Mandala Midwifery
01.
WELCOME TO MANDALA MIDWIFERY
We believe pregnancy, birth and the postpartum period is a transforming experience best supported by compassionate relationship-based care. Our midwives believe birth is a natural and sacred right of passage. It's our goal to help build trust in your mind and body's abilities as you navigate through the journey of pregnancy, birth and the postpartum periods. These beliefs are the center of our care and philosophy.
We believe you are strong and capable of birthing your baby. With encouragement, clear information and informed choice; your agency, autonomy, beliefs and desires are respected. You know your body and baby better than anyone else does. In our model of midwifery care, we balance traditional pregnancy and labor support with current technology and evidence-based information.
The best labor support can be a knowledgeable and confident partner or other birth support people of your choosing. We are dedicated to educating partners and others throughout your prenatal care about labor support and techniques that will make them powerful allies as you work to deliver your baby.
We recognize babies as aware and sensitive people before and after birth. We believe they should be welcomed with a loving and gentle beginning.
We proudly provide care to clients of all identities, backgrounds, ages, sizes, nationalities, religions and abilities. We know that a close and trusting relationship with your midwives fosters happiness and ease through a time of great change. We’re happy you’re here.
“It’s not just the making of babies, but the making of mothers that midwives see as the miracle of birth”.
– Barbara Katz Rothman
02.
MEET YOUR BIRTH TEAM
ALLEGRA LILLY // LDM, CPM
Somehow the call to be a midwife came to me at a young age. It came many years before my first child, before I had ever seen a birth or had really even been around many pregnant people. As a twenty-something living wild and free, I still felt the pull towards midwifery and decided at age 26 to begin my midwifery path.
In 2011 I began my education at Birthingway College of Midwifery in Portland, OR. I completed doula certification and started attending births that year. Being completely immersed in learning, birth work set my heart and soul soaring in the best ways possible! My first child was born in 2014 when I was halfway through my educational program. In 2015 I began my apprenticeship at Alma Midwifery attending home and birth center births. I was fortunate to learn under many amazing midwives there. I was hired to stay on as an assistant midwife where I continued to gain experience and work alongside my mentors. In 2016 I graduated and moved to Central Oregon to begin working as a primary midwife.
All three of my children were born at home. Two in water and my last on land. I loved being pregnant (most of the time) and giving birth to my children in the very way I wanted and needed to be the mother and person I am today. If I had not been in a place of such deep knowledge, trust in my body and babies and cared for by midwives who also knew this and trusted too, I can only imagine the ways my life would be subtly and blaringly different. Each of my births was profound and powerful- reminding me that my body was capable of such strength and softness.
I am a Certified Professional Midwife (CPM) through the North American Registry of Midwives (NARM) and a Licensed Midwife in the state of Oregon (LDM), a member of the Oregon Midwifery Council (OMC) and maintain certifications in Neonatal Resuscitation, adult CPR and Legend Drugs and Devices (LD&D). In my personal time I stay busy caring for my kids, our garden and various animals around our property in Prineville, OR. I enjoy getting out often to hike and explore the mountains, woods and deserts, going camping when I’m off-call and swimming in lakes and rivers on our warmest days.
ELLEN MORNINGSTAR // STUDENT MIDWIFE
Speed Dating Format: For you straight to the point personality types.
Ellen. Student Midwife. Filmmaker Extraordinaire. Nitty Gritty Birth Photographer. Wife. Mother. Friend. Homebirther. Funny Farm Have'r. Boots. Buckles. Feral Farm Kid Raiser. Enneagram 2 (if you're into that). Deep Feeler. The "lay it on me thick" Conversationalist. Bodily Autonomy Soldier. Hype Woman. Tough as a Mother. The End.
The Meat and Potatoes Format: For you deep diver types.
How did we go from Filmmaker to Student Midwife? I can explain...
Birth is such an incredibly transformative and sacred event in a persons life. So much so that it changed my life in ways I have trouble putting words to it. Being a traveling filmmaker for many years gave me one great gift; relationships. The amazing people I've met throughout the years and the deep conversations we've had is what put the fork in my filmmaking road. When I recall having Allegra as my midwife I remember opening myself up to the process that is pregnancy and birth. And with her knowledge and skillsets she helped educate me and gave me the understanding that I have choices, that I have autonomy, that I am the keeper of my birth. I was able to become vulnerable and fully trust in my body and my baby; a relationship that's palpable at its core. The relationship Allegra and I developed over the course of my care is what led me on this midwifery journey. Midwifery is very much relationship based care. Being heard and seen is at the heart of midwifery and what an honor it is to see you be transformed by your body and your birth. You can call us your birth team, your cheerleaders, your hype women, but what we truly are, are believers. We believe in you, in your baby, in your right to choose. And whatever path you and your baby decide to go down, we'll be here holding that space for you.
