A Day in the Life of Home Birth Midwife Charlie Rae Young LM, CPM CLC of Barefoot Birth | Tampa Bay Midwife
Hi yall! I am Charlie Rae Young - a Florida Licensed Midwife, Certified Professional Midwife, and Certified Lactation Counselor who owns Barefoot Birth in Tampa, Florida. No two days ever look the same in the life of a midwife. It is a huge reason I love doing home visits for my clients. I love preserving the ancient art of midwifery while seeing each family in their own space. No family is the same, and each day I get to spend walking with these families on their different journeys is so special. Here is a tiny glimpse into what a morning of prenatal visits looks like!
As a licensed midwife, I am able to provide the same health assessments that a pregnant woman would have with any other prenatal care provider. I perform both maternal and fetal well being assessments, collect any necessary lab work (we offer all the same lab work an OB practice may offer, but give clients the option of accepting or declining the tests), give referrals to specialists or for ultrasounds, and we can even do routine gynecological testing including PAP smears. What makes care from a midwife the gold standard in prenatal care is one on one time I get to spend with clients in their visits. Instead of waiting for an hour or more, I actually schedule my client's visits for an hour. That time is spent doing an in depth check in to see what personal factors may be influencing each family's pregnancy and impending birth of their child. It is a holistic approach that is unmatched in any other medical setting.
A favorite part of midwifery care for me is caring for the WHOLE family. Children are welcome to participate in as much or as little of appointments as parents would like. They are welcome to help with "checking on baby" and "caring for mama." Children are also always welcome at births if parents would like for them to be in attendance. A large part of prenatal care is spent preparing siblings for the arrival of the new baby and ways to help them integrate a new little person into their world. I love to see the entire family participate in care- what a special memory and legacy this creates for our children! This is a huge step in the normalization of pregnancy and childbirth in our culture and will change the way our children grow their own families in the future.
