We're proud to offer out of hospital birth services to the Hill Country area, at our beautiful birth center or in your home. 

Midwifery & Birth Center 

The Midwives Model of Care™ is a fundamentally different approach to pregnancy and childbirth than contemporary obstetrics. Midwifery care is uniquely nurturing, hands-on care before, during, and after birth. Midwives are health care professionals specializing in pregnancy and childbirth who develop a trusting relationship with their clients, which results in confident, supported labor and birth. While there are different types of midwives practicing in various settings, all midwives are trained to provide comprehensive prenatal care and education, guide labor and birth, address complications, and care for newborns. The Midwives Model of Care™ is based on the fact that pregnancy and birth are normal life events. The Midwives Model of Care includes:
  • monitoring the physical, psychological and social well-being of the mother throughout the childbearing cycle
  • providing the mother with individualized education, counseling, and prenatal care, continuous hands-on assistance during labor and delivery, and postpartum support
  • minimizing technological interventions and
  • identifying and referring women who require obstetrical attention.
The application of this model has been proven to reduce to incidence of birth injury, trauma, and cesarean section.  Across our planet, eighty percent of people alive today have been born with midwives. In many of the industrialized countries of the world, midwives attend approximately 70% of all births. The countries with the lowest mortality and morbidity rates for mothers and infants are those in which midwifery is a valued and integral pillar of the maternity care system. The midwifery model is a low-tech, high-caring model that produces excellent outcomes.

Prenatal Care

Labor & Birth

Postpartum

What Prenatal Care With Us Looks Like

Prenatal care is one of the largest components of midwifery care, which is why we spend a full hour with you at every appointment. It is so exciting to hear the baby’s heartbeat for the first time, to get to know the client and their family, to watch a woman grow into a mother. Prenatal care is a nurturing and intimate time to talk about all aspects of pregnant life. From how the baby moves, to the aches and pains, from the joys and the struggles, prenatal care is a time for you to focus on this unique journey of pregnancy. And of course, it is a time to prepare for your birth.
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Following a regular schedule of appointments, which are tailored to your needs, we will take time to talk, share and get to know one another. We will also spend time assessing the baby, how you are doing, and answering any questions that may arise. Lab work and physical assessments, along with conversation and inquiry, give us valuable information. Prenatal visits last for an hour and you can use as much of that time as you’d like. We will share time preparing for the birth, addressing any concerns that arise and hopefully, empower and prepare you for motherhood.

Your Labor & Birth 

Personalized labor and birth support are paramount to having a safe and fulfilling birth experience. As your midwife, I provide you with the exact support you desire while monitoring the well-being of you and your baby.
I will listen to your baby's heart rate intermittently and check your vitals. I will have a trusted assistant join us when birth is imminent to help monitor you and your baby during pushing and the immediate postpartum period. You can birth in whatever position you desire.

At home, I stay with you for a minimum of 2 hours after the birth of your baby, providing care and monitoring of both you and your baby. A complete head to toe examination of the newborn is conducted as well as monitoring maternal vitals and overall well being. Breastfeeding support is provided to ensure a positive start to you and your baby's breastfeeding experience. The team does not leave until specific criteria have been met by both mom and baby.
Once it is determined that you and your baby are stable and resting in bed, our team will clean up any "mess" and even get the birth laundry started.

​My midwife assistant and I regularly train for emergency situations and maintain our neonatal resuscitation and CPR training if the need arises. If transporting to the hospital becomes necessary, I will stay with you and continue providing you personalized, compassionate support.

For your birth center birth, once you have arrived at Hill Country Birth Center, an initial labor assessment will take place to ensure the safety and well being of both you and your baby. Intermittent monitoring of fetal heart tones, use of hydrotherapy, freedom of movement, physical and emotional support are all standard of care at the Birth Center. A licensed midwife will be with you throughout the entirety of your labor, birth and postpartum stay. The midwife will also have a trained assistant to help with the care of you and your baby. Once the baby is born and both you and your child are stable, a complete head to toe examination of the newborn is conducted as well as monitoring maternal vitals and overall well being. Breastfeeding support is provided to ensure a positive start to you and your baby's breastfeeding experience.
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The average stay after your baby is born is about 4-8hrs. Specific criteria must be met by both you and your baby before discharge to home. Upon discharge, your midwife will give you instructions for monitoring you and your baby at home. A visit will take place between 24-48hr from birth time. In the interim, you can call your midwife with any concerns.

