts baby’s immune system
  • Nursing stimulates the uterus to contract and return to normal size

Home Births

Many of us have had births at home ourselves. Adrienne has been safely attending hundreds of home births throughout her career.

We are able to accommodate a small number of home births each month. If this sounds like a good option for you, please specifically inquire with the team.

We are able to attend home births within a 30-minute radius. This is more of a case by case basis depending on team availability!

Water Birth Services

At Wasatch Midwifery, we want you to choose the right birthing plan for you and your baby. Often, we will suggest a water birth for our Salt Lake clients.

Water Births in Salt Lake City, UT
A water birth allows you to deliver your baby in a large pool of warm water. This birthing plan offers increased comfort and better outcomes for labor and birth.

Your baby spent the previous nine months in an amniotic fluid sac. Birthing in water allows them to enter the world in a similar, gentler environment. Generally, birthing while immersed in water is less stressful for both parent and baby.

There are many more benefits to water birth, including:

Pain and Anxiety Relief

The warm water can reduce stress-related hormones and increase the body’s production of natural endorphins. These endorphins act as mood stabilizers and pain-inhibitors to decrease stress, pain, and anxiety. When the parent feels more relaxed, they are better able to focus on the birth of her child.

Buoyancy

Water makes you feel lighter and reduces feelings of pressure. Weight reduction allows your body to find a more comfortable laboring position. Buoyancy is also linked to more efficient uterine contractions and improved blood circulation. This translates into more oxygen for parent and baby.

Better Movement

Because the birthing person is lighter in the water, they are more able to find a comfortable labor position. What’s more, the freedom of movement can decrease the sensation of pain

Reduced Tearing

When you submerge yourself in water, the perineum — the flat skin located directly below the vulva — becomes more elastic. This elasticity lowers the incidence and severity of tearing, minimizing the need for an episiotomy or stitches.

Lower Blood Pressure

Blood pressure can spike due to increased anxiety. With the immersion of a water birth, the parent is generally calmer, lowering the chance of increased blood pressure.

Increased Energy

While you won’t want to make plans to run a marathon right after you deliver, we see an increase in energy for those who choose water births in the later stages of labor.

Baby Friendly Environment

Water birth provides an environment similar to that of the amniotic sac. This environment eases the stress of birth and gives your baby a greater sense of security.

For an infant, exiting the womb doesn’t trigger breathing, so there is no need to worry about your baby’s ability to breathe while underwater. If you stay submerged throughout the birthing process, your baby will receive plenty of oxygen from the umbilical cord.

What Are the Risks?

All forms of childbirth have associated risks. However, the misconception regarding the increased risk of infection during water birth has been debunked.

An ideal temperature of birthing pools is 97 – 98 degrees, keeping the environment as similar to the baby’s environment as possible.

Despite a large number of benefits, we never recommend having a water birth without the help of a practiced professional, such as a midwife. We’ll properly sterilize the environment and frequently check for signs of complications.

Is Water Birth Right for You?

We only deliver low-risk pregnancies at the Wasatch Midwifery + Wellness Birth Center. We constantly monitor you and your baby for unexpected complications. You may not be a good candidate for a water birth if you have conditions such as preeclampsia, diabetes, birthing multiples, premature births, large babies, or an existing infection.

Don’t choose your birthing plan on a whim. We are happy to go over all the benefits and risks of water births with you.

Call Now