Central Oregon’s Most Rural Midwifery Team
03.
BIRTH SERVICES
PRENATAL CARE
Prenatal care is truly the cornerstone of midwifery care. Clients enjoy one hour visits to discuss nutrition, emotional progress through pregnancy, family dynamics, supplementation, supportive care, siblings at the birth, herbal medicine for common discomforts, and so much more. This also gives us all the time to know one another well and develop a strong relationship before your labor. Partners are encouraged to participate in prenatal care to build relationships with us and get questions and concerns answered. We also love having siblings participate in prenatal appointments to learn about care, birth and what to expect with the arrival of baby.
Prenatal visits include standard medical evaluations, examinations, and labs with full informed consent and evidence-based information. We recommend the same standard testing throughout pregnancy that is offered in the hospital setting, but believe it is a personal choice for clients to decide how they would like to proceed with their care. Clients starting care in early pregnancy come in for monthly visits until 30 weeks. Bi-weekly visits from 32-36 weeks, then weekly visits until birth. Most clients see us for 10-13 prenatal appointments before labor. Referrals are sent if indicated or requested to other providers.
HOMEBIRTH
There is nothing that compares to the experience of birthing your baby in your own home. Clients enjoy the comfort and familiarity of their own space, they are encouraged to eat and drink as their body desires, move freely without restriction, and give birth in whichever position feels the best in the moment, including in water. Partners also enjoy a familiarity and they often report feeling more in control and at ease in the home setting. We bring all necessary equipment to monitor mother and baby's safety during labor, birth, and immediate postpartum. Our Primary assistant and student midwives attend all births as a team. We provide all immediate postpartum care and cleaning services after the birth to ensure that each new family can rest in their home without the worry of clean up afterwards.
POSTPARTUM AND NEWBORN CARE
Postpartum care is a pillar of midwifery care. We come for follow-up care for all families at 24 hours, on day three/four, and one week in their homes after birth. We continue bi-weekly visits in the office at two, four, and six-eight weeks postpartum. These visits are an hour or more depending on the client and newborn’s needs. During these visits, mother and baby are both evaluated medically. We also provide breastfeeding support as needed throughout this time.
AREAS OF SERVICE
Madras, Prineville, Terrebonne, Redmond, Metolious, Culver, Sisters, Tumalo, Powell Butte, Bend, Sun River, La Pine, and Surrounding region.
04.
FAQs
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We work closely with Jennifer Vracin at Roots Billing to ensure that our clients are able to maximize any insurance benefits they have for midwifery care. If you would like to know what your coverage is before starting care, please use the contact page on her site to verify benefits. We accept all private health insurance companies as out-of-network providers. We are unable to accept Oregon Health Plan as a form of payment, though we do offer sliding scale fees for families who qualify. https://www.unitedcredit.com offers low-interest rate options for financing homebirth and midwifery services - please call us for more information and pricing.
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Many clients find great relief from the use of a birth pool during labor. Some benefits include: A more relaxing experience through the stages of labor, the possibility of a shortened labor, a decreased amount of uncomfortable sensations and can help some clients to be more present in the mental space they desire. Birth pools are available for clients through our practice. We are trained to facilitate safe birth in the water.
Here’s a link on multiple studies of outcomes for waterbirth.
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One of most common question asked about home birth is: "What about the pain?"
Women are strong, capable, intuitive, and incredibly determined; especially when it comes to giving birth to their baby. Our culture has somehow lost the collective knowing that women can give birth without pain medication. However, midwives have not forgotten! We see normal birth often and know, without a doubt that any woman who chooses this path can accomplish it.
We will specifically use and encourage position changes throughout labor, massage and hands on touch, counterpressure on your lower back, hips and other areas of your body as needed, utilize hydrotherapy, rebozo and verbally encourage you every step of the way.