Postpartum Care

The postpartum period, or the 4th trimester, is just as important as prenatal care. Adequate care, support and nurturing is vital to the healing mother. After your birth I will return at 24-48hr to check in on you and your family, offer breastfeeding support, perform routine newborn assessments/testing (with your consent) and address any concerns. The next visit will be at day 5 (or sooner, if needed). Subsequent visits will take place at 1-2wks, 4wks and 6wks.
As a licensed midwife I am able to care for you and your baby until 6 weeks postpartum. Routine tests and screenings offered for the newborn are: ​Newborn Metabolic Screening , CCHD Screening , Newborn Hearing Screening.

Prenatal & Family Chiropractic

Chiropractic care during pregnancy is our specialty! Regular care during this exciting time helps create proper balance and alignment of the spine and pelvis, increased flexibility, and a stress-free state for the quickly changing and growing body.  Restoring balance to our nervous system also opens the communication pathway to each and every system including the reproductive system supporting your growing baby! Dr. Summer is Webster certified, which is a specific chiropractic sacral analysis and gentle adjustment that reduces nerve interference and assists biomechanical balance of the joints and ligaments.
Beyond pregnancy, the postpartum journey also presents its challenges and physical demands. There are residual effects of Relaxin, a hormone that allows ligaments and joints to relax and expand to bring you precious baby into the world, makes the return to proper biomechanics and function difficult. Chiropractic care can aid in the recovery period by ensuring proper balance and alignment, facilitating a quicker and easier recovery. The 4th trimester (recovery period) is a part of your pregnancy experience, honoring yourself and your body for all of its wonderment is vital!
"My husband and I loved the experience we had with Ashley and the birth center. We knew we wanted to consider home birth and birthing centers because of the positive experiences we had heard from family and friends about their births in birthing centers; and because of poor experiences two of my husband’s sisters had during Covid with hospital births.

When we arrived at Hill Country Birth and Wellness the very first time, we thought it was cozy, welcoming and we just felt very comfortable. Ashley met us that first day, we talked about what we were looking for and our family.

This was our first pregnancy even though we were experienced parents having fostered and adopted three sisters, we wanted to be able to involve them in the experience. My oldest, age 5, was able to attend appointments, interact with Ashley and absolutely loved the experience. When we had our ultrasound, which Ashley was able to coordinate an at-home ultrasound company to come to the center for a day, all three of our girls were able to sit on the bed with me and interact, asking questions and they loved every moment of it… this is a memory I will cherish forever. Ashley was also able to coordinate a chiropractor to come to the birth center so myself and other Mom’s could get some chiropractic services before birth.

When I went into labor around midnight, Ashley was only a phone call away. We called her, talked over some specifics, and labored at home for a few hours. Once we reached a certain point, Ashley and my husband made the decision to come into the birth center, where we were greeted at the door by Ashley and then Katie (One of Ashley’s midwives), arrived a bit later.

Our plan for our daughters during the birth had been to leave them with my husbands’ parents, or sisters, depending on who was available, and it just so happened that no one was available when we went into labor 12 days early. We brought our girls with us, and they were able to watch me deliver. Even with their young ages (5, 4, and 3), Ashley and Katie remained calm and kept everything in order during the delivery.

After care was wonderful. Katie and Ashley made home visits and we did some post-partum visits at the birth center. Ashley was a big help when I struggled with breastfeeding early on. She was great at motivating me and allowing me to make my own decisions.

All in all, we were so happy we choose Hill Country Birth and Wellness. We could not have imagined a better experience. Ashley and Katie were so helpful and gave us complete freedom to make decisions that were best for our family. We will for sure visit Hill Country Birth Center again for our next pregnancy."
                                                                                                                                                                             - K.C.