Little Light Birth Services

Little Light Midwifery

Vanessa Hunt-Jansen BA/DEM/LA/CE 952-937-6196
Traditional Midwifery, Doula Services, Childbirth Education
Minneapolis/St. Paul and surrounding cities
Click here for Childbirth Classes

I began to “grow” into midwifery beginning in 1992, during my pregnancy with my first son. Having a wonderful experience helped me to continue to learn about birth and pregnancy and parenting. My goal was to seek out the most information and knowledge I could about my body and how to help my son come into this world with my eyes open to the options. I hope this for all families as they journey to becoming new parents. Now that my family has grown I have more determination to keep moms and babies safe and offer homebirth as one of those options.
I became a midwife to learn from women and babies and out of the need to help women and families in their decision to be responsible for their own birth experience. I feel it is important to work with couples in stopping the fear our culture has towards birth and nurture this change women should be allowed to go through in order to bond with their babies and families.

Philosophy of Care

Little Light Midwifery is here to serve you. This is your experience, your body, your family, your baby, and your birth. Everything that we do in the process of caring for you throughout your childbearing cycle stems from our desire to empower you to claim this experience for yourself, including the responsibilities, the joys and the challenges.
• We adhere to the Midwives Model of Care, which includes:
            • Respectful Treatment;
            • Personal Attention;
            • Plenty of information;
            • Appropriate Monitoring;
            • Confidence in Your Body;
            • Natural Techniques for Comfort; and
            • A Care Provider Who Stays With You.
• One of the foundations of midwifery care is informed choice. We will supply you with as much information as we can to equip you to make informed decisions about your care. This information may include resources for your own information gathering, our assessment of your health and possible risk factors, the standard of care for the community we’re in and our professional opinion/preference, if necessary. If you choose to decline care that we feel jeopardizes your safety, or places you outside of our scope of practice, we reserve the right to refer you to a more appropriate care provider.
• You will be provided with caring, respectful care regardless of race, ethnicity, religious or political views.
• You will not be declined care due to an inability to pay. Every effort will be made to arrange a payment plan that is reasonable and attainable for both of us, if necessary.
• We are guests at your birth and in your home, and you get to decide who’s there. We welcome sibling/family involvement in your pregnancy and birth care.
• Your pregnancy journey and your birth story are yours alone, and will be held in confidence. Your authorization is required before your records can be released.
• You will be cared for in a holistic way, for all of you experiences, past and present, are a part of your pregnancy and birth.

I help families going out 2 hours from me.   My homebirth clients are my priority as I am their primary care for healthy families.
As far as homebirth insurance usually doesn't cover them but I always give my families insurance codes and papers to file anyway just in case. It is helpful for homebirth to show up in their sites.   I charge 3000.00. I have sliding scale but I work with families with where they are at. Payments are great! Just let me know what your thinking. I don't turn anyone away for inability to pay. It is important to consider where your most comfortable as far as safety and staying low risk is concerned. Being home may be safer for you or it may not depending on how you feel.

More about homebirth: we have about 1 hour long visits.
I like to get a complete history and most importantly, your hopes and dreams. This not only helps with your development but I get to know you so much better and can help better during your labor and birth. Emotional wellbeing as well as physical wellbeing are important in combination to stay low risk and healthy. I do a urinalysis, Blood pressure, baby check (heart rate, position, well being), uterine growth, diet diaries, discuss exercise too.

We do every month prenatals starting as soon as we decide to work together, then every 2 weeks in the 8th month and every week in the 9th month.
We do 4 postpartums 1 day, 3 day, 1 week and 6 week. Day one and at birth, we do the newborn exam with neurological and physical maturity of baby of course full vitals on everybody and tuck you in before going home. Sometimes with first time moms we meet with you a little more to get breastfeeding down and such. I do not accept families that are going to Circumcise.

Peace, Vanessa Hunt-Jansen BA 952-937-6196
Vanessa Hunt-Jansen BA/TM/CCE/LA
Traditional Midwife
Anthropologist
Natural Childbirth Instructor
Labor Assistant
Founder of Minnesota Birth Network.com

Homebirth Classes   Click here for more
Starting Mid. Jan. 2007 Sundays 1-3 or 4-6

Class 1

Introduction to the Bradley Method®
This class deals briefly with the history of the Bradley Method®, its philosophy and goals. Time to get to know your instructor and the other students. We will begin to look at fear and our culture and ways we handle pain. Important pregnancy exercises and relaxation techniques will be introduced.

Class 2

Nutrition/ Candle-light dinner/ Avoidance/Breathing/Introduction to Self-guided imagery/
This class focuses on good nutrition for you and your baby during pregnancy. We will be serving a candle light dinner helping to find a good balance along with the good protein we need. We help you to evaluate your diet and suggest ways to improve it if necessary. We will discuss what to avoid food and continue to study the ways you can keep yourself healthy and low risk during pregnancy by incorporating a low stress atmosphere. We will discuss the importance of deep abdominal breathing (Bradley® does not have a breathing “technique”)
Pregnancy/ The Coach’s Role and Labor Support
During this class, we discuss anatomy and physiology as well as common pregnancy discomforts and how to handle them naturally.   We discuss the father’s role during pregnancy, birth, bonding & breastfeeding. We will play the Newly Wed game.

Class 3

The Natural Rythm of Labor & Comfort Measures for Labor Support
This class focuses on how your body works in first stage labor. We cover anatomy and physiology, stressing our respect for the natural process and examining the built-in safeguards for you and your baby.
We will teach basic coaching techniques and practice first stage labor positions. This class focuses on evaluating the progress of labor. You will learn about the Natural Alignment Plateau and the importance of having time to labor.    We will try different comfort measures and support for labor and positions for first, second, and third stage and use of the Robozo, the Mexican traditional technique.

Class 4

Second Stage Labor/Third Stage
This class focuses on how your body works during second stage labor and how your body works when delivering the placenta. We cover anatomy and physiology, stressing our respect for the natural process. We will discuss the Fetal Heimlich Maneuver. Basic pushing techniques and positions. You will also learn what you can do to avoid tearing at the time of birth. We will have a coaching competition while practicing first stage labor.
Energy saving techniques in Labor
You will learn the B.E.S.T techniques for labor and birth you will use while in labor.
Posterior labors
Comfort measures and techniques to help baby to rotate to an optimal position.

Class 5

Planning Your Birth/Emergency Birth
This class covers information on how to prepare for fast labors. We discuss: the importance of evaluating your feelings and listing your priorities, and discussing your choices with your birth team
Complications/
Circumcision/Birth Art
This class goes over possible deviations from your birth plan and various complications. We learn how to avoid these problems if possible, how to evaluate when it is necessary to intervene, and how to handle interventions that become necessary.   We will express ourselves and our idea of birth without language.
Breastfeeding
We will discuss the benefits of breastfeeding for mom, baby, and the whole family.

Class 6

Advanced First and Second Stage Tech.
Advanced Relaxation techniques
In the last class, we review labor and coaching techniques.
This class is filled with advanced coaching techniques dealing directly with the challenge of handling first and second stage labor. It helps to pull together all of the information you have learned so far. This class also covers information for coaches on how to handle the challenges they will face in labor.We will do labor practice and review and introduce more relaxation tech.
Postpartum Preparation
Information is given on how to take care of yourself after your baby is born, as well as newborn care, breastfeeding, Nutrition, and parenting styles.