Great Expectations Birth Care

Great Expectations Birth Care is run by Rebecca Williams, CNM, CPM, MSN, and is located in Murray, Utah.

Rebecca offers her clients the option of birthing at her beautiful birth suite, or in the comfort of their own home.

The birth suite is located right next to Cottonwood Medical Center, and would be a perfect situation for women and families who may be looking for an alternative to the Obstetrical Model of Care, but are not interested in birthing at home.

Great Expectations seems to really give clients star treatment!  From her website, with regard to considering homebirth or birth at the birth suite, both options sound like the family can expect to be pampered by a compassionate, professional midwife:

Birthing At Home With Great Expectations

Around 36 weeks gestation I will visit your birth site for a prenatal visit and bring birth supplies, a tub if needed, and a postpartum packet which includes all the information and paperwork needed for me to file your birth certificate, obtain a social security card for your baby, etc.. Between 37 to 42 weeks we can legally birth at home and I will come to your house for the birthday party whenever you’d like me to. I stay after the birth until mom and baby are stable and ready for sleep. Sometimes I stay until the birthday cake is frosted and served because I like cake…you’re under no obligation to feed me cake though. I’m there to make your birth wonderful, not to cause extra work.

Birth Suite Birthing With Great Expectations

Women who choose a birth suite birth come to Great Expectations in labor, have a wonderful birth in a “Bed and Breakfast” setting and return home when they’re stable and the time is right. We have a brand new kitchen and food handler permits so you won’t starve and we’ll try to plan your menu before your birth. Maybe you like waffles, fried ham and smoothies, or will it be pasta???

And Regardless Of Location…

Because having a safe pregnancy and birth is a priority, I do transfer to the hospital if problems arise and am certified in Advanced Life Support for Obstetrics. Unless I have someone else laboring, I go with my laboring women and act as their advocate and doula at the hospital in the event of transfer. I have many years of hospital experience and can help couples navigate the hospital “world” to achieve the best possible birth under the circumstances.

Great Expectations Birth Care is located in Murray, Utah, and Rebecca provides complete maternal health care for women living in the Salt Lake area.

Fern Midwifery

The decision of who will be with you at the delivery of your baby is an important one.

What a wonderful thing to have so many wonderful choices of birth care providers that we have in Utah!

Fern Midwifery is a wonderful childbirth option for mothers and families in Salt Lake or Utah County.  Fern Midwifery offers many wonderful services to expectant mothers:

Free Consultation:

You are more than welcome to schedule a complimentary interview so we can get to know each other and explore what it will be like to work together. Husbands or partners are encouraged to attend this visit, as they are frequently full of questions, and we are delighted to meet them.

Initial Visit:

The first official appointment is quite thorough, we typically plan about 90 minutes for this visit. There will be paperwork to complete in addition to a cursory physical exam, and lots of history to discuss. It would be helpful for you get a head start on paperwork, especially the diet history, by downloading the forms from our links page.

Standard Care:

Prenatal care usually begins around 8-12 weeks of pregnancy and visits continue each month until the 3rd trimester (28th weeks) when we begin seeing each other every 2 weeks. After the home visit (at 36 weeks), we will meet weekly until you give birth.

Visits are scheduled for one full hour, but the clinical component usually takes about 10 minutes. The rest of this time we spend talking about the developments of your pregnancy, troubleshooting common complaints and getting to know each other.

Home Visit:

Around 36 weeks, your midwife will come to your home for a prenatal visit. This will prevent unnecessary delays while driving to your house when you are in labor, and allow us to get acquainted with the layout of your house, so you don’t have to show anyone around during labor. You will also receive your birth kit at this visit with all the personal supplies you will use for labor, birth and immediately postpartum. After this point in your pregnancy you are considered full term, so anytime your baby comes we will be ready!

Briana Blackwelder of Fern Midwives has a wonderful blog as well.  Truly, the midwives at Fern Midwifery have the mother’s best interest in mind.

One Happy Baby

BirthWise Maternity Care serves mothers and families in Davis, Cache and Salt Lake Counties.

Heather Johnston, CPM, LDEM is the primary midwife at BirthWise Maternity Care.  Annie Kuntz is the current assisting midwife.

