Today we’d like to introduce you to Christy Hersey.
Hi Christy, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
Yes, I was introduced to midwives as health care providers through my own pregnancies. Once my children were school-age, I went back to school at the age of 28 to pursue a midwifery degree. I graduated from midwifery school in 2015 and went on a lot of adventures in my career. I’ve worked all over central and north Florida in different midwifery capacities. Last year I flew out for a temporary locum position with the Afghan war withdrawal crisis and helped with prenatal care of the refugees. Before I came to Amabella I was considering moving out of state and had been interviewing for midwifery positions all over the US. One day the position here at Amabella showed up on my Indeed and two months later I was relocating to central Florida from Jacksonville, FL.
Here at Amabella, I am creating a brand-new birth center from the ground up. This wonderful opportunity has allowed me to add in small intricacies that will benefit our pregnant patients for years to come. I am writing the protocols, advising on ordering the furniture, ordering supplies, acquiring the various licenses, networking with other professionals, creating an internet presence, setting up the electronic health records system, writing and creating health care forms, financial contracts, credentialing and contracting with health insurance companies, and the list goes on. Setting the foundation for a solid practice structure so our future families and employees will enjoy being here.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
One foot in front of the other is the best way to describe this road. Opening a health care practice of any specialty is a challenge. The greatest challenge so far is letting the community at large know we are here. We are the next closest birth center to Jacksonville, FL. Which means the community we are able to serve is far-reaching geographically, especially north and east of us.
While I do have a great team support in the practice next door, I am the only midwife here for now.
One of the struggles is being alone, as far as not having birth center co-workers yet. Over the years, I have built and worked in team practices with several midwives. Now here it is myself (the team of one) doing most of the hands-on and creating. It does get a bit solitary out here.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Amabella Birth Center?
Amabella Birth Center is an out-of-hospital pregnancy health care setting where pregnant people receive prenatal care, lab work, ultrasounds, labor & delivery care, and newborn, and postpartum care. We offer natural birth, water birth, and freedom of movement in birth. While we have an OBGYN supporting our center 99% of the visits are done by midwives.
A midwife is a mid-level healthcare provider able to provide pregnancy, labor & birth, newborn, and postpartum care for pregnancy. During pregnancy, patients receive all the standard ACOG visits, lab work, and ultrasounds.
Here at Amabella, our staff is trained to provide compassionate and culturally competent, evidence-based, and shared decision-making health care. Midwives spend on average, 30-40 minutes in the prenatal visits. The visits consist of a regular pregnancy health checkup but they also include much more. Educating patients about their bodies, discussing nutrition & exercise, emotional, relational, and physiological aspects of pregnancy, birth, and coming into parenthood either for the first time or the fifth time. All of which is a part of giving birth at a birth center.
We all have a different ways of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
80 percent of success is showing up. 20 percent is following up.
Pricing:
- $8,200 Global Maternity Fee
- $7,000 Global for transfers from another practice
Contact Info:
- Website: www.amabellabirth.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amabellabirth/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Amabella-Birth-Center-100461272707566
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/amabella-birth-center-orange-city?osq=Birthing+Center
