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Home Birth, Water Birth, Midwifery Care
Odaa Birth Midwifery services offers midwifery care to low risk pregnant women. Tigist, owner of Odaa Birth is a Certified Professional Midwife licensed to provide community midwifery services in the state of Arizona. Her services rely highly on the midwifery model of care that includes providing;
Comprehensive prenatal care - including initial blood work, Diabetes testing, and Group B strep screening.
Hands on support throughout active labor and birth by your midwife Tigist and possibly an assistant midwife and/or a student midwife.
Homebirth, including water birth
Referral for prenatal ultrasound as indicated
Nutritional counseling
Postpartum care for mother & baby for first six weeks
Newborn physical assessment, including metabolic screening, referral for hearing screen and congenital heart defect screening at 1-2 day home visit
Breastfeeding support
Referrals to complementary health providers and community resources.
Midwifery Model of Care
Tigist provides her care based on the core concepts of Midwives Model of Care which is based on the fact that pregnancy and birth are normal life processes.
The Midwives Model of Care includes:
Monitoring the physical, psychological, and social well-being of the mother throughout the childbearing cycle
Providing the mother with individualized education, counseling, and prenatal care, continuous hands-on assistance during labor and delivery, and postpartum support
Minimizing technological interventions
Identifying and referring women who require obstetrical attention
The application of this woman-centered model of care has been proven to reduce the incidence of birth injury, trauma, and cesarean section.
Copyright (c) 1996-2008, Midwifery Task Force, Inc., All Rights Reserved.
Who is Your Midwife?
Tigist is a Certified Professional Midwife and a Licensed Midwife in the states of Idaho and Arizona. Bringing her extensive knowledge in prenatal, labor, and postpartum care, Tigist empowers families through education and support, fostering an environment that promotes safety and confidence. Utilizing evidence-based practices coupled with traditional, family centered care, they ensure that each birth is tailored to the unique needs and desires of the each family, while also being prepared for any unforeseen circumstances. She is well trained to identify risks and manage complications in her scope of practice and transfer care when needed, keeping the family safe.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a CPM?
A Certified Professional Midwife (CPM) is a knowledgeable, skilled and professional primary maternity care provider. Certified Professional Midwives are trained and credentialed to offer expert care, education, counseling and support to women for pregnancy, birth and the postpartum period. CPMs practice as autonomous health professionals working within a network of relationships with other maternity care providers who can provide consultation and collaboration when needed. All Certified Professional Midwives meet the standards for certification set by the North American Registry of Midwives (NARM).
Who is a good candidate for a home birth?
Women with a low risk pregnancy category are good candidates for a home birth. The following are some of the low risk categories included:
A woman who is pregnant with a single baby and has made an informed choice to birth at home
Baby is head down at term
Between 37 and 41-42 weeks pregnant (researchers differ on the 41-42 weeks)
No serious medical conditions (heart disease, kidney disease, blood clotting disorders, type I diabetes, gestational diabetes managed with insulin, preeclampsia, or bleeding)
No placenta previa at beginning of labor
No active genital herpes
No thick meconium
*No prior C-section
*Spontaneous labor
Can everyone do a home birth?
No. Homebirth is not right for everyone. Parents who choose a home birth must engage in a much higher level of preparation, responsibility, and involvement in the birth. Many parents cannot or should not take on this responsibility. Women who choose a home birth must also be willing to labor without an epidural, although it is possible to change your mind during labor and transfer to the hospital for an epidural.
How many visits will I have?
Your prenatal appointments are about an hour long. You’ll have one prenatal every month until you are 28 weeks, every two weeks until you are 36 weeks and every week until 42 weeks. After you have your baby, I will stay with you until you and your baby are stable. I will follow up with a phone call if you need me. I will see you within the first 24hrs, at 3 day, 7-10 days, 3-4 weeks and around 6 weeks.
What do we do if complications happen?
Complications are very rare for a normal, low risk pregnancy and midwives are trained to identify signs of complications ahead of time and act. They are also trained to do adult and newborn resuscitation. In an event that happens, they will do all the measures necessary to help baby breath, stop bleeding and plan for heading to the nearest hospital if needed.
How does the current pandemic affect my birth?
We are all trying to keep ourselves and our clients safe. We require masks for all in-person prenatal appointments. Two weeks before your due date, we advise you to strongly consider social distancing and keep yourself safe. All attendants of the birth; midwives, partners and doulas are required to wear a mask. This regulations keep changing as new things come up and are open for discussion. If you are interested to learn more information about current Covid-19 update, click here.
Is water birth safe for me and my baby?
There is strong evidence that waterbirth is associated with a lower episiotomy rate, and that people who use waterbirth in high-episiotomy environments will have higher rates of intact perineums. The benefits or risks of waterbirth for the newborn are less clear, but so far the evidence shows no increase in newborn death or any other bad health outcome including NICU admissions, low Apgar scores, breathing difficulty, need for resuscitation, infections, umbilical cord pH, or hypothermia. Click here to learn more about the evidence on water birth and what the research says.
Will you have all the supplies I need for a home birth?
Once you are in second trimester, we start talking about everything you need for your birth. You are responsible for buying all the supplies you need and I will give you the lists including where you will get them.
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“Birth is not only about making babies. Birth is about making mothers- STRONG, COMPETENT, CAABLE MOTHERS who trust themselves and know their inner strength.”