Montana Midwives

My name is Merrilyn Reeves.  I am a Certified Professional Midwife and an Idaho Licensed Midwife with nearly 14 years experience in homebirth as an apprentice and midwife.  During those years I have been privileged to work with some wonderful midwives.  I maintain current certifications in neonatal resuscitation, healthcare provider CPR/AED, advanced EMT and CPM/LM through independent study, conferences, midwifery study groups, peer review and other educational opportunities as appropriate. 

I believe that pregnancy and childbirth are natural, normal events in a woman’s life and important milestones in the life of a family.  Natural childbirth is both a privilege and a right.  The trust between a woman and her midwife grows during prenatal visits and has a positive effect on the progression of labor and birth.  About ninety-five percent of the time, the birthing experience concludes without complications.  Women possess a God-given ability to give birth and they labor best where they feel safe and protected, and are able to eat and move about during labor and birth as they please. 

My service area consists of the portion of the Idaho panhandle within one and one-half hours drive of Plummer.  Under some circumstances, I may be able to assist women who live farther than this distance.  I provide prenatal, birth and postpartum care through six weeks after the birth of the baby.  Most prenatal and postpartum visits last about one hour and take place at my home/office.  The focus of these visits includes nutrition, exercise, and herbal helps, in addition to assessing the condition of the mother and her baby.  The 36 week visit, birth care, and two postpartum visits during the first week take place at the mother’s home.