Complementary Care Providers
During pregnancy and birth, you will be supported by a perinatal heath care provider. Our course provides you with an overview of the options you will likely get to choose from, including an Obstetrician (OB), Midwife (CNM, CM, or CPM), Family Practice Doctor (MD), Perinatologist/Maternal Fetal Medicine Specialist (MDs for high risk pregnancies).
For optimal perinatal heath and wellness, we invite you to explore the complementary care providers who specialize in supporting people through conception, pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. Many of these services are covered by health insurance, so check with your insurance to find out your coverage, and get connected to in-network providers.
As always, simply having these care providers on your team is not enough — there needs to be a foundation of trust and connection to ensure optimal care. Take your time to find the providers that are right for you.
Pregnancy & Birth
Physical Therapist - if you experience persistent pain during pregnancy, you might consider seeking the support of a physical therapist. Physical therapists are doctors who specialize in the skeletomuscular system and will evaluate the source of your pains and discomforts, administer treatments, and prescribe exercises and postures to treat the underlying causes of pain. PTs that specialize in the Pelvic Floor are particularly beneficial during pregnancy and postpartum, as they can identify and address pelvic health issues, help prepare your body for labor and birth, as well as support a faster and more complete postpartum recovery. Issues with the pelvic floor can lead to urinary incontinence, challenges during the pushing phase of labor, and organ prolapse, to name a few.
Occupational Therapist - Occupational therapists are licensed health care professionals who help people perform daily activities that they need or want to do. During pregnancy, you might find that movement that used to require little to no effort becomes challenging or even painful to do. This can include daily tasks around the house, the physical demands of your job (even if that means sitting at a desk), or hobbies you enjoy. An OT can help you adapt your surroundings and tasks to help navigate them comfortably and prepare for a healthy birth and postpartum.
Mental Health Specialist - The benefits of therapy, and having the support of a compassionate ear when preparing for birth and parenthood cannot be overstated. Therapy can be a good opportunity to work through any past trauma, worries about birth, worries about parenthood, or relationship challenges. Group therapy and couples therapy can also be good options. There are many different types of care providers: Psychologists with a PhD, Doctors of Psychology with a PsyD, prescribing care providers like psychiatrists and Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioners, Licensed Clinical Social Workers, Marriage and Family Therapists, Licensed Professional Counselors, and even some (carefully vetted) coaches. Look for a care provider you trust, interview a few that stand out to you, and trust your instinct and sense of connection with the person you pick to start this intimate and healing relationship with. Psychology Today is an excellent searchable database for finding mental health providers in the US. Sometimes it’s worth investing in mental health support even if it’s a stretch financially.
Certified Childbirth Educator - Certified Childbirth Educators work with families during pregnancy to prepare them for childbirth. They offer non-biased support, encouragement, and evidence-based information. 1 in 3 people experience birth trauma, and while it isn’t completely preventable, the biggest tool you have to prevent birth trauma is taking a childbirth education class. It is also so effective in reducing the use of medication, reducing rates of intervention (including unnecessary c-sections), and improving breastfeeding success, that most health insurances (including medicare!) offer full reimbursement. Have we mentioned that this is kinda our thing? Wildwood Birth founders Vera and Elizabeth and Certified Childbirth Educators, as well as birth doulas, and have supported hundreds of families as they bring new life into this world. If you haven’t yet taken a childbirth education course, you can sign up here.
