This beautifully appointed suite offers a relaxed, home like environment for women and families who would prefer to not deliver at home, yet have the comfort of home.

Not only is the birthing room appointed with a comfortable queen size bed, a waterbirth option is available complete with a La Bassine tub.

There are many midwives that can assist you in having your baby here. Ask us for a list of midwives.

The birthing suite offers:

• The comforts of home without the preparation
• Postpartum stay is for up to 6 hours- longer at a small fee
• Kitchen
• Stocked kitchen with drinks and snacks for the birth
• Waiting area for family to be close by
• Playroom for children

For more information on our beautiful suite please visit www.feelslikehomebirthsuites.com

Fees

The cost of having your baby here with Birthing Your Way, LLC is $2000. This includes your prenatal care, the birth, postpartum care, newborn exam, waterbirth (if wanted), and a special gift from us to you.

If you have a midwife other than Heather Shelley CPM, LDEM the cost is only $500plus your midwife’s fee. This is much less than a hospital where the mother’s fee starts at $4000 and baby’s fee starts at $1300, this doesn’t include any extras the hospital may charge.

Contact us today for a tour! Call 801-615-1733 or email for more information.

Labor Suite

For those who live far from a hospital and need the extra medical services that a hospital provides, we offer labor support and comforts at our suites.

When you go into labor, come to our suite, and with the help of a Monitrice* you can labor in comfort until it is time to go to the hospital. This saves families who have a long drive from home, from going to the hospital too early.

You can labor with us until the hospital will admit you, and it saves you that long car ride during active labor to get you to the hospital in time.

We are located near American Fork, Orem Community and Mount Timpanogos hospitals.

Cost

• $500 up to 12 hours includes attendant fee
• $100 for every 6 hour increment

Includes a Monitrice for labor support.

* A Monitrice is someone trained in labor support. Although a monitrice has additional birth training, a monitrice does not deliver babies.

Insurance Coverage

I am an out-of-network provider with all insurance companies, including Medicaid and TriCare.

However, many private insurance carriers will reimburse their members for midwifery services.

I use a billing service which specializes in midwifery care; they will gladly work with you to determine your benefits and submit claims to your insurance company for reimbursement.

If you would like to know whether your insurance company will cover midwifery services, including facility fees, please visit Midwife Billing and Services and complete the Verification of Benefits form. My billing service will call your insurance company and verify your benefits.

If you have any questions regarding insurance coverage, please call Midwife Billing & Business, LLC at 866.425.6994.

From my youngest childhood, I have been fascinated with pregnancy. When I became a mother myself, that fascination grew and expanded until I found the role of a doula. Having attended many births both in hospital, birthcenter and at home- and helping women through one of the greatest experiences of their lives, I knew that I had found my passion, to help women through birth.

I started Birthing Your Way after the birth of my second son. I took my doula training through ALACE (Association of Labor Assistants and Childbirth Educators) and DONA (Doulas of North America), and my childbirth education through ALACE, Lamaze and CAPPA, and postpartum training through CAPPA (Childbirth and Postpartum Professionals Association Years later I enrolled in midwifery school and started on my path to midwifery.)

I am now a Certified Professional Midwife with the North American Registry of Midwives, and a licensed midwife practicing in Utah. I have four beautiful children and a very understanding husband (husbands of midwives need to have a lot of understanding, as we keep odd hours). Through the years I expanded my knowledge of not only birth, but also of breastfeeding and the postpartum care of new mothers and babies. I recognize birth as a natural process of the female body, one that doesn’t require routine interventions.

We have become such a busy society that new mothers and babies are often left on their own without the help of a mentor (this used to be the grandmother’s role) to teach and guide them through the learning processes of parents. This deficit of care can cause a difficult recovery and be a lonely time for the new mother.

I hope to help women through not just childbirth, but also through as much of the childbearing years as I can.

Certifications and Education

• Licensed Midwife with the State of Utah
• Certified Professional Midwife, North American Registry of Midwives, 2009
• Midwifery Associates Degree, Midwives College of Utah, 2009
• Birth of my four children
• EMT (Emergency Medical Technician) 1991
• Childbirth Educator training started with ALACE, Association of Labor Assistants and Childbirth Educators, September 2000
• Certified Doula, Doulas of North America, October 2000
• Advanced Doula training, integrating High Touch and Nurturing in the High Tech Birthing Environment, February 2001
• ational Childbirth Institute Conference, March 2001
• ATM (Association of Texas Midwives) Conference and Workshops May 2001
• Advanced Childbirth Educator Training through CAPPA (Childbirth and Postpartum Professional Association), June 2001
• Advanced Doula training with Penny Simkin, September 2001
• Postpartum Doula training, October 2001
• Five Day Breastfeeding Seminar, 2001
• Local Hospital Educator
• ALACE Labor Assistant (Doula) Training, May 2002/May 2003/February 2006
• Certified CPR Instructor, September 2002
• Neonatal Resuscitation Certification, 2003/2005
• Breastfeeding Seminar Updates, 2003
• ALACE Childbirth Educator Training Workshop, 2004
• Optimal Fetal Positioning Class, 2005
• Lamaze Certified Childbirth Educator
• Breastfeeding educator Class with TDH, February 2006
• Breech Birth Conference, Vancouver, Canada, March 2006
• Midwifery workshop, October 2006

Memberships

• Doulas of North America, Certified Doula
• MANA (midwives alliance of North America)

Have you ever wanted more from your childbirth?

