Approach to Care
Collaborative Care
My midwifery practice is built entirely upon the principle of client-led care. One of my core values as a homebirth midwife is meeting you in your home where you spend most of your time and have the ultimate authority over your own body and experience. While I incorporate a hybrid model of home and office visits, both these settings facilitate care that put you and your family at the center of your own experience. I understand that the physiologic processes of pregnancy and birth are simultaneously developing alongside a psychological journey. Nothing brings to light more the meaning of the mind-body relationship than pregnancy and birth. While your body is physically making changes to grow, support and maintain life, your psyche is confronting a similar process as it prepares for the future, to nurture and sustain the life it has grown. Ushering families into parenthood without fear and with joy is an important part of my job as your midwife.
Getting to know you, where you are in your life and your journey up until this point, is an integral part of collaborative care. Simply being seen and understood, facilitates a safe space for me to respond to your needs during the birth process. From our first visit together, we work to develop a deeper understanding of each other as I present you with relevant, evidence-based information. It is my job as a certified midwife to provide you with current research but, ultimately, you and your family must take the lead in making decisions. Research has shown that patients who become leaders in their healthcare choices, are time and again seen to have better healthcare outcomes. This model of care is oftentimes referred to as individualized care. With an individualized-care model, the “individual” needs of you and your family are taken into account at different stages of your healthcare process and are governed by your own self-autonomy. This is a paradigm shift in healthcare and while it is still not used in most healthcare settings, it is designed to leave patients with an empowered experience
Outside of pregnancy, I may come to your home or work out of my office depending on your needs and the procedures being performed. Many gynecology or preconception-related issues are intimate and I respect your need for a private, safe space to talk, absorb information, and ask questions.
This image is a self-portrait of a client. She gifted it to me during her first pregnancy
Holistic Medicine
I believe in holistic healthcare. The word “holistic” has become a trendy catch phrase and carries many meanings and interpretations but my understanding is that this type of care approaches healing by taking into account the “whole” person. The idea that care can be broken down into specialities without connecting the parts to a collective whole can leave gaps in diagnoses and negatively impact healing. With a holistic approach, the provider identifies the root cause of a problem and subsequently looks to a range of modalities to attempt to heal the body and its root cause.
As a midwife, I see menarche, pregnancy, childbirth, lactation, and menopause as normal physiologic processes and while those changes in the body usually follow a normal trend, I am clinically trained to identify pathological deviations and to respond effectively to emergent scenarios. Some modalities and alternative remedies I may use or refer to are herbal medicine, homeopathy, acupuncture, osteopathy, massage, yoga, pelvic floor therapy, physical therapy, craniosacral therapy among others. Being able to utilize different healing modalities as part of my management can facilitate a state of health with minimal interventions and side effects. In situations where pharmacotherapies are indicated, I carry full prescriptive privileges in the state of NY and can manage many problems using an allopathic pharmaceutical model. Providing a blend of traditional and alternative medicine allows me to meet the broad spectrum of needs that may affect menstrual issues, infertility, pregnancy, childbirth, menopause, and the infected or diseased body.
All Are Welcome
As a multicultural woman, I am committed to equality in healthcare and the decolonization of medical practices in NYC and East Africa. I stand with each and every one of my clients around the world in the fight to dismantle the toxic societal structures of colonialism, racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, sizeism, and classism which plague each of our cultures. My care is a safe haven for those who are looking to feel respected, heard, cared for and empowered in their healthcare journey.