Throughout pregnancy we help families prepare for birth with peer reviewed and backed information, reading, podcasts, documentaries and class recommendations along with careful planning to mitigate discomforts. When a woman is in her own space and has control over her own body, the sensations and perceptions of pain can be far less than in other settings. Partners are also prepared throughout the course of pregnancy during prenatal visits and learn how to assist their partner during labor to help achieve a natural birth.
Overall, we know that the fear, pain, tension cycle which can occur when stress is present in the birth space can be avoided with the right support, encouragement and mind/body connection leading up to and during birth.
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This is another very commonly asked question and concern. While most low risk women achieve their goal of home birth, there are sometimes complications that arise requiring transfer to a hospital. Allegra has trained extensively to recognize and respond to these occurrences.
Throughout pregnancy you are monitored for any concerning signs or symptoms that may require a consultation with a specialist so we can determine if home birth is still a safe option. Routine blood work, labs/cultures and ultrasounds are available on a specific timeline during prenatal care and used as needed if a reason arises. These test are optional to you and discussed in detail.
In labor, baby and you are monitored routinely. We track the baby’s heart rate and your vitals. If there is a concern for someone’s safety we plan on hospital transport if needed. In the majority of these cases, we are able to transport via private vehicle. We accompany all clients in this situation to the hospital and remain with them for support until baby is born.
Over the years there have been many studies done to explore the safety of home birth as it becomes more popular. Community birth and home birth providers take many measures that make safety a central and important part to this care model. Just as importantly, the relationship-based care model and an open and honest midwife-client relationship also make this a safe approach. Midwives need clients to be open and honest about health, what they need and want to achieve, as it is just as important for midwives to communicate honestly and openly about their care, experience, comfort with birth plans and any concerns they may have. Trust and honesty are integral to this care.
This the resource has many evidence-based studies on the safety of home birth.
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Yes! Just because you started with one provider, does not mean you don’t have the option to choose a different one. If you started with a hospital-based provider and want to consider making a switch, we can meet with you for a one-hour consultation so you have a chance to meet us, ask question and figure out if midwifery and home birth are a good fit with us. If you decide to move forward we request records from your previous provider and continue all care and routine test as needed.
We are able to accept clients transferring into care up to 36 weeks of pregnancy. Because midwifery care is relationship-based and requires some planning and supply gathering on the client’s part, we do not take very last minute transfers of care. We value the relationship and trust building just as equally and feel its important to have a few prenatal visits with a client before helping them delivery a baby at home.
We do not accept high risk clients or clients with multiple risk factors that may make homebirth unsafe. Very few pregnancies are ‘perfect’ and there are definitely low and moderate risk factors that may still allow for a safe home birth. Don’t hesitate to call for clarity on a persisting or acquired condition. Mandala midwives attend a limited amount of births per month.
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We’re happy to help you find out! We offer SneakPeek Clinical testing which can be done as early as 6 weeks of pregnancy. You don’t have to be an established midwifery client to utilize this test. SneakPeek is only a sex typing test. Genetic screening options are available to established clients who are receiving midwifery care with us through Labcorp.
A SneakPeek blood draw is fast and easy. A visit takes 20-30 minutes and results are emailed directly to you within 72 hours after collecting a blood sample. All samples are sent same day via priority mail.
Cost // $90 for established clients. $130 for non-established clients.
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Counseling and healthcare recommendations can be a great way to begin planning on becoming pregnant or getting guidance and answers if conceiving has been challenging. Depending on where you’re at, we tailor this visit to meet your needs by offering guidelines for health.
We will cover counseling on fertility and tracking methods, review your menstrual cycle, offer a physical and/or pelvic exam, review your daily nutrition and exercise and health history with you.
You may benefit from bloodwork to look at your baseline wellness, hormone, vitamin, thyroid, iron and/or other levels depending on your health history. An herbal and dietary plan made be made to help increase ferity and the chances of becoming pregnant. Appointments are one hour in length.
Cost // $200
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Allegra is trained in the normal process of pregnancy loss and supportive care measures to make sure a loss is passed completely.
This visit can be done through telehealth or in person depending on urgency. A one hour visit includes review of your health history, weeks of gestation you carried to, current signs and symptoms of loss and emotionally processing with you. A care plan and anticipatory guidance for the process of passing a loss is made and reviewed on a individualized basis. An herbal remedy plan is also made if appropriate.
This care includes follow-up contact throughout the process of loss and access to a midwife 24/7 for safety and emotional well-being.
Cost // $200-300 depending on plan and amount of care/follow-up needed per individual.