All of the midwives at BirthWise Maternity Care, LC are Direct-entry Midwives (DEMs) which means their education has focused exclusively on providing midwifery care.  This is contrasted with a Certified Nurse-midwife who first trains as a nurse and then receives midwifery training as part of an advanced-practice nursing program.  In Utah, DEMs are the only providers for homebirths.

All of the midwives maintain current CPR and Neonatal Resuscitation certification and participate in regular continuing education such as workshops and conferences sponsored by the Utah Midwives’ Association, subscribing to pertinent periodicals, continuing personal study in various areas and by attending other regional, national and international conferences as circumstances permit.  They also participate in quality review by attending regular peer review with area midwives.

Photo Courtesy Heather and Jared

Birth center births have clearly demonstrated to be as safe as hospital births, with fewer invasive procedures, fewer cesarean sections, higher satisfaction, and lower cost.

In a national survey conducted by the Public Citizens’ Health Research Group on nurse-midwifery care, 419 hospitals and 39 freestanding birthcenters, they recommended insurers, hospitals and consumers to encourage use of freestanding birthcenters.

The Birth and Family Place, located in Holladay, Utah, is a beautiful birth center that offers the relaxing atmosphere of a beautifully decorated birthing suite with a fully functional birth center.

From their website:

We care for you, your family, and your nurse-midwife or doctor to create the safest, softest, happiest experience possible.

We welcome you, your family and your new baby into a world where nurturing is the priority.

Our three birthing rooms have been designed specifically to provide a comfortable and peaceful birthing environment. Each bathroom is equipped with a jetted tub for relaxation during labor. Full-sized beds accommodate mom, dad and baby.

The family waiting room is a comfy spot for whomever you want present to celebrate your baby’s birth.

Flexible and caring professional staff will plan with you to design your ideal birthing experience. We understand that giving birth should be a joyful and relaxing experience for the whole family.

The Birth and Family Place is accredited by the Commission for the Accreditation of Birth Centers (CABC) and a member of the American Association of Birth Centers (AABC).

Birth and Family Place Contact Information:

Birth and Family Place
2180 East 4500 South, Suite 150
Holladay, Utah 84117
Phone (801) 278-3102
Fax (801) 278-3112
info@birthandfamilyplace.com

Providing the Best Birth Experience

If you are interested in a home or birth center birth,  Better Birth is a provider to consider.

Better Birth, founded by Suzanne Smith, a graduate with multiple degrees from Stanford and the Utah College of Midwifery, was the first licensed direct-entry midwife in the state of Utah.  She definitely has a great love for what she does, and has a lot of learning behind her!

Better Birth offers their clients the option of delivering at the beautiful BellaNatal Birthing Center in Orem, or in the comfort of their own home.  Better Birth serves mothers and families in Utah and Salt Lake Counties, although sometimes they will travel to Davis, Tooele, Summit and Wasatch counties.

From Better Birth’s website:

At BetterBirth, LLC we provide the very finest and most personal maternity care available.  We see birth as a normal, healthy physical, social, and emotional process, and we expect it to be so throughout your experience with us.

We believe the relationship between midwife and mother is very important, and can have a big impact on your birth.  It’s so important to be comfortable with your midwife.  Trust should come easy.  We schedule appointments so there is plenty of time to talk about questions and concerns, or just chit-chat about whatever is going on for you.

We believe your birth is a pivotal experience in your life, and will have repercussions much broader than you might imagine.  We will work hard to make it exactly the experience you want it to be.  A “good outcome,” that is, a healthy mother and baby, are the absolute minimum standard.  Of course you want a healthy mother and baby(!) and we will never compromise our efforts to ensure you get them.  But birth can and should be so much more than that.  It is the experience beyond “alive and well” that makes BetterBirth, LLC an outstanding choice for your maternity care.  We hope you will describe your experience with childbirth and with us as “exquisite.”

Better Birth Contact Information:

Salt Lake Office

3098 S Highland Dr Suite 394
(801) 363-2448

Get Map

Orem Office

560 S State St Suite D2
(801) 225-5668

Get Map