Birth Doula - We admit we’re biased, but we cannot overemphasize how much having the support of a doula can improve your birth experience! Birth doulas are trained professionals who provide continuous physical, emotional, and informational support to their client before, during, and after childbirth to help them achieve the healthiest, most satisfying experience possible. Studies have shown that having a doula on your support team can shorten labor, decrease the use of medication, and decrease the rates of intervention, including unnecessary cesarean births. Doulas also decrease the rates of reported birth trauma. Beyond the stats, doulas take the time to get to know you in the weeks or months before labor begins, and help prepare you for what’s ahead. They attend your birth as an additional set of hands to provide physical and emotional comfort during labor, make sure you understand what’s happening and being offered to you medically, help you advocate for yourself, and champion you. Birth doulas offer guidance during early labor (sometimes remotely), join you in active labor, and typically stay a few hours after the birth. They remain available for support up to six weeks postpartum to help get feeding off to a good start, process your birth, and connect you to further resources as needed. Each doula brings their own background, unique qualities, and additional trainings and certifications to their work. Doula Match is an online database that’s searchable by zip code, and can be a great place to start your search. We recommend interviewing a few doulas to get a feel for how they work, see if their offerings align to your needs, and, perhaps most importantly, look for a good and easy connection.
Perinatal Yoga - This is a gentle form of pregnancy and postpartum-focused yoga that can have so many benefits for both you and your baby. From calming your nervous system, strengthening your body for birth, relieving stress, releasing tension in the back and hips, fostering the connection to your baby and body, and helping bring more ease and equilibrium, both physically and emotionally. Our course includes 3 classes lead by yoga therapist and pelvic floor specialist Emily Light. They focus on preparing your body for birth, breathing exercises to strengthen your pelvic floor and calm your nervous system in labor, and gentle movements for the early days of postpartum.
Acupuncture - Acupuncture is a Chinese medicine involving tiny needles inserted into specific therapeutic points on the skin throughout the body. Acupuncture can be helpful during preconception, can aid in fertility and egg implantation, and is often recommended to people undergoing IVF or IUI treatment. During pregnancy, it can help with body aches and pains, ease tension and anxiety, aid in sleep, and, toward the end of pregnancy, can help to ripen the cervix and shorten the gestation period and duration of labor. Acupuncture can be a helpful tool to bring on board to encourage a successful induction. An experienced acupuncturist that specializes in perinatal care can also help turn a breech baby. Acupuncture can also be helpful during labor, if you have access to it, for relief of anxiety, pain relief, shifting baby’s position, and helping labor progress.
Massage - Therapeutic massage from a trained perinatal massage therapist can bring so much relief to your body as it accommodates all the changes that come with growing a human being. Some insurance plans even cover therapeutic massage - check with your plan to see if it’s an option. Massage helps relieve muscle tension; can address joint, nerve, and muscle pain; improves circulation; can help reduce anxiety and stress; helps regulate hormones; reduces swelling; and can help improve sleep. Massage can also be immensely soothing during labor. You might want a doula who is experienced and confident with hands-on comfort measures. Massage can be a great option during prodromal labor (prolonged early labor).
Chiropractic Care - Chiropractic care during pregnancy is gentle and focuses a lot on pelvic alignment for birth. Look for chiropractic providers who practice the Webster technique, which is a specialized approach to subtle adjustments to the pelvis, improving alignment and pelvic function. It can help support a more comfortable, easier, and physiologic birth.
Postpartum
Postpartum Doula - Postpartum doulas provide support primarily to the recovering birthing parent and the newborn. They provide education around newborn care, offer emotional support, help new parents get restorative sleep, aid with feeding, and sometimes help with baby-related housekeeping and laundry. Postpartum doulas can help prepare meals and snacks and ensure the birthing parent is meeting their new caloric-intake and hydration needs. Postpartum doulas are available for day shifts, which tend to be more educationally and emotionally-focused – or for night shifts, where the focus is supporting parental sleep and night time feeding schedules. Postpartum doulas can also be found on Doula Match, through their individual websites, or with local doula agencies and collectives. Schedule your postpartum support before your baby arrives so you’re sure to get your choice of doulas. Look for someone who instills a sense of trust in you, that you feel an easy comfort with, who has experience that aligns with your needs and goals, and whose values align with yours.
