Services Available to Women and their Families:

Preconception Counseling
Midwife Attended Natural Childbirth
Complete Prenatal Care
Postpartum Care and Support
Well Woman Care
Vaginal Birth After Caesarian Education and Support
Labor Support for Hospital Births
Nutritional Counseling
Breastfeeding Education
Water Birthing
Physician Consultation and Referral
Alternative Health Care Referral
Childbirth Classes

Informed Choice Statement
We provide all families interested in our services with this information. We are a practice of direct entry midwives. A direct entry midwife is educated by apprenticeship with an experienced, certified Senior Midwife, along with educational studies and testing, to attend low risk mothers who are expected to have a normal pregnancy, birth, and postpartum period. We are not nurses or physicians. We are trained to assist normal births and to detect difficulties that are sometimes associated with childbirth. We will handle any problem to the best of our ability or refer you to another health care provider if needed. Please read and sign this informed choice statement, informed consent and financial agreement, and return all signed papers at your first prenatal visit. Heaven Sent Birth Services cannot consider you a client until the forms have been signed, returned and placed in your file. If you have any questions about this agreement, or any information contained within, please do not hesitate to ask. It is important that you fully understand the contents and agree to abide by this agreement.

Responsibility of the Midwives
As stated before, we are direct entry midwives who specialize in normal birth. We provide complete prenatal care for all our mothers and have laboratory and ultrasound testing available to our families. We have physician consultation and/or referral, if and when needed. We also limit the number of families we care for in a month to assure that we can provide you with the care you deserve. We monitor your physical and emotional condition, as well as your baby’s, during your pregnancy, birth and postpartum period. We will assist you in any way we can to help you achieve the kind of birth experience you and your family desire. If there is an issue concerning the safety or well being of you or your baby, we will discuss our concerns and options fully with you. We do not suggest interventions or transports unless absolutely necessary and we need to know you will follow our recommendations. If complications develop, which in our judgement, make an out of hospital birth unwise; you will be referred or transferred to a healthcare provider/facility able to handle obstetrical problems. If you refuse to follow the recommendations of the midwife or if you refuse medical attention or procedures requested by the midwife, you will be asked to sign a noncompliance with Medical Advice form and the professional relationship between Heaven Sent Birth Services and you may be terminated. Because we do not have IV fluids, blood products or other advanced medical equipment available, we must have your cooperation with our recommendations. We are available by phone, e-mail and cell phone from the time you contract with Heaven Sent Birth Services until your 6 week postpartum visit, and beyond, and will continue to assist you with any questions you may have, or refer you to a pediatrician, family doctor or other healthcare provider. Our guidelines of practice and policies are available upon request, and a copy is available in our library.

Midwifery Services:

Prenatal care
Regular prenatal visits are required of all mothers preparing for a birth with our midwives. Appointments include monitoring your baby’s growth and heart rate, position and size, maternal weight gain, urine dipstick, blood pressure and uterine growth. You will be given a form to take to the lab, where they will draw the necessary labwork for your pregnancy. You will be required to have your labwork done by your 16th week, or as soon as possible after you begin your care. Finger sticks to check hemoglobin or blood sugar may be done as needed in the office. Office visits are scheduled at 30 minute intervals. New client consultations are scheduled for one hour. If you feel that you will need a longer visit please call ahead and we will schedule an extended visit. A home visit will be scheduled at approximately 36 weeks of pregnancy if you are going to birth your baby in your home. We encourage you to bring your family and friends to your appointments. Children are welcome at Heaven Sent Birth Services but for your child’s wellbeing, we ask that you keep your child with you at all times. We appreciate your cooperation.

Labor and Delivery
When you feel you may be in labor or if your water breaks, call us and we will discuss when you need us to come and check your status. This is different for each mother, depending on the travel distance, previous labor patterns, etc. Call the office and if you get the answering machine, leave a message on the machine with your phone number and your status/questions, then call one of the other cell numbers provided on the machine. Remember to leave a message on the answering machine even if you are calling our cell phones. If there is interference with the cell phones, we can check the machine and return your call. The attendants at your birth will include at least one midwife and one or two assistants. Care during labor will consist of monitoring the progress and condition of the mother, the condition and position of the baby and assisting the family in birthing their baby. After the baby is born, we will assist delivery of the placenta and do an initial examination of mom and baby. We are trained to initiate emergency procedures, according to our ability and the equipment we carry. We are also trained to detect common abnormalities in the mother and baby and will consult or transport as necessary. The midwife and/or an assistant will stay two to four hours after your birth. The stay may be longer if there are any concerns for the baby’s or mother’s condition. We will not leave until you and your baby are stable. If transport to a hospital is necessary, at least one of the midwives will go with you and stay until either the situation is resolved or your family doesn’t require our presence.

 

Post Partum
One or more post partum visits will be done in your home. One will be 24 to 48 hours after your birth, and we will do the PKU test and complete your birth certificate. Follow up visits are done in the office at two to three weeks, and six weeks post partum. Other visits may be necessary and will be scheduled accordingly. There is no additional cost for visits. We will continue to follow you during your postpartum period if transfer of your care is necessary. We ask that your baby be seen by a pediatrician 24 to 48 hours after the birth. We will do a preliminary examination of the baby after the birth but we are not pediatricians. Antibiotic ointment for baby’s eyes and vitamin K are available to be administered to your baby, if you choose. We will be happy to explain these procedures during classes and prenatal visits. Other topics regarding your newborn are circumcision, breastfeeding, immunizations, etc. Please read about these subjects and let us know if you have any questions.

