Question 1

Can I still see my OB or pregnancy clinic?

Accepted Answer

Yes. You’re welcome to continue seeing your current provider, especially if you have high-risk medical concerns. That said, not all hospital-based providers support home birth and may choose to discharge you from their care if they learn about your plans. It is completely legal and within your rights to choose a home birth.

Question 2

Who will be my midwife?

Accepted Answer

At La Matriz Birth Services, we work as a small, collaborative team to provide you with personalized, attentive, and high-quality midwifery care. Our practice accepts up to four clients per month, which allows us to give each family the time, attention, and individualized care they deserve.
Here’s how we typically organize care between our two midwives:

Primary Midwife

The primary midwife is your main point of contact throughout pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. This midwife attends the majority of your prenatal visits, manages your medical chart and lab work, and will be the one on call for your birth. The primary midwife usually attends your birth from active labor onward and provides follow-up postpartum visits.
Secondary Midwife

The secondary midwife attends a smaller number of your prenatal visits (usually around three) and one postpartum visit, and joins your birth in a supporting role, often arriving later in labor to assist the primary midwife. The secondary midwife is also able to step in and provide care if your primary midwife is sick, unavailable, or attending another birth.
How We Divide Clients

We accept 3-4 clients per month. Typically, Tema only one client a month (often prioritizing repeat clients), and Alix takes two.

If you are hoping for Tema or Alix  as your primary midwife, please make this request when you inquire. They will let you know if they have space for one of their monthly primary spots.

Alix is an experienced midwife who also runs her own practice. In some cases, you may choose to hire her directly, with Tema serving as her secondary midwife.

Question 3

Do you offer any discounts?

Accepted Answer

Yes! We currently offer:

5% Cash Discount: Full payment due by 36 weeks.
5% Military Discount: Full payment due by 36 weeks.
10%Medi-Cal Recipient Discount due by 36 weeks.
10% Repeat Client Discount: Offer for families who have previously birthed with us. Payment due by 36 weeks.

Discount may not be combined.

Question 4

Can we pay less if we start care later in pregnancy?

Accepted Answer

No. We do not offer prorated rates for late-entry clients. Regardless of when you begin care, you’ll receive the same level of personalized attention, availability, and on-call support.

Question 5

What happens if we need to transfer to the hospital?

Accepted Answer

Transfers happen sometimes, whether due to medical reasons or personal preference.

Before 36 weeks: You may discontinue care and receive a prorated refund (minus your deposit, prenatal visits, and any hospital doula support).
After 36 weeks: No refunds are offered. We continue to support you as a doula during your hospital birth and resume midwifery care postpartum.

Question 6

Will you be at my birth?

Accepted Answer

Both Tema and Alix aim to attend every birth together, but life happens! We alternate on-call times and may be unavailable due to overlapping births or scheduled time off. In that case, a trusted back-up midwife or the on-call midwife will attend, at no extra cost.

Question 7

How many births do you attend each month?

Accepted Answer

We attend 2–4 births per month and accept clients on a rolling basis. We don’t hold spots. Care is scheduled on a first-come, first-served basis.

Question 8

How long are prenatal visits?

Accepted Answer

Visits are 60–90 minutes long and include:

Vital signs and fetal heart tone monitoring
Physical assessments
Emotional support
Lab work and education

The first two visits are 90 minutes each and are scheduled two weeks apart.

Question 9

What’s included in the home birth care package?

Accepted Answer

Comprehensive prenatal care
Home birth (including water birth)
Labor support and monitoring
Immediate postpartum care
Routine newborn care through six weeks
Postpartum visits at home (24–36 hrs, 3–5 days, 1, 2, 4, and 6 weeks)
Optional complementary care through the first year postpartum

Question 10

How much does midwifery care cost?

Accepted Answer

Global Fee (2026): $8,085
Deposit: $800 (non-refundable, applied to total)
Payment Plan: $250 per visit starting at the third visit. Full balance due by 36 weeks.
Our fee increases 5–8% annually on January 1st.

Question 11

Does insurance cover this?

Accepted Answer

Sometimes! We partner with an insurance biller who can help clients with PPO plans explore reimbursement. Claims are submitted after your 6-week postpartum visit for a separate fee. Regardless of insurance, the full midwifery fee is due by 36 weeks.

Question 12

Do you offer placenta medicine services?

Accepted Answer

We offer placenta encapsulation services to our homebirth clients are a reduced cost of $250. This service is available to the larger community for $350.

FAQs

Choosing midwifery care often brings a lot of curiosity and, often, a few questions too!

Frequently asked questions