What does postpartum care look like after a home birth—and how is it different from what happens in the hospital?
In this episode, Andrea sits down with Certified Nurse Midwife Kelly Sicoli to walk through the hours, days, and weeks following a home birth. From in-home visits to personalized newborn care, they explore how this model of support can shape a mother’s postpartum experience.
Kelly has been a CNM for over 13 years, practicing primarily in the home birth setting. She offers a continuity model of care through her solo practice, Charlottesville Midwifery, supporting families through the entire childbearing cycle. She strives to offer holistic, intuitive, evidence-informed, individualized care, in partnership with the clients she serves, and the wonderful nurses who round out her birth team. The greatest joy for Kelly is the close connection with families who return for repeat pregnancies and births.
And fun fact: Kelly was Andrea’s midwife for the birth of her second daughter.
In This Episode:
⏳ 00:00 – The surprising impact of nutrition and pelvic floor prep on birth recovery
⏳ 03:00 – Kelly’s journey to becoming a solo-practice midwife
⏳ 07:00 – Who’s present at a home birth
⏳ 11:00 – How midwives assess newborn well-being without rushing to intervene
⏳ 17:00 – The golden hour: what it looks like when things unfold naturally
⏳ 22:00 – Medications and interventions: what’s offered at home
⏳ 26:00 – Monitoring baby in the home setting
⏳ 29:00 – What happens after the midwife leaves?
⏳ 34:00 – Planning for postpartum mental health: building a village before the baby arrives
⏳ 39:00 – Perineal tears, what causes them, and how midwives approach healing
⏳ 45:00 – Home birth vs birth center birth
Find Kelly:
🌐 Charlottesville Midwifery – Learn more about Kelly’s practice
📸 Follow Kelly on Instagram
Links & Resources:
📖 Evidence Based Birth – Resource for informed decisions around birth & newborn care
📘 Postpartum Virginia – Local mental health and postpartum support directory
📸 Follow Sage Mother Co. on Instagram
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