Services
Homebirth Midwife
I provide Holistic and Individualized Midwifery Care; Prenatal Care, Homebirth, Postpartum Care, including Well Baby Care and Breastfeeding Support. I offer Well Woman Care, including Family Planning Counseling as needed, to women of all ages and in all seasons of life. I am also a Certified Lactation Counselor and Health Kinesiology Practitioner. I believe in the protection of women and babies, families, undisturbed birth and I am motivated to safeguard individualized health care and client autonomy.
Care Commitment
As part of my commitment to midwifery, mamas and myself, I accept two due dates per month. What this means for you is that you have a midwife who is well rested, not burnt out, frazzled and overwhelmed day in and day out. Because of this commitment, I have an interview process. If you are ready to bravely start down the path of your empowering pregnancy, birth and postpartum experience, please go to my contact page.
What Care Looks Like
Prenatal care usually starts at 12 weeks and visits are every 4 weeks until 28 weeks, then every 2 weeks until 36 weeks, then weekly. Prenatal visits occur at my office in downtown Lewistown. Around 36 weeks my birth assistant and I will do a home visit to get the tour and make sure everything is ready for the birth. I provide the birth supplies (ex. gloves, bulb syringe, peri bottle, chux pads, herbs, homeopathy, essential oils, pushing oil, oxygen and medications as needed). I have a birth tub for rent as desired. I am an advocate of doulas for labor support, see the resources tab for referrals. After the birth we do the Newborn Exam right there in your bed near you. If you need sutured, I do that for you at home. You can tuck into your own bed after your birth, in the comfort, safety and cleanliness of your home. I return for postpartum home visits on day 1 and 3. We see each other again at my office for the 1 week, 4 week and 8 week appointments.
About April
I was born at home in a small South Dakota town. Homebirth was something that I knew of and always had questions about. When I was 16 years old I was sitting by my mom, flipping through an old issue of “Mothering” magazine when I said out loud, “I wonder what midwives really do.” My mom suggested I reach out to a family member who was about to have another homebirth to ask her questions. She invited me to come to the birth to find out for myself. A short time later I was privileged to attend her homebirth. It was the most profound experience. I vividly remember the intense emotions and not being sure if I wanted to laugh or weep. That was the start of my birth work path.
Here I am now, all these years later. After completing my midwifery training and becoming licensed in 2013, I joined the Bozeman Birth Center. That was a very full 3 years, I learned so much more and fell in love with many families who I spend time with to this day. All the while I was at the Birth Center, Homebirth kept calling my heart and mind back to the beginning. So I did what felt like leaping off of sturdy grassy land into a freezing cold river. Very exciting, a little scary and a whole lot of not sure where it would take me.
After years of a full and thriving homebirth practice, I felt my heart and mind calling me again. This time back on to the sturdy grassy land and out of the fast flowing current. I fell in love with Central Montana while I was staying in Lewistown in 2021 to attend a homebirth for a family on their ranch. I knew Central Montana was just what I needed, open space and lots of it, with room to roam. So I went out on an adventure to find a house, found my very own little hideout and made the move. From what I hear through the rumor mill, Gallatin and Fergus Counties haven’t been the same since!
