2024 New Practice Policies Announcement

Jan 15

I know these are not the things to read where you get all the feels, but I promise these are the things that allow our team to keep giving you ALL THE FEELS at your dream home births! Work/life balance and boundaries are pivotal in this work, and I want to make sure people know about these new changes as they consider using North Texas Midwifery. When we are on call for you, our focus is on you … before, during, and after your birth until your care is complete at 6-12 weeks postpartum. Please understand that the small changes listed below will make a huge difference in our ability to do this important work for many years to come. All of us at North Texas Midwifery deeply appreciate your support and respect for these new policies.

Childbirth Class Policies

Exciting news! Childbirth classes are now part of the North Texas Midwifery Global Midwifery care package! Midwife Becky Thorp will be teaching a 3-hour basic Natural Childbirth Education course every other month at our Dallas office. For more information and to sign up, please visit this link. It is required for all clients to go through this course at least one time during their pregnancy. Clients may attend as frequently as they desire.
It is still required for all first time mothers to attend Krisha Crosley’s ‘Train for Birth’ class. We also recommend first time natural birth parents attend Bradley classes per our Partnership in Care guidelines.

New General Policies, Administrative Requests

Because we are a small, personalized practice, we do not have dedicated administrative staff. Therefore, please allow up to ten business days for any admin requests to be completed. This includes requests such as FLMA paperwork, dental forms, records requested, etc. This timeline is needed as it is our midwives who are actually handling these requests. Actual births, physical appointments, classes, etc., must take priority over administrative work. So, please plan ahead for any admin requests.

New Appointment Policies

All in-office prenatal and postpartum appointments will now be 50 minutes, instead of 60 minutes. This change has been carefully considered and has been decided upon so that we can stay on time. The ten minute block between appointments will allow us to thoroughly chart every visit, and promptly send you any necessary paperwork (required forms such as FLMA or further resources) thus giving you better customer service. If you are late to your appointment, we will not extend the appointment past the original endtime.
36-week prenatal home visits will only occur during business hours during the week to minimize time on the road and in traffic. This is important so we can be rested and available for anyone potentially going into labor. Anyone who you plan to be part of your birth team must be at this visit, including your partner. This allows every member of your birth team to be on the same page regarding your birth plan. This may mean that some individuals that will be at your birth will need to take a day off work to be in attendance at the 36-week visit. Please plan accordingly.
24-72 hour postpartum home visits may occur in the evenings if it becomes medically necessary. This may be needed in order to fit the appointment into the medically necessary 24-72 hour time window. If at all possible, these home visits will be scheduled during business hours.
We will continue to do our best to make it possible for you to meet our back up midwives, Kiesha Baker and Becky Thorp (see below), during your routine prenatal care. It is also possible they may cover regularly scheduled visits for Midwife Bethany if she is at a birth, ill, or has an emergency. This may mean you may meet them unexpectedly when you had a scheduled appointment with Midwife Bethany. If at all possible, we will do our best to give you a heads up if plans change and your regularly scheduled visit will be with a different midwife. Please understand that some women give birth in 1-2 hours or less and a midwife may have to drop appointments and run to her birth. Sometimes we are unable to give everyone a heads up in advance. North Texas Midwifery is a personal midwifery practice which means we do not have the staffing that a hospital does. In addition, Midwife Bethany is on call most of the time that she is also doing appointments. Please remember that if someone goes into labor on your regularly scheduled appointment day, your appointment will need to be rescheduled. You will be prioritized when you are in labor, just as they were.

New Logistical/On Call Policies

Emergency/Labor phone number will no longer be Bethany’s personal cell phone number. Please check out more on this announcement here.
Becky Thorp is now a part of the North Texas Midwifery team! Becky may assist at your birth, and will be on call for Midwife Bethany at least one 24 hour block per week. For more information on this, check out this page here and view this video where Midwife Becky and Bethany chat about their plans.
Our practice no longer offers texting support for any reason. Texting is very convenient for the sender but we are finding it is very hard to be thorough and efficient in responding. It is also common to receive texts at all hours which is likely to interrupt sleep and personal time. All non-emergency concerns should be email inquiries only. We know that not all families use email consistently, but this is how our practice will function moving forward. As always, if you have an emergency concern, it should always be a PHONE CALL to the phone number given to you at the beginning of care.

New Financial Policies

All consultations will now be booked once a $50 fee has been paid. Our hour long consultations are specifically for you to ask your detailed questions of an experienced midwife. The ‘Are We Home Birth Compatible’ Course is completely FREE and the best way to get to know our practice to see if you want to invest in a one-on-one consultation with Midwife Bethany. A consultation is required before booking your initial visit with North Texas Midwifery.
All preconception appointment fees must be paid to confirm the appointment.
All global midwifery care fees are due by 34 weeks, NOT 36 weeks, with no exceptions. I am not able to continue offering extended payment plans for financial hardship situations past 34- weeks. If you are not able to make your full fee payments by 34 weeks, myself, and my team, must continue to care for you for about 30 days, by law, until you are able to find a new provider. We will not perform your 36 week prenatal home visit, go on call for you, or be ready to attend your labor, until your fee is paid in full. If you need financing options to pay for your dream birth, please ask with plenty of notice and we can refer you to medical financing companies. If you need referrals for other providers, we are happy to provide those as well. Paypal Loan may be a great option for you as there is no interest for 6 months. United Medical Credit also offers loans that may be an option for you.
First trimester support will continue to be offered for a fee. This means that before your 10-12 week initial visit, when you have not yet paid your deposit, you can pay a small fee to have the one call phone number in case you have a concern before your initial visit. Everyone should have support in their first trimester, especially if they are at risk for miscarriage. Let us know if you would like more information about this!
There will be a 5% late fee for every monthly payment that is past due. This means that if your monthly payment for your global fee is $1000, an additional $50 will be added to that month’s fee if it is not paid on time that month.

Please contact us with any questions or concerns you may have!

-Midwife Bethany and everyone at North Texas Midwifery