For healthy, low-risk pregnancies, home birth attended by a California licensed midwife is a safe option. Research consistently shows that planned home birth with a qualified midwife has comparable outcomes to hospital birth for low-risk pregnancies.

California Licensed Midwives carry emergency equipment, oxygen, IV supplies, and medications including Pitocin to manage postpartum hemorrhage, and follow strict protocols for consultation or hospital transfer when needed. Safety is not an either/or — it is built into every layer of good midwifery practice.

A California Licensed Midwife (LM) is a state-licensed healthcare provider authorized by the Medical Board of California to attend planned home births for low-risk pregnancies. To become licensed, a midwife must:

• Complete an accredited midwifery education program
• Pass the NARM (North American Registry of Midwives) written and skills examinations
• Demonstrate clinical competency with documented births
• Maintain ongoing continuing education requirements

Many California LMs also hold the Certified Professional Midwife (CPM) credential. Tayna Chessman is a California Licensed Midwife (LM #784) and CPM, serving Riverside County, the Inland Empire, and San Diego County.

A Licensed Midwife (LM) is trained specifically in out-of-hospital birth and licensed by the Medical Board of California to attend home births. Their education is focused on normal, physiologic birth in community settings.

A Certified Nurse-Midwife (CNM) is a registered nurse with graduate-level midwifery training, typically practicing in hospital or birth center settings. Both are skilled, licensed providers — the primary difference is training background and practice setting.

Either can provide excellent care; the right choice depends on your birth preferences and health history.

California Licensed Midwives are legally authorized to carry a full set of clinical equipment and medications. At Birthstone Midwifery, the birth bag includes:

• Fetal monitoring: Doppler, fetoscope, and oxygen saturation monitoring
• Maternal monitoring: blood pressure cuff, stethoscope, thermometer, urinalysis supplies
• Emergency medications: Pitocin and Methergine for postpartum hemorrhage, IV fluids and supplies, oxygen
• Newborn resuscitation: bag-valve-mask resuscitator, bulb suction, oxygen, neonatal resuscitation supplies
• Newborn care: scale, measuring tape, vitamin K, erythromycin eye ointment, newborn screening supplies
• Suturing supplies: lidocaine, suture materials for perineal repair if needed
• IV access: IV supplies for fluid replacement or medication administration

Midwives are trained to identify and manage many complications at home, and to recognize when hospital care is needed. Common situations handled at home include postpartum hemorrhage (managed with medications and IV access), newborns who need brief respiratory support, and shoulder dystocia.

When hospital transfer is necessary, your midwife calls ahead, accompanies you, and provides a complete clinical handoff to the hospital team. You are never left alone. Most transfers are non-emergency situations — such as prolonged labor, exhaustion, or the desire for pain medication — handled calmly and with full preparation.

Transfer is not a failure. It is a sign of good, attentive midwifery care.

There are certain medical and obstetric conditions that require hospital-based care. These generally include:

• Preeclampsia or severe gestational hypertension
• Placenta previa or significant placental abnormalities
• Active preterm labor (before 37 weeks)
• Known fetal anomalies requiring immediate neonatal support
• Uncontrolled gestational diabetes
• Active infections such as Group B Strep with specific risk factors
• Multiple gestation (twins, triplets)
• Certain malpresentations such as footling breech

Your midwife conducts thorough ongoing assessment throughout pregnancy. If a complication arises, the plan changes — and that conversation happens openly, respectfully, and with your wellbeing at the center.

Prenatal care with Birthstone Midwifery is comprehensive, unhurried, and truly centered on you. Visits are typically 45–60 minutes and include all the clinical components you'd expect — fetal heart tones, fundal height, blood pressure, urinalysis, lab review, and growth assessment — along with substantial time for education, questions, and building a genuine relationship.

We follow a schedule similar to standard obstetric care: monthly visits early in pregnancy, every two weeks from 28–36 weeks, and weekly from 36 weeks until birth.

In most cases, no. Your midwife provides complete prenatal care including lab work, ultrasound referrals, and all routine pregnancy monitoring. There are some situations — such as antibiotic treatment for a UTI, a specialist consult, or a specific diagnostic test — where a referral to a physician may be appropriate.

Midwifery care includes recognizing when physician collaboration is needed and facilitating that referral promptly. Your midwife and any consulting providers work together on your behalf.

Birthstone Midwifery offers a complete panel of standard prenatal labs, including blood type and Rh factor, CBC, rubella immunity, hepatitis B, HIV, STI screening, Group B Strep culture, and glucose tolerance testing. Urinalysis is performed at each visit.

Ultrasounds are ordered by referral as needed or desired — including the standard anatomy scan around 18–20 weeks and growth ultrasounds if indicated. Additional genetic screening or diagnostic testing can be arranged based on your preferences and medical history.

Yes, in many cases. Group B Strep (GBS) colonization is not an automatic contraindication to home birth. California Licensed Midwives are authorized to administer IV antibiotics (typically penicillin) in labor for GBS-positive clients who meet appropriate criteria.