Would you like one-on-one care?

Would you like your care to be more mother and baby or family centered?

If you answered yes, midwifery care may be just what you are looking for!

When coming to Birthing Your Way, you will be seen by the midwife each time. There aren’t any nurses to weigh you, there aren’t any receptionists to check you in, just one-on-one care with the midwife from the moment you walk through the door until the moment you leave.

Prenatals:

Prenatals usually last for 30 minutes. The first one will be an hour as there is much to cover. We will talk about your medical history, your previous births and any other information that we find relevant to your history.

At each visit you will be responsible for collecting a urine sample, which we will test, and weighing yourself. I will then take your blood pressure, and pulse.

During your visit I will ask you how you are doing physically and how you are feeling. I listen to your concerns and answer questions you may have. I will measure your growing uterus, palpate what position the baby is in, and listen for heart tones.

I have several ways to help you and your baby to be in the best condition possible for labor and birth. These may include seeing a chiropractor to help change your baby’s position, exercises to help prepare your body, and a reading list that many families find helpful.

Your visits will be scheduled every 4 weeks until your 28th week, when your visits will change to every two weeks.

When you reach your 36th week I will see you every week. These visits are done in my office. I may do a home visit at your 36th week appointment and your 24 hour and 5 day postpartum visits.

There are quite a few things that will be done at your 36th week appointment. This visits allows me to get familiar with how to get to your home. I ask that, if possible, people (family, friends, etc. . .) who will be present at the birth be at this visit so that we may answer any questions or concerns they may have.

This is also the perfect time to hand out assignments if you have any, such as photographer or other children’s attendants.

Labs:

I draw labs at my office for most insurances or private pay. For some insurances I will send you to a providing lab.  Typically you will have blood drawn at your second prenatal and at your 24-28 week visit.

Sonograms and other testing are only done if necessary or upon request.

We have an ultrasound tech that does the ultrasounds at our office. She is a provider for most insurances including medicaid.

The Birth

When your birth day does arrive, you are the one that will make the decision when to call us and discuss if this is labor and when we will come out to you, what position you will birth your baby in, who is there with you, what to eat and when and where your baby will be birthed (whether in water, on a birthing stool or even in the comfort of your own bed.)

This is the birth of YOUR baby, we are here to support you in achieving the birth you want. We encourage family bonding and help to facilitate it. I will take care of cleaning up and changing your linens (if needed). We leave your home clean, the way we found it.

When you are ready, we will perform the newborn exam right there next to you. I usually will stay 2-3 hours after the birth. After this time we may be contacted by phone with any concerns or questions you feel you need me for.

You will receive immediate postpartum doula care for 4 hours after the birth. The doula will be there to make sure that you and your family have something to eat (you provide the food, she prepares it), to help you with the baby in those first few hours, and to just make sure that your first hours go smoothly after we leave.

Postpartum visits are scheduled at 24-36 hours, 3-5 days, 2 weeks, and 6 weeks. The second newborn exam is done on your two week visit.

I am an out-of-network provider with all insurance companies, including Medicaid and TriCare. However, many private insurance carriers will reimburse their members for midwifery care.

Midwifery services are billed all together in one global fee.

The fee includes all prenatal care, birth and delivery care, postpartum care, and much more.

Here is a breakdown of what is covered, and all of the many wonderful services provided at Birthing Your Way:

Birthing Your Way Packages and Fees

Birth Suite Packages and Fees

Expenses not covered in the global fee are:

• Sonograms
• All lab work
• Waterbirth supplies if a waterbirth or laboring in a portable birthing tub is desired.
• Herbs, vitamins, and medications
• Physician referral or other medical expenses
• Transport to the hospital and any expenses related to this if transport becomes necessary.

Also not included in the global fee are:

Childbirth classes: Classes NOT taught by a hospital are REQUIRED for any mother giving birth for the first time without any medication. I can give you referals to many good teachers. Some suggestions are:

• Birthing Your Way Lamaze classes
• Hypnobirthing
• Hypnobabies
• Bradley Method

Meet and greets with me are free and usually last about an hour. To set up a meeting please call Heather at 801-615-1733.

If you would like to know more about our birthing suite and prices for giving birth there please click on the birthing suite link

Insurance Coverage

I am an out-of-network provider with all insurance companies, including Medicaid and TriCare. However, many private insurance carriers will reimburse their members for midwifery services if they have out-of-network maternity benefits. I use a billing service who specializes in midwifery care; they will gladly work with you to determine your benefits and submit claims to your insurance company for reimbursement.

A deposit of $1800 is due by your 36^th week of pregnancy. My billing service will submit claims to your insurance company after your baby is born for reimbursement of your deposit.

If you would like to know whether your insurance company will cover midwifery services, please go to www.midwifebilling.com, Billing Service tab and fill out the Verification of Benefits form. My billing service will call your insurance company and verify your benefits.

If you have any questions regarding insurance coverage, please call Midwife Billing & Business, LLC at 866.425.6994.