General email: contact@blessedbeginnings.net
Susan Scott Gill, LM, CPM
Office Address:
Backs, Babies & Bellies
22691 Lambert St. Suite 515
Lake Forest, CA 92630
714-222-8759
susan@blessedbeginnings.net
Karen Pecora, LM, CPM
Office Address:
29970 Technology Dr.
Suite 124
Murrieta, CA 92563
951-970-5437
karen@blessedbeginnings.net
At Blessed Beginnings Midwifery, we believe that you and your family deserve the very best.
At Blessed Beginnings we believe you and your family deserve the very best. That’s why our midwives work in partnership with our expectant couples. We want our families to experience safe, high-quality care along with the compassion and sensitivity that is often missing from today’s medical environment. Susan Gill and Karen Pecora are licensed midwives with extensive experience in natural and conventional approaches to women’s health and maternity care. We care for women throughout the life cycle, from teens through the childbearing years and strive to preserve women’s dignity by honoring them and being responsive to their needs. Our midwives provide a gentler and more personal approach to women’s health care. If you’ve never received care from a midwife, you will be pleasantly surprised!
Prenatal Care:
Our prenatal visits are typically one hour long. We cover nutrition, exercise and questions and concerns you may have. We then do a physical exam – blood pressure, measuring your tummy, listening to the baby’s heartbeat and palpating the position of the baby as well as checking your urine. Your first prenatal visit will include a medical history, a complete physical exam, and a nutritional analysis. Your family is an integral part of your life and they are welcome at your visits to ask questions and to witness the miracle of your baby’s development.Blessed Beginnings prenatal schedule consists of monthly visits until the 32nd week, then every other week until the 36th week, followed by weekly visits until your baby's birth day. Postpartum visits are between 1 and 3 days, at one week and 6 weeks after birth.
Labor and Birth:
During your labor and birth we practice “watchful guarding” of the natural process, offering sensitive support and gentle encouragement, while ensuring the safety and well-being of both you and your baby. We honor a woman’s inner wisdom about her body and desire to labor and birth in her own unique way. When your baby is born she is placed where she belongs: on your tummy. There she makes her gentle transition into the world, begins to breastfeed and integrates into your family. There is no rush to cut the umbilical cord and we never separate the two of you. After you’ve had time to bond we will do the newborn assessment and examine you. We make sure you have something to eat, assist you with the bathroom and showering and help clean up. We stay a few hours after the birth to make sure that both mother and baby are stable and usually leave the family snuggled up in bed together for a nice rest. We come back to check on the family within 24 to 48 hours.Baby Care:
We do a newborn baby exam within the first two hours after birth – right on your bed next to you. We don't separate babies from their mothers. You'll have as much time as you want to bond with your baby and you'll be able to have anyone you want touch or hold her. Breastfeeding assistance is done when needed, both at the birth and/or during postpartum visits, and these postpartum visits are also the time when we perform follow-up wellness checks on the baby. We provide you with information regarding the State of California requirements for newborns, such as antibiotic ointment for eyes, newborn screening tests, vitamin K injections and immunizations. We support your right to make responsible decisions regarding your newborn's care and will provide these services for clients that desire them. Susan and Karen are newborn screening providers with the state of California.Our Midwifery Services
- Free 1st time consultation for parents.
- On call 24 hours, 7 days a week for circumstances requiring immediate attention
- Home or office visits that start on time and last 30-60 minutes
- Preconception counseling
- Free pregnancy testing
- Comprehensive prenatal care
- Full range of laboratory tests available, including ultrasound and genetic testing
- Informed consent - all procedures will be fully explained with the benefits, risks, and alternatives given
- Holistic care - concern for the physical, psychological and social well-being of the mother throughout the childbearing cycle
- Labor and/or birth in warm water
- Continuous care during labor and birth in the comfort of your own home and the ability to give birth the way you want
- VBAC support
- Complete newborn assessment
- California Newborn Screening (PKU) providers
- Home visits after birth for the new mother and baby
- Breastfeeding consultations
- Well woman gynecology: pap smears, family planning, fertility awareness, breast exams, mammography
- Lending library of pregnancy, birth, family and health related books
Blessed Beginnings also offers women:
- Medela breast pump rentals and products
- Pregnancy and infant massage
- Nutritional counseling
- Childbirth classes and referrals to local teachers
- Referrals to birth and postpartum doulas
- Pregnancy and birth photography
- Referrals to chiropractors specializing in caring for pregnant women
Blessed Beginnings Birth Package includes:
- Complimentary birth kit and birthing tub
- Complete prenatal care including nutritional counseling, risk screening and evaluation
- 2 licensed midwives to meet your every need
- Labor, birth and postpartum care including complete newborn assessment
- Postpartum check-ups for mother and baby as needed through the first 6 weeks
- Breastfeeding support and counseling
- Well-woman exam including family planning counseling and Pap smear if indicated
- Book and video lending library
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