Your midwife will review your GBS status, your overall health history, and any risk factors to determine whether home birth remains a safe plan and to ensure appropriate antibiotic coverage during labor if needed.

VBAC (Vaginal Birth After Cesarean) at home is available for carefully selected candidates. Birthstone Midwifery offers home VBAC care for clients who meet specific criteria — including a single prior low-transverse uterine incision, no other contraindications, and a thorough informed consent process.

VBAC at home requires careful risk assessment, robust emergency planning, and a client and midwife who are both fully informed and aligned. If you are interested in VBAC, this is discussed thoroughly during your consultation.

You stay in close communication with your midwife throughout early labor, typically by phone or text. Your midwife comes to your home when labor is active and progressing — usually when contractions are regular, strong, and occurring every 4–5 minutes for at least an hour, or sooner based on your individual circumstances.

Your midwife and her assistant remain with you continuously from arrival through the birth, the immediate postpartum period, and until you and your baby are stable, settled, and comfortable — typically 2–4 hours after birth.

At minimum, Birthstone Midwifery brings a qualified birth assistant to every birth — either another licensed midwife, a student midwife with clinical experience, or a trained birth assistant. Having two skilled attendants ensures that both you and your newborn receive dedicated care simultaneously after the birth.

You are also welcome to have a partner, family members, a doula, a photographer, or other support people present. It is your birth and your space.

Yes. Water birth is a wonderful option for families who desire it. Many clients choose to labor in water for pain relief and comfort, and then birth in or out of the water based on how they feel in the moment.

You will need to arrange a birth tub — portable birth pool rentals are widely available and your midwife can provide recommendations. Your midwife will guide you on when to enter the water and will monitor you and your baby throughout water labor and birth.

Home birth offers a wide range of natural comfort measures that many people find highly effective:

• Hydrotherapy — laboring or birthing in a tub or shower
• Movement, position changes, and freedom to walk, sway, or squat
• Counterpressure, massage, and hands-on support from your birth team
• Heat or cold therapy
• Breathing techniques, visualization, and hypnobirthing methods
• TENS (transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation) units
• Emotional support and continuous presence of your midwife

Epidurals and IV narcotics are not available at home births. If you find you want an epidural during labor, your midwife will facilitate a calm, supported transfer to the hospital.

Immediately after birth, your baby is placed on your chest for skin-to-skin contact. Your midwife monitors your bleeding and your baby's transition to life outside the womb. Cord clamping is delayed until the cord has stopped pulsing — unless there is a medical reason to clamp sooner.

After the placenta is born, your midwife will assess for any perineal tears and perform a repair if needed. Your baby receives a thorough newborn exam, weight and measurements, and any newborn procedures you have consented to (vitamin K, eye ointment, newborn screening).

You are given time to rest, feed your baby, and settle in as a family. Your midwife stays until you are both stable, comfortable, and ready for your first night at home.

This is one of the most common questions — and a great one! Your birth kit (ordered before your due date) contains all the disposable supplies used during the birth: waterproof pads, sheets, and liners that protect your bed and floors. After your baby is born and you are settled, your midwife and assistant quietly clean up all birth supplies and disposables.

The goal is to leave your home as clean as it was when we arrived, so you can focus entirely on your new baby without worrying about the aftermath.

Postpartum care with Birthstone Midwifery is comprehensive and in-home. After birth, visits are scheduled at approximately 24–48 hours, 3–5 days, 1–2 weeks, 3–4 weeks, and a final 6-week visit. Additional visits are always available if you need more support.

Each visit includes maternal recovery assessment (bleeding, uterine involution, perineal healing, blood pressure), newborn weight checks and full assessment, feeding support, emotional wellbeing check-in, and space to ask every question you have.

Newborn care at Birthstone Midwifery includes:

• Comprehensive newborn exam at birth and each postpartum visit
• Newborn metabolic screening (California Newborn Screening Program) — the standard heel-prick blood spot test
• CCHD screening (Critical Congenital Heart Disease) using pulse oximetry
• Weight checks at every postpartum visit to monitor feeding and growth
• Vitamin K (oral or injection) and erythromycin eye ointment — offered based on your informed consent

Newborn hearing screening is not performed in-home. Families are guided on how to complete hearing screening at a local facility, typically within the first month.

A pediatrician visit is recommended by 2–4 weeks of age, and your midwife will help coordinate that transition.

Yes. Feeding support begins within the first hour after birth and continues throughout the postpartum period. Your midwife provides hands-on guidance with latch, positioning, and milk supply, and is available between visits for questions.

If additional lactation support is needed — such as with a tongue tie, low supply, or significant pain — referrals to an IBCLC (International Board Certified Lactation Consultant) are available.

Most babies born at home are seen by a pediatrician for the first time between 2 and 4 weeks of age, after your midwife has completed the initial newborn assessments and confirmed that your baby is growing and feeding well. Some families prefer to see a pediatrician sooner — typically within the first week — and that is completely fine.