Lactation Consultant - Breast/Chestfeeding presents challenges for many new parents, and the support of a lactation expert can help you achieve your feeding goals and support your feeding relationship. You can take advantage of hospital-provided lactation support if it’s available to you, and you might also consider finding a lactation consultant before your baby is born in order to find the right provider for you and establish a relationship. The most common practitioners are IBCLCs (International Board Certified Lactation Consultant) and CLCs (Certified Lactation Counselor) – as well as ALCs (Advanced Lactation Consultant), and ANLCs (Advanced Nurse Lactation Consultants) (read more about the differences here).
Support groups and networks - Postpartum Support International has daily virtual support group offerings as well as in-person groups locally around the US and Canada. Support groups are offered in both English and Spanish, and their website has an abundance of information on mental health topics as well. Look for local support groups in your area as well.
Acupuncture - Acupuncture is a Chinese medicine involving tiny needles inserted into specific therapeutic points on the skin throughout the body. Acupuncture can be helpful for postpartum anxiety, insomnia, and body aches and pains. It can aid in both the emotional and physical aspects of healing from birth and adjusting to new parenthood.
Physical Therapist - Physical therapists are doctors who specialize in the skeletomuscular system and will evaluate the source of your pains and discomforts, administer treatments, and prescribe exercises and postures to treat the underlying causes of pain. PTs that specialize in the pelvic floor are particularly beneficial during pregnancy and postpartum, as they can identify and address pelvic health issues, help prepare your body for labor and birth, as well as support, a faster and more complete postpartum recovery. Issues with the pelvic floor can lead to incontinence , for example, challenges during the pushing phase of labor, peeing when you sneeze or laugh, and organ prolapse, to name a few.
Occupational Therapist - Occupational therapists are licensed health care professionals who help people perform daily activities that they need or want to do. In the postpartum period, this might include returning to functional activities, or breast/chestfeeding. Find an OT who specializes in working with people in the perinatal period.
Postpartum meal delivery services - provide nourishing meals that aid in the recovery of childbirth and production of breastmilk. Just as important, they relieve you and your family from the burden of meal planning, grocery shopping, and cooking. There are many local businesses who provide this service at a great price and deliver fresh food with a smaller footprint than mail-based services. If this isn’t available where you live, checkout Splendid Spoon, Daily Harvest, Nourishing Birth + Postpartum, and Territory Foods.
Placenta encapsulation - Consumption of the placenta has been practiced for centuries by cultures around the world, and in recent years, gained popularity in the United States. Many doulas offer placenta encapsulation as part of their services. Placenta encapsulation specialists undergo training in sanitization and food handling practices. Your placenta will be steamed then dehydrated, ground to dust, then divided into pill capsules for easy daily (or at your own pace) consumption. Read more about the history, risks, and benefits of placenta encapsulation here.
Mayan abdominal massage - Mayan abdominal therapy is a traditional Mayan technique that focuses on gentle massage of the abdominal muscles, connective tissues, and internal organs. It’s also known as fertility massage, womb massage, or sobada de matriz. The purpose of this massage technique is to guide organs back to where they belong in the abdomen. Find a traditional practitioner in your area to access this powerfully healing massage.
Therapist - The benefits of therapy, and having the support of a compassionate ear during the perinatal period cannot be overstated. A perinatal mental health practitioner can offer support during this time of profound transition, can help identify and treat perinatal mood disorders, and can help with processing your birth story. Group therapy can be especially helpful for folks struggling with their mental health postpartum. There are many different types of care providers: Psychologists with a PhD, Doctors of Psychology with a PsyD, prescribing care providers like psychiatrists and Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioners, Licensed Clinical Social Workers, Marriage and Family Therapists, Licensed Professional Counselors, and even some (carefully vetted) coaches. Look for a care provider you trust (maybe their credentials matter to you, maybe that’s not a factor to filter by), interview a few options that stand out to you, and trust your instinct and sense of connection with the person you pick to start this intimate and healing relationship with. Psychology Today is an excellent searchable database in the US for finding mental health providers, and you have the option to select several filters, including, importantly, to filter by insurance. Sometimes it’s worth it to invest in mental health support even if it’s a stretch financially.