FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

These are some of the practical questions families ask most often by stage of care.

Pregnancy

Birth

Postpartum

Pregnancy

  • Earlier in pregnancy, visits are usually about every four weeks. Around 32 weeks, they typically move to every other week, and around 36 weeks, they become weekly as we prepare together for birth.

  • Prenatal visits with Anthus are an hour long. That gives us time for clinical care as well as your questions, education, conversation, and anything else that may be important to your pregnancy.

  • Yes! Questions are part of your care. Your visits are designed to give you time to ask, understand what is happening, and talk through decisions along the way.

  • Yes. Routine prenatal lab work is part of care with Anthus and helps us continue paying attention to your health and your baby’s development throughout pregnancy.

  • Yes. Ultrasound is part of care when it provides helpful clinical information, including the anatomy ultrasound and a dating ultrasound when needed.

  • We continue assessing your health and your baby’s wellbeing throughout pregnancy. Home birth candidacy is not something we determine only once at the beginning of care. We keep paying attention and adjust the plan when circumstances call for it.

Birth

  • As labor progresses, contractions generally become stronger, longer, and closer together. We also help you make sense of practice labor, early labor, and the other changes that can happen as birth approaches.

  • You do not need to know exactly what stage of labor you are in before reaching out. Call when you have questions or notice changes, and we can help you understand what is happening and what the next step may be.

  • No. Your home does not need to be large or specially designed for birth. What matters most is having a clean, comfortable, workable space where we can care for you and your baby.

  • We provide a birth-supply list and help you work through the practical details before labor begins. If you are planning a water birth, we will also help make sure the setup works well in your space.

  • We bring equipment to monitor you and your baby, along with oxygen, IV supplies, medications used to respond to postpartum bleeding, neonatal resuscitation equipment, and tools for newborn assessment.

  • Throughout labor, we are paying attention to both you and your baby. We monitor wellbeing, observe how labor is progressing, support the normal process of labor, and respond when something needs closer attention.

  • Most births continue at home as planned, but sometimes circumstances change and hospital care becomes the better next step. This might happen because of concerns about you or your baby, labor that is not progressing, maternal exhaustion, a desire for an epidural, or concerns after birth.

    If that happens, we help you understand what is changing, why, and what comes next.

  • No. Some transfers are non-emergent and can be coordinated calmly. When appropriate, we can call ahead, provide the receiving team with a clinical summary, and help make the transition as smooth as possible.

    Urgent situations are handled differently depending on what is happening and what level of support is needed.

  • Yes. We go with you and provide a handoff to the hospital team.

    Once you are admitted, the hospital team assumes medical responsibility because we do not have hospital privileges. We remain with you to provide labor support, emotional support, and continuity through the transition.

Postpartum

  • We remain for approximately two hours after both you and your baby are stable and doing well. That observation period does not simply begin the moment your baby is born. We stay through the immediate recovery and newborn transition.

  • We continue caring for you after birth by monitoring bleeding, uterine contraction, blood pressure, tearing, and your overall recovery. We also help with practical needs such as getting up safely, eating, resting, and getting comfortable.

  • Yes. We perform a head-to-toe newborn examination at home after birth.

  • Once the immediate birth and recovery care is complete, we return for an in-person postpartum visit 24 to 48 hours after we leave your home.

  • Early newborn care includes a head-to-toe newborn examination, metabolic screening, oxygen-saturation assessment, weight checks, observation for jaundice, and hearing screening.

  • The routine visit schedule is a starting point, not a limit. Additional visits, phone calls, breastfeeding support, or continued monitoring can be added when you or your baby need more support.

  • Yes! Breastfeeding support begins after birth and continues throughout postpartum care. We help with latch, positioning, comfort, and common early feeding concerns as you and your baby learn together.

  • We look at the whole picture, including latch, your comfort, your baby’s behavior at the breast, weight gain, and wet and dirty diapers.

  • If routine troubleshooting is not enough or we see something that may need more specialized evaluation, we will recommend working with a lactation specialist.

  • Yes! Bringing in additional expertise does not mean your support with Anthus ends. We can help connect you with specialized care and continue supporting you as part of your postpartum care.


Still Have Questions?

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