Responsibility of the Client
It is essential that you take responsibility for your health and the health of your baby. Delivery of your baby with Heaven Sent Births is dependant on your health, and maintaining a low risk status. Remaining low risk involves maintaining a healthy diet, moderate exercise and avoiding substances that could harm you and your baby. Parents who choose a birth with us are stating they are educated about birth, and the possible risks inside and outside the hospital, and have chosen to birth their baby outside the hospital. If you make this choice, you are responsible for this choice. When you choose a Heaven Sent Births midwife you have the freedom to make choices regarding your prenatal care and your birth and you accept the consequences. When you choose to have your baby outside the hospital, you must be aware that situations can occasionally arise quickly and time is lost in receiving advanced medical attention. These situations are very rare but they do happen. You need to invest time and educate yourself about the benefits and risks of out of hospital birth and work with us to help prevent or reduce the risks. If you have any preexisting health conditions, such as cardiac disease, diabetes, hypertension, etc., you cannot be accepted by Heaven Sent Births and you will be strongly advised not to attempt a birth outside the hospital. We can refer you to physicians who will allow us to be involved with your prenatal care and your birth. Communication between the midwives and families is vital. We will be open and honest with you and we need the same in return. Please feel free to talk to us if you have any concerns or problems affecting your emotional health. Your birth experience will be greatly improved if there are no lingering problems or anxieties. We hold all communications in confidence.

Fees for Services
The fee for your birth is: $2300 for birthing center or home birth in the OKC metro area, $2400 for outside metro/out of town home births within 75 miles of the center and $2500 for over 75 miles. We must limit travel to no more than 100 miles outside the OKC metro area. Your fee includes all prenatal visits, your 36 week home visit for families birthing at their home, labor and delivery, and your post partum visits. There are no additional fees for our midwifery services. You are responsible for the additional costs of lab work, Newborn Screen (PKU), birthing kit, vitamins, supplements, classes, doctor visits, and ultrasounds. A payment schedule will be decided upon your first visit and you will receive a separate financial agreement. Payments are made on a regular schedule and the fee must be paid in full by your 36th week, approximately four weeks before your due date. Payment is required in full deliver with Heaven Sent Birth Services. A $400 payment is required by your second visit, and is not refundable. Refunds are decided on an individual basis, at our discretion. If services are terminated before the end of pregnancy for health reasons, the bill will be determined by services rendered, and refunds may apply. If the professional relationship between Heaven Sent Birth and the client is terminated for Non-Compliance with recommendations, there will be no refund. Also, if you do not call us in time, and you deliver your baby before we arrive, there will not be a refund. There will be no refund of any amount after 36 weeks of pregnancy. Many insurance companies are paying for the services of midwives. If your health insurance will reimburse for midwifery services, we will assist you in filling out any forms required and provide an itemized statement, but we must ask that you pay your fee in full, by the specified date, and collect from your insurance company yourself. Full financial information is provided to you in a separate agreement. Professional liability insurance is not available at this time to CPM’s in Oklahoma. We do not have professional liability insurance.

Classes Offered at Heaven Sent Birth Services
Lamaze childbirth education, breastfeeding education and support, prenatal and postpartum yoga, nutrition, early pregnancy, and many other classes are held at Heaven Sent Births. Please ask for information about classes and fees. We also host a homebirth meetup group, a VBAC group and a Trust Birth Initiative group. We are also starting a regional group to support and promote midwifery and childbirth information, choices and safety.

Telephone Contact
We are available by phone between 10:00 am. and 5:00 pm., weekdays. If we are in clinic or at a birth, please leave your name, phone number and your message on the answering machine, and we will contact you as soon as possible. If you are experiencing bleeding, think your water has broken, have a high fever or need immediate assistance, please use the cell phone numbers given. If the voice mailbox picks up your call, leave a message and phone number, if you do not receive a call back within ten minutes, please CALL AGAIN, we may be at a birth and it may take a few minutes to get a free hand to return your call. Never hesitate to call  if you are concerned about your health or your baby’s wellbeing. Internet Resources heavensentbirth.com cfmidwifery.org mana.org narm.org  unicef.org/newsline/tenstps.htm

Telephone Contact List
Margarett Scott, CPM
Office: 405-787-7730
Cell: 405-514-BABY (2229)
E-mail: oklahomamidwife@heavensentbirth.com
or oklahomamidwife@yahoo.com

Anne Coffee, TM
Home: 405-728-1470
Cell: 405-245-4440
E-mail: coffeemom32@sbcglobal.net

Reference List:
Affiliated Medical Lab 685-1524
Ultrasounds Unlimited 478-1985
OU OB/GYN Appointments 271-9494

Pediatrician:
Kelly Stephens, MD 341-7009

Client References:

Heather Jordan 285-6471
Anne Saunders 613-0296
Regan Nix 948-1934

Patricia Oglesby 521-8816