Welcome to Mandala Midwifery Care’s New Blog!

Writing a blog has been on my agenda for some time and here it is, my first blog post!  Check back often to find out the latest goings on for me and Mandala Midwifery Care (MMC).  I have heard several people say recently, “I didn’t know about you” or “I didn’t know you offered XYZ service,” so I would like to start off with a brief description of what MMC has to offer.  (You can also see a basic list of services here.) I founded MMC two years ago this past June.  Check out my bio here.  Yes, my family treats our Minneapolis lot was an urban farm – complete with gardens, herbs, apples, a feisty dog, bunnies and chickens!  Over the past two years, I have lovingly served many families in partnership with a handful of local community midwives at my side (including the other co-founder of Mandala Midwifery Care, who left active practice last year).  It has truly been an honor to watch families grow and change.  A special thanks goes out to all past and current MMC clients!

As stated on my bio page, I am a Certified Professional Midwife and I strive to provide individualized, loving care to all types of families wishing to have a home birth.  In this capacity, I provide traditional midwifery care through comprehensive, evidence-based prenatal care and home birth services, including water birth.  I also provide in-depth postpartum care, which some clients describe as the best part of their MMC care experience.  In reference to the home birth and immediate post-partum care she received, one client said:  “I feel like a Queen.  I really have received the royal treatment!”  Not only do I provide attentive and nurturing care, but I have seen better outcomes for parents and babies because of it.  I provide a minimum of four postpartum home visits in the first two weeks (starting at 24 hours post birth) to ensure a gentle and safe transition for parents and baby and to help the family reach their breastfeeding/chestfeeding goals.  Interested in what the evidence says about the safety of home birth?  Check out this link here.

In addition to home birth care, I also offer fertility consultations and insemination services to LGBTQ individuals/families and single parents by choice.  In this capacity, I help those wishing to be gestational carriers assess their fertility signs, track their cycles, and consult on proper insemination timing.  The services I offer typically begin with a detailed and individualized initial consultation in which I help translate the client’s individual circumstances into a fertility plan.  During this initial consultation, I fully review signs of fertility and provide education on additional markers often overlooked by those trying to conceive.  I provide information on nutrition and lifestyle changes to enhance fertility and on donor options.  I also help individuals decide if they should pursue medical options while on their journey to conceive.  If clients feel it is right for them, I offer both intracervical insemination (ICI) and intrauterine insemination (IUI), either in office or at home.  It has been a tremendous joy to help individuals connect with their bodies in a new way and help create families where there were once only couples or individuals.

I am so privileged to follow my calling and I take that responsibility very seriously, continually updating my knowledge base and practices to enhance care at MMC.  Because of the special midwifery needs of the LGBTQ community and people of color, I have sought, and continue to seek, additional training and awareness to appropriately serve them, including specific training to provide culturally appropriate care to trans and genderqueer individuals.   I love that my client load over the last two years has included individuals, couples and families from many different walks of life!

If you are looking for midwifery services from MMC or know someone who is, I would love to hear from you.  Reach out.

Thanks for sharing in my first blogging adventure!

Sincerely,

Janine Stiles, CPM