Receive a complimentary copy of our book Honoring Birth when you sign up for a consultation.
Jo Anne Lindberg, president and founder of BirthLink, offers private birth consultations for expecting couples no matter where you live. You may ask why you might need that? Many parents realize that there is a great deal to learn. Most start their journey during pregnancy and have nine months or less to educate themselves. Client-focused guidance and direction ensure the quality of care you receive by helping you make informed decisions.
Just thinking of considering having a child is parenting. After conception the impending birth becomes more real. Determining where and with whom to give birth are parenting decisions. Making these decisions together, as a couple, is an opportunity to begin bonding. Having a consultation is an enjoyable way to explore your many options.
Who you choose as a primary care practitioner and where you give birth will have a significant impact on your experience. With many years of experience in the Chicago birth community, Jo Anne knows many of the practitioners personally. She is also aware of their practice philosophies, including the culture and political climate of hospitals. Regardless of where you live, Jo Anne can assist you in your decision-making process and connecting with your local birth community.
There are many factors that influence what kind of birth you will have. While it is impossible to control the birth process, Jo Anne can assist you in having a more positive experience by choosing the best possible provider match. Finding practitioners that you can trust is a critical part of the consultation. Information you gather will give you confidence in selecting a provider that is right for you. During a consultation you will feel comfortable and have ample time to ask all of your questions. Not sure what kinds of questions to ask? Visit our FAQ section to find examples of some of the many questions that you will want to ask.
This comprehensive consultation will guide you through the entire birth process and beyond. Our goal is for parents to have a happier, healthier birth experience. With c-section rates at 30% nationally, and some local hospitals higher, this is just one reason why parents need to educate themselves.
Reasons Parents Choose to Have an Informed Birth Consultation
- Make Informed Decisions
- Preconception planning
- Gain awareness regarding your beliefs about the birth process and how they may impact your choices
- Become an informed consumer regarding birth choices
- Understand the significance of birth
- Save time researching options
- Educate yourself regarding physician and midwifery care
- Discover ways to enhance your birth experience no matter where you choose to give birth
- Investigate the benefits of various birthing locations including hospital, birth center, alternative birth center and home
- Create a supportive birth team
- Lay the groundwork for cooperative parenting
- Answers to your specific questions
- Increase Confidence
- Increase the likelihood that your birth will be a positive life changing experience
- Personal referrals based on your specific needs
- Establish trusting relationships with practitioners
- Seeking a more satisfying birth experience
- Gain comfort in your decision making process
- Help avoiding a first c-section or seeking a vaginal birth after cesarean
- New to the Area
- Recently relocated
- From a foreign country
Parents will receive a package of articles, resources, and interview questions. You may also borrow a set of childbirth videos to assist you in making your decisions.
Topics Covered in a Informed Birth Consultation
Each session is as unique as you are. Here is a list of topics that may be discussed.
- Birth beliefs and family history – potential impact?
- Who pays and how – insurance coverage vs self pay.
- Place of birth – culture of facility.
- Primary care providers – who can attend births in IL?
- Creating a birth team – additional providers.
- Childbirth education options – hospital vs private.
- Birth practices and procedures – What about the pain?
- Breastfeeding – a long-term relationship.
- Postpartum care – help for mom.
- Wonderful things for baby – consider some great options.
- Health care for baby – vaccination, pediatrician vs alternative.
- Self care for optimal birth and baby – body, mind & spirit.
- Personal referrals – you can change practitioners.
- More Resources
You may also bring a list of questions.
Parenting begins the instant a couple realizes they are pregnant. Jo Anne Lindberg can help you decide if a consultation is right for you by calling 847-733-8050 or click here to email. Zoom is available for consultations. See client testimonials.
You might want to watch – The Business of Being Born – available from the internet. It has helped many parents to educate themselves about their birth options.
Jo Anne Lindberg in the News
Ms. Lindberg has been featured in articles about birth options and more from many publications. There was a newsletter for more than twenty years. For more recent articles you can visit the blog.
- Yoga Chicago: Giving Birth Mindfully by Jo Anne Lindberg (Jan/Feb 07)
- Mothering Magazine: Caretakers of Homebirth by Wendy Correa (May/June 2002)
- The Nikkei – The Japanese Wall Street Journal: Homebirth by Yoko Noge-Dean (April 7, 2002) 3 million subscribers world wide
- North Shore Magazine: They Deliver; A Guide to More Than 30 Home Services by Peter Gianopulos (February 2002)
- Chicago Social (CS): Breathe Easy by C.A. Killmaster (June 2001)
- Chicago Parent’s Chicago Baby: The Age-Old Art of Doulas by Pamela Hays (Fall 2001)
- WebMD™ Medical News: Bringing Out Baby. . . At Home by Laurie Barclay (June 2001)
- Parent’s Concern Newsletter: Emulsion on Paper by Hannah Maximova (July 2000)
- Midwifery Today: Building a Better Birth Community by Betsy Schwartz (Winter 2000 Number 56)
- Expectant Mother’s Guide to Chicago: Beyond the Birth Plan by Jo Anne Lindberg (1999 – 2000 Number 21)
- American Whole Health Inc. Newsletter: Our Journey Into Parenthood by Jo Anne Lindberg (Fall 1999)
- Conscious Choice: Pampered Pregnancies; Top Holistic Health Treatments for Chicago’s Expectant Mothers by Darlene E. Paris (September 1999)
- Expectant Mother’s Guide to Chicago: The Doula – A Wonderful Gift by Jo Anne Lindberg (1998 – 1999 Number 29)