Antenatal visits
Hour long visits at home: checks for you and your baby, time for questions and a birth plan written together.
Midwifery from the first visit to six weeks after birth
An independent midwife who gets to know you over months, attends your birth at home or comes with you to hospital, and visits through the weeks after. Riverbend works alongside your local maternity services and does not replace emergency care.
Two midwiveswho know you by name
From 12 weeksantenatal care can begin
On callday and night from 37 weeks
Care that follows you through the months
Every family has a named midwife and a named second, so the faces at the birth are faces you already know.
Birth at home
Two midwives attend, bring the equipment and stay until you, your baby and the room are settled.
Births in hospital
We come with you as a companion, or as your midwife where the hospital has agreed it, and speak up for your plan.
Postnatal visits
Home visits on the first, third, fifth and tenth days, then weekly until six weeks after the birth.
Feeding support
Help with breast, bottle or both, at the kitchen table and at whatever pace suits you.
Talking the birth through
A visit to go over what happened and why, with the notes in front of us, whenever you are ready.
Who does what, and who to call when
Riverbend works alongside your local maternity services and does not replace them or emergency care. You stay booked with your local hospital or birth centre the whole way through.
| Part of your care | Your local maternity service | Riverbend |
|---|---|---|
| Scans and screening tests | Arranges and carries them out | Explains the choices and comes with you if you wish |
| Checks in pregnancy | Available to you as usual | Longer visits at home, with notes shared with you |
| Birth at home | Informed, and ready to receive you if a transfer is needed | Two midwives attend, with a transfer plan agreed beforehand |
| Birth in hospital | Hospital staff lead your care | Comes as your companion, or as your midwife where allowed |
| An emergency at any stage | Emergency services and the hospital take over | Calls for help, stays with you and hands over clearly |
| After the birth | Usual checks for you and your baby | Home visits to six weeks, feeding help included |
If something feels wrong, such as bleeding, strong pain, your baby moving less than usual or your waters breaking early, call your maternity unit or your local emergency number straight away, day or night, and then let us know. What an independent midwife may do, and where, is set by each country's own rules; the first meeting covers how they work in this area.
Three ways to have a midwife beside you
Every plan is agreed in writing at the first meeting. The figures below are example fees in US dollars, paid in stages as care goes on.
Antenatal care
from$1,400
- Six hour long home visits
- A birth plan written together
- Phone contact on weekdays
Full care
from$4,600
- All the antenatal visits
- On call from 37 to 42 weeks
- Birth at home, or with you in hospital
- Postnatal visits to six weeks
Postnatal care
from$950
- Six home visits after the birth
- Feeding support at each visit
- Time to talk the birth through
A plan can be paused or stopped at any stage, and you pay only for the part of it that has been given.
How the months unfold
First meeting
An hour at your home with no commitment, to talk about what you hope for and what worries you.
Pregnancy visits
Monthly at first, then every two weeks, each one about an hour long.
Planning the day
A visit at 36 weeks to plan the room, the route to hospital and who to ring.
On call
From 37 weeks a midwife answers the on call line at any hour.
The birth
Two midwives come to you at home, or one meets you at the hospital.
The weeks after
Visits on days one, three, five and ten, then weekly until six weeks.
Planning a birth at home
A home birth is planned weeks ahead: where the pool or mat goes, how an ambulance would reach the door, and which hospital you would go to if plans change. We talk openly about the times hospital is the safer place, and a plan can change at any point, including on the day.
On the day, two midwives bring the equipment, watch over you and your baby, and keep clear notes that go with you if you transfer.
- Transfer route agreed in advance
- Equipment brought by the midwives
- Two midwives at every home birth
From families who knew their midwife (example reviews)
Our second baby came at home in the small hours, with the same two midwives who had sat at our kitchen table since spring. When labour slowed they were calm and clear about our options.
The plan was a home birth, and in the end it was a transfer to hospital. Our midwife came in the ambulance, handed over to the hospital team and was at our door three days later.
Feeding was the hard part for us. Six visits after the birth, each one unhurried, and a phone call when we needed one in between.
Visits at home, before and after
Ask for a first meeting
The first meeting is an hour at your home, at no charge and with no commitment. Tell us roughly when your baby is due and which kind of care you have in mind.
Expect an answer inside two working days: a day that suits, another to choose from, or an honest word if our diary is already full for your due month.
- Partners and birth companions welcome
- Ask anything about home or hospital birth
- Written plan and fees at the end of the hour
What families ask at the first meeting
Will the hospital still look after me?
Yes. You stay booked with your local maternity service, and its scans, tests and care stay open to you. We share notes with them when you agree, so nothing falls between us.
What happens if something goes wrong at a home birth?
The midwives call emergency services, keep caring for you and your baby, and travel with you to hospital or hand over in person. Every home birth plan names the route and the hospital before the day.
Can you stay if a caesarean is needed?
We stay with you as your companion and keep supporting you and your partner. The hospital team carries out the operation and leads your care while you are there.
Are you registered and insured?
Both midwives are registered with the national regulator and hold the professional cover the local rules require, and you can see the details at the first meeting. Rules on registration and cover vary by country.
When should we get in touch?
Any time in pregnancy. Full care is easiest to arrange before 30 weeks, and postnatal care can be booked right up to the birth.
What if the baby comes before you arrive?
Call your local emergency number first, then our on call line. Talking through this case is part of every birth plan, so you know what to do.
Getting in touch
The office phone is answered on weekdays. Families in full care from 37 weeks have the on call number, which a midwife answers at any hour.
Ring or write
Homes within about 40 minutes of the river towns, and both local hospitals
Phone hours
| Office | Weekdays, 09:00 to 17:00 |
| On call line | Any hour from 37 weeks |
| Home visits | By arrangement |
Where we visit
Homes within about 40 minutes of the river towns, and both local hospitals for births. Further away, ask and we tell you plainly whether we can reach you in labour.