Virtual Prenatal Care during the time of COVID-19 | Tampa Bay Midwifery
A hallmark of midwifery care we love to share is our ‘high touch, low tech’ approach to pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period. Due to COVID-19 our practice and many other health care providers have had to change their protocols for care. This means limiting in person interaction, cutting back on support persons in non-emergent visits, and limiting our normal care schedule. Many obstetrical practices are postponing initial visits and distancing other routine visits to minimize exposure to providers and clients alike. This is good practice and important to public safety at the present time.
There are a lot of amazing resources for pregnant folks facing this crisis popping up all over the world wide web. One of our favorites thus far is Evidence Based Birth. You can also read a great article from our friends at the Tampa Bay Birth Network about COVID-19 and homebirth in our community here.
One thing we can offer to clients during this time is comprehensive telehealth visits. Maybe your provider is not currently accepting new patients, maybe you have questions or concerns outside of what your provider can currently offer, or maybe you have just been curious about midwifery care and what it entails and now this pandemic has left you searching for options. We can help you construct a birth plan for this current environment where in-person support is limited, give more in depth childbirth education, or even just help you address normal pregnancy or postpartum concerns. We bring a holistic model of care that looks at the whole person, whole household, and bigger picture. We can help teach you how to best self-care, monitor your own health concerns, or find resources you may not know about.
These televisits are not exclusive to those having primary care with our practice. We want to support you no matter your plan for care or your birth! We’d love to learn how you can best be supported during this tumultuous time.
If you’re interested in remote visits with a Licensed Midwife please reach out to us via our website here or give us a call at 813.515.0825. We are also still accepting clients to our practice who are looking to plan a homebirth as well as clients who would like comprehensive prenatal and postpartum care but would prefer a hospital delivery.
Our telehealth visits are currently offered by Charlie Rae Young LM, CPM, CLC. Charlie is a graduate of the Florida School of Traditional Midwifery and Florida Licensed Midwife (MW276). A Florida native, Charlie was called to Midwifery after her own experience with the over-medicalized model of childbirth. She began her service as a doula by founding Barefoot Birth in 2008, and has worked as a strong advocate for better care for families alongside the Coalition for Improving Maternity Services, The Birth Survey, The Florida Council of Licensed Midwifery, and others. She has attended hundreds of births over the last 11 years, filling a niche with naturally-minded families as well as those who are often marginalized from conventional medical care due to social stigma. She has written for and been featured in SQUAT Birth Journal, Tampa Bay Times, Tampa Tribune, FOCUS Magazine, Radical Doula Blog, and been interviewed for the Tampa NBC Affiliate for her community projects The Barefoot Bus--a fully mobile prenatal care unit operating under the easy access model of care as well as her 501c3 The Community Roots Collective. Charlie's belief is that every family deserves safe and quality care, and hopes to continue to build stronger communities through beautiful births.
Charlie is a Florida Medicaid Provider and has a fantastic 3rd party biller who can help you navigate having her (and any of Barefoot Births!) services reimbursed by private insurance. All of our care is affordably priced and sliding scale options are available for those in need.
