Area Midwife Brings ChildBirth Experience To Comfort Of Home
By Jennifer Silverstein
As a mother of two who were both born at home, FishHawk resident Kim Verbarg became a licensed midwife because, “Their births were the most magical moments of my life, and I’d like to help make every woman’s birth experience just as beautiful.”Her daughters are now 12 and 17, but Verbarg has assisted approximately 200 women and their families in the birth of their babies with her business- Sweet Child O’ Mine.“I believe that women should have quality birth options which include gentle care and individual control over health-care decisions. When control and dignity are returned to women in childbirth, women and families can be empowered and bonded through their birthing experience,” she said. “I love being a part of birth and seeing this process.” As the only licensed midwife in the Brandon area, with a Lithia office for appointments, Verbarg, along with staff Areline Williams and Charlie Rae, offers full prenatal care, including lab work and ultrasounds, home and water births as well as vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC). Midwife care offers a significant savings and are typically less than one-third the cost of obstetrical care and hospital birth. Maternity care at Sweet Child O’ Mine includes all prenatal exams, home visits, labor and delivery, initial postpartum care, the services of the birth assistant, complete newborn exam, 24-48 hour postpartum visit, a two week postpartum visit, a six week postpartum exam, and filing of the birth certificate. Private Insurance and Pregnancy Medicaid are accepted and a full pregnancy through childbirth service schedule fee would be approximately $4,000.The company also offers Doula services, a professional labor coach. She attends birth with the mom as her coach and advocate in a variety of settings including at the hospital. Licensed midwives are licensed by the Florida Department of Health, Division of Medical Quality Assurance, with schooling and clinical training, including at least 25 birth observations and 50 labor and delivery managements. Midwives do all of the maternity health care for low-risk women who desire out-of-hospital birth. As long as the patient stays healthy throughout her pregnancy, she will only see the midwife. Services are covered by private insurance and Medicaid.There are also a couple of hybrid options, including the homebirth hybrid option: working with patients who have an obstetrician who they are seeing for their care. If at any time in her pregnancy the patient becomes high risk, she already has a doctor. If during labor she needs physician care, she already has a doctor. “Some women feel like they have the best of both worlds with this option,” Verbarg said.The other option is for patients who qualify for Medicaid who want a hospital birth. “With this option, the prenatal care is with the licensed midwife, and then the mom will go to the hospital for delivery and take the OB on call,” she explained. “The advantage to this is that the mom receives quality prenatal care and education.” For more information or to schedule your free pregnancy test, free consultation or to discuss your birth options, please call 924-6905, e-mail midwife@sweetchildbirth.com or visit http://sweetchildbirth.com.
