What is Arnica?
Arnica Montana is a plant with yellow flowers that grows across Europe. It’s one of the better known plants used for herbal medicine, used to treat sore muscles, bruises, and other wounds for five hundred years. Just as bruises and scraped knees are commonplace, we’re accustomed to folks arriving to care with a history of difficult, frustrating or even traumatizing experiences with medical model care. We can’t erase that history, but we are here to listen and help as you chart your path.
In the midwifery model of care, we approach every pregnant person like the unique individual they are. We see you for hour-long appointments throughout pregnancy. A great deal of our care looks the same as it would in an OB’s office- we take your blood pressure, ask about heartburn, and take notes in your chart. We collect labs and order ultrasounds. But we plan our time together so that we can take the time to look at your well-being as a whole person. How are you and your partner preparing for this new human? Is that supplement helping?…Do you think your dog actually understands a baby is coming? One of the other big differences is how decision making works with a midwife. We discuss tests and screenings in advance, offering the pros, cons, and alternatives. You are always free to ask any questions you have, and we affirm your right to decline things that don’t feel right for you. The way midwives look at it… isn’t that how it should be?