Unique Homebirth Experiences
Susanna, with decades of experience in homebirth, is rooted in traditional midwifery practices which are strengthened by modern medical science. She is a pioneer of Water Birth and was instrumental in bringing the practice to the United States. Her book, Waterbirth: A Midwife’s Perspective, is one the definitive books on giving birth in water.
With years of education, Susanna is a well informed, caring & compassionate homebirth midwife. She has been the primary Midwife for over 1000 births at home, and is an active member of California Association of Licensed Midwives (CALM) and the Midwives Alliance of North America (MANA)
“Giving birth to my son is by far the most beautiful experience I have ever had.
I became a homebirth midwife because I wanted you to experience the
same joy in bringing your children into the world.”
Susanna Napierala LM
Integrated experience & techniques for an optimal homebirth experience
SERVICES
Comprehensive Midwifery & Monitrice Care
Comprehensive midwifery care is a combination of many traditional techniques.
Prenatal Care
Getting to know one another is an important part of your prenatal care. I want you to feel comfortable with me and me with you.
Labor & Delivery
Throughout your prenatal care, I am coaching you to empower yourself to let go and give birth the way your body knows how.
Postpartum & Newborn Care
Postpartum care begins the day after your baby is born. I am focused on you, your newborn and your family.
Waterbirth
My ground-breaking book, WATER BIRTH: A MIDWIFE’S PERSPECTIVE, is the definitive book for information on laboring and giving birth in the water. I helped to pioneer waterbirths in the U.S.A. in the early 1980s when there was little to no information on the subject.
Placenta Encapsulation
Honoring the placenta with the ancient art of placenta encapsulation
Bonding & Feeding
Bonding, I believe, is a process that occurs throughout the pregnancy… primarily with the mother, but with the partner and the fetus’ siblings as well.
Nutrition, Herbs, HypnoBirthing & More
Midwives have gathered knowledge in many areas that help with birth, from nutrition to herbs to relaxation and hypnobirthing. All of these tools and techniques will help you during your journey into birth and becoming a mother.
Water Birth: A Midwife’s Perspective
In her carefully presented book, Susanna Napierala, midwife to more than 800 births over 40+ years, suggests that giving birth in water offers mother and infant the ideal circumstances for beginning their lives together. Recognizing that this birthing approach was not yet widely practiced in the United States, Napierala wrote about commonly-asked questions: How does the baby breathe underwater? What about complications or infections? What specifically makes water birth a viable choice, and for whom? How do a couple and their chosen midwife prepare for water birth? Avoiding ideological didactics, the author cautions that, regardless of a couple’s expectations of the birth experience, every pregnancy’s priority should be a healthy mother and baby. Google Book Reviews
“Susanna talked to me just in the way I needed to get me through that inner struggle. She used a firm but kind tone with me. She shared her birth story with me, which helped me to stop judging myself for my feelings and soothed my emotional struggle dealing with the pain. She walked me through guided imagery. Both of these helped me calm down and placed me in a mindset that gave me energy to complete my birth.”