Annemarie Russo, LM, CPM
Home Birth Midwife and Doula
I offer comprehensive midwifery care, which includes complete prenatal, birth, and postpartum care for low-risk pregnancies and planned home births.
It includes risk assessment, nutritional counseling, and some diagnostic tests, as well as childbirth education, birth preparation, newborn care, breastfeeding support and access to my book and DVD lending library.
You receive my focused, individualized attention. You have autonomy, control and privacy. Our appointments are one to two hours each, and take place at your home. We meet once a month up to 28 weeks, every two weeks until 36 weeks, and then weekly until delivery. Myself and an assistant attend your delivery, and I make multiple postpartum visits to make sure you and the baby continue to do well.
Well Woman Care
I also offer well-woman checks, including PAPs, breast exams, family planning, and fertility awareness.
Placenta Encapsulation
I encapsulate your placenta following the Chinese medicine method to make an easy-to-take nutritional supplement that supports postpartum health. This is a two day process and yields 150-200 capsules. Read more…
Compassionate, nonjudgemental support.
As a birth doula, I help create a harmonious birthing atmosphere for the parents, whether in the hospital or at home. After our first “Getting to Know You Meeting”, I come to your home for two prenatal visits, including guidance in the BIRTHING FROM WITHIN® approach to childbirth, and I am available for additional telephone consultations.
I provide continuous labor support, bringing music, candles (battery operated), scented oils, snacks – whatever is part of your birth plan. But most importantly, I bring a calm, reassuring presence. I support you emotionally at this vulnerable time, physically with with positioning and massage, and provide information to help you make educated decisions. I remain with you for a few hours after the birth, and provide assistance with breast feeding if needed.
If desired, I also provide one postpartum “Honoring the Mother” visit with a ritual bath and massage.
Traditionally, women have been surrounded by other experienced women during childbirth. Currently, many women prefer to have their life partner act as a primary support person. A birth doula provides reassurance and support to both the birthing woman and her birth partner, for whom this may be a new and challenging experience. A postpartum doula cares for the mother after the birth and assists the couple with the transition to parenthood.
While your nurses and doctor or midwife are busy taking care of your and your baby’s medical needs, as a doula I support your emotional, spiritual and non-medical physical needs. The simple presence of a calm, experienced person, whose sole responsibility is your comfort, can make a world of difference. Read more…
We offer discounts for low income families.
Give us a call today!
650-279-6429
About Annemarie
I think of myself as a practical, down to earth type of person. I tend to stay calm in intense situations. My children have taught me how to be a more patient person, which helps me greatly in my midwifery practice. I was called to midwifery after the birth of my son who was born at home in Mexico, attended by a midwife. His birth was empowering and joyful, and I discovered I had a strength that I had never known before. This experience inspired me to work with birthing families. I first trained as a doula and became a certified doula through DONA. I attended births as a doula for a number of years before I enrolled in the MEAC accredited midwifery training program at Maternidad la Luz, an academic school as well as a busy birth center in El Paso, Texas. I completed my training at Maternidad la Luz, moved back to California, and gave birth to my second child, a little girl, who I caught myself in the water at home. I completed my exams to became a NARM certified professional midwife and to obtain my midwifery license from the Medical Board of California. Read more…
Testimonials
“After watching the business of being born I knew I wanted to have a home birth. I wanted to experience the natural process of labor and I wanted to bring my child into this world in a peaceful manner. I am so happy with my decision. Annemarie was an amazing midwife. Every prenatal visit lasted at least an hour. She answered all my questions and concerns. She offered me tons of advice on nutrition and suggestions on what supplements to take to help with various pregnancy issues. She explained the birthing process in great detail so that I knew what to expect. I knew that I could depend on Annemarie to guide me through labor and delivery. During my pregnancy when a problem came up, she was quick to order blood work and did not hesitate to refer me to a doctor when the results were out of her expertise. I appreciated that. It was clear that her main priority was the health and safety of me and my unborn child. Three months before my due date our family moved out of Marin. I didn’t think Annemarie would still be able to continue services but she was committed. This meant that she had to drive three hours to and from my house. During my labor she knew when to give me space and when to offer support. Even though she had arranged for a local midwife to assist her with my birth, labor progressed so quickly that she had to work solo. I was amazed at how quickly and effortlessly she handled everything. She delivered my baby, checked vitals, cleaned, gave me stitches, packaged the placenta. The next morning she made breakfast for my family and I. She is an amazing human being and I highly recommend her.”
“We used Annemarie Russo as our midwife for our first child. Only one so far but I wanted to mention that it was my first experience giving birth. She was wonderful. I was very on the fence as to whether to delivery in a hospital or at home and she was super supportive of whichever one I wanted to do. She truly loves what she does and believes that childbirth is a beautiful thing and it shows. We ended up with a last minute home birth as I progressed very quickly. Annemarie was professional and knew exactly what I needed in terms of massage, honey sticks, lavender salts, and supportive words. After the baby was born she did all the necessary checks and cooked us dinner. She also did placenta encapsulation for us and could have done a special post natal massage had I requested it. I highly recommend Annemarie and would definitely use her again. Although she is in Marin, we live in and delivered in San Francisco.”
“I wanted to let you know that this birth of my son was the best healing experience of my life. When I gave birth to Porter in the hospital, I felt like my power was taken from me. This time, I got to take it back. And it means so much to me that I tear up just thinking about it. I actually did have a good “tears of joy” session last night as I held my precious son AND daughter at the same time, feeling SO blessed. I will cherish every memory–the Xmas tree, the time of the night while everyone else was sleeping, the quiet, my desperately empty fridge/cupboard (we were supposed to shop that day). All of it . . . I will cherish those memories forever! I so appreciate you AnneMarie–so much. Thank you for being such an instrumental part of this amazing experience. Love, Breanna”
“Wow. How do I start…. Thankfulness. Thankful to have had such a beautiful, memorable birth, and thankful to have had an amazing midwife seeing me through it all. Annemarie is caring, giving, greatly intuitive and knowledgeable. From the beginning, she reached out to my husband and I, and not just as a healthcare practitioner, but as a friend and community member. I immediately felt she believed in me, and the power of childbirth…. I definitely see why her website is “wetrustbirth.com”. I felt safe and comfortable the whole time, even living 45 minutes away from a hospital. Since my experience, I have had such an unexplainable outlook on life, birth, my body and other things. We’ll miss Annemarie’s visits, but are soothed knowing that we’ll probably be starting those visits again in a couple years.~Marisa and Ryan”
“Thank you so much for the placenta pills, I am really excited to have them! And thank you for assisting at the birth. I felt immediately comfortable with you when we met, and I am really happy Paula suggested that you assist her. You have a calming and grounding energy that I was aware of through the intesity of my experience. I’m glad people like you become midwives to help women have the birth they want. – Cat.”
“Our experience with AnneMarie has positively made another true believer in home birth. Annemarie has such an intuitive and peaceful presence. She held a physical and spiritual space which facilitated a beautiful, confident, birthing process. I would highly recommend her services to anyone seeking a clearly capable and grounded midwife. Thank you AnneMarie! Much love, Alison, Leaf, and Jasper”
“My favorite moment during labor was when I asked Anne-Marie, “When should I push?” and she said, “Your body will tell you.” And it sure did! It was wonderful to have her confidence to wait and trust in my body for the right moment…”
“Annemarie was a joy to work with. She was calm, warm, and empowering. If we have a second child she will be our choice of midwives.”
