Midwifery Services
In traditional midwifery style, I provide complete in-home prenatal care, homebirth, and six weeks of postpartum primary care for mother and baby. While my focus is on minimal-intervention holistic care, I can refer clients out as needed for lab work or ultrasounds, and can arrange for the same prenatal screenings that would be offered in an obstetrical care setting.
Prenatal visits typically begin around 12 weeks of pregnancy, although some clients choose to be seen or have tests ordered sooner. I meet with clients monthly until 28 weeks, biweekly after that until 36 weeks, and weekly thereafter. Visits usually last about an hour, to allow plenty of time for discussion of concerns and answering questions, in addition to the routine clinical aspects of care, like taking vitals, measuring mom’s belly, listening to baby's heartbeat, etc.
I attend births with a trained, experienced assistant, who also attends a good number of visits with me. Together we provide continuous care during labor and birth, and for a few hours immediately postpartum.
In the event of a hospital transport during labor, I will typically remain with the family at the hospital in a support/advocacy capacity after transferring care, and resume postpartum care as usual once mom and baby are home from the hospital.
After baby is born, I provide well-care for mom and baby both for six weeks. This allows a window of time for both to recover from birth, bond, and establish breastfeeding without having to leave home for well-checks. Postpartum visits are at 1, 3, and 7 days, and 2, 4, and 6 weeks. Special attention is paid to breastfeeding support and emotional adjustment, and practical baby care concerns, as well as physical recovery.
I also offer placenta encapsulation, at an additional fee, for my own clients and occasionally others.
Insurance coverage for care with a CPM varies widely by company, and by individual plans. I became a midwife because I love taking care of moms and babies, and don’t love math (!), so I work with a biller who specializes in billing for midwives. She can provide a verification of benefits at the beginning of care (or beforehand) for a small charge.
I am also a Medicaid provider, but the current situation with Medicaid and CPM services in Virginia is complicated and coverage is unpredictable, so I also offer a discount rate for Medicaid-insured families who have been denied coverage for CPM services.
Arvigo Techniques of Mayan Abdominal Massage
What if there were a simple holistic approach to support healing for common health issues including infertility, pregnancy discomforts, fibroids, prolapses, varicosities, menstrual difficulties, digestive issues, and more?
The Arvigo Techniques of Mayan Abdominal Therapy use gentle, noninvasive methods to release and correct imbalances and tension in the core, and seek to optimize wellness of mind, body, and spirit. This therapy is based on techniques taught to Dr. Rosita Arvigo over the course of a 10-year apprenticeship with Don Elijio Panti, a world-renowned Mayan shaman, and by other traditional healers she met during that time. She has shared these techniques and knowledge worldwide, with permission from her teachers.
During a Mayan Abdominal Massage treatment, specific external techniques are used to gently align and reposition organs, increase blood, lymph, and nerve, and qi/energy flow to the gut and pelvic region, and realign the hips and sacrum for optimal digestive and reproductive health. This work also promotes deep relaxation, the healing connection of therapeutic touch, and may work to balance emotional health as well as improving the overall functioning of the human body.
Because individuals vary in their response to treatment for many reasons, initial sessions begin with a thorough health history and discussion of treatment goals. Every session is customized to the client’s specific needs. In many cases, 2-3 sessions will be enough to rebalance the body systems and see great improvement. Fertility issues may take multiple sessions; again, everyone is different.
In a session, you will receive gentle but thorough hands-on massage to the belly and the lower back/hip/sacral area. In your initial session, I will also teach you how to do daily self-care massage to your abdomen. This is a powerful tool to help you achieve the best results for overall health from your therapy. In addition, I may offer a heat treatment such as moxa, castor oil pack, or a yoni steam treatment, as appropriate/desired, and explain how to use castor oil packs or yoni steams at home. We will also discuss supportive dietary choices, exercise, healthy lifestyle, and supplements/herbs that may be helpful for your specific needs. I offer a number of my own herbal tinctures made from both Belizean herbs and local, mostly wildcrafted plants, and can help you find sources for anything I don’t carry.
Currently, I provide Arvigo Therapy at The Nest Birth House in Madison. Please contact me for scheduling. Please note, treatments may vary a little, or possibly need to be delayed, if you are on your moon cycle, still bleeding after childbirth, or have had recent surgery. We can discuss options.
Fees: $175 for initial session, which lasts about 2 hours, and includes health history and intake, nutrition and lifestyle recommendations, the massage treatment and heat treatment as appropriate, and instruction in self-care. Subsequent treatments are $125 and last between 60-90 minutes. $25 discount for birth workers and current clients of The Nest or Motherwit Midwifery.