Your midwife will provide documentation of the newborn exam, screening results, and birth summary for the pediatrician's records.

As soon as you find out you are pregnant — or even before, if you are planning a pregnancy and want to learn more. Birthstone Midwifery is a small, intentional practice that takes on a limited number of clients each month to ensure each family receives truly attentive, unhurried care.

Spots fill months in advance. Reaching out early gives us the best chance to connect, confirm that home birth is a good fit for you, and secure your spot on the calendar before your due date arrives.

The free consultation is a relaxed, no-pressure conversation — usually about 30–45 minutes. We talk about your pregnancy, your health history, your goals and hopes for birth, and any questions or concerns you have. You get to ask me anything, and I get to understand whether home birth and Birthstone Midwifery are a good fit for your family.

There is no obligation. It is simply a chance to connect, get your questions answered, and make an informed decision about your care.

Absolutely. First-time parents often thrive in midwifery care precisely because of the time, education, and relationship built into every visit. There is no such thing as a question too basic or too detailed — thorough preparation is one of the greatest gifts midwifery care offers first-time families.

Whether this is your first pregnancy or your fourth, care is tailored to your unique experience, concerns, and goals.

Birthstone Midwifery serves families throughout Riverside County, the Inland Empire, and San Diego County, including:

• Murrieta, Temecula, Menifee, Winchester, Wildomar
• Riverside, Corona, Norco, Eastvale, Jurupa Valley
• Lake Elsinore, Canyon Lake, Hemet, San Jacinto
• Fallbrook, Oceanside, Vista, San Marcos, Escondido
• And surrounding communities throughout the Inland Empire and North County San Diego

If you are unsure whether your location is within the service area, please reach out — we are happy to talk through logistics.

The all-inclusive fee for complete midwifery care at Birthstone Midwifery covers all prenatal visits, attendance at your birth, and postpartum and newborn care through your 6-week visit. Please contact us directly for current fee information, as pricing is discussed during your free consultation.

For context, home birth midwifery care is often significantly less expensive than a hospital birth, particularly when factoring in the comprehensive nature of care included — and without the additional costs of anesthesia, operating room fees, or extended hospital stays.

Birthstone Midwifery is currently a direct-pay practice and does not bill insurance directly. However, many families are able to receive partial or full reimbursement:

• PPO insurance plans — We can provide a detailed superbill for out-of-network reimbursement submission. Many PPO plans reimburse a significant portion of midwifery fees.
• Christian health share plans — Many health share ministries cover home birth midwifery care. We are happy to work with your plan.
• HSA / FSA accounts — Midwifery care is typically an eligible expense for Health Savings Accounts and Flexible Spending Accounts.
• Medi-Cal and IEHP — We are actively pursuing contracts with Medi-Cal, IEHP, and Community Health plans. These agreements are not yet in place, but please ask about current status.

We are happy to help you understand your insurance options and navigate reimbursement during your consultation.

Yes. Payment plans are available and designed to make care as accessible as possible. A deposit is due at the start of care to secure your spot, with the remaining balance divided into scheduled payments throughout pregnancy. The full balance is due by 36 weeks.

Payment plan details and timing are discussed during your consultation so we can find a structure that works for your family.

Preparation is straightforward, and your midwife walks you through everything well in advance. The main items include:

• Birth kit — a list of disposable supplies ordered online (waterproof pads, receiving blankets, cord clamps, etc.). Your midwife provides a specific list.
• Birth space — a comfortable area with room for your team, good lighting, and access to running water
• Birth tub (optional) — if you want a water birth, a portable pool rental is arranged by you in advance
• Postpartum supplies — your midwife provides a recommended list of recovery and newborn care supplies
• Hospital bag — packed and ready as part of your transfer plan, just in case

Yes — it is your birth and your home. You choose who is present. Many families have a partner, parents, siblings, close friends, a doula, or a birth photographer present. Children are welcome too, with an appropriate support person designated for their care during active labor.

If you want a very private, intimate birth with just your immediate family and your midwife, that is equally wonderful. There is no right or wrong — only what feels right for you.

Going past your estimated due date (EDD) is common and does not automatically mean home birth is no longer an option. Birthstone Midwifery follows evidence-based guidelines for post-dates monitoring, which typically includes additional fetal well-being assessments (non-stress tests and/or biophysical profiles) starting around 41 weeks.

The decision about timing, induction, and whether home birth remains appropriate is made together, with your health and your baby's wellbeing as the guiding factors. If induction is indicated, a hospital transfer is planned and coordinated.

Distance from a hospital is an important factor that is always considered during the consultation and intake process. While there is no universal "maximum distance" rule in California, your midwife will assess your specific location, nearby hospital access, road conditions, and the nature of your pregnancy when determining whether home birth is appropriate for you.

Good emergency planning — including knowing the fastest route to your nearest hospital, having that plan communicated clearly, and maintaining open lines of communication with the hospital — is part of safe home birth care for every client.