Juliet Dietsch, LCPM
Home birth midwifery care in Louisville, Kentucky
I am a Licensed Certified Professional Midwife, and I have been attending births at home in the Louisville area since 1999. In that time I have caught more than 800 babies.
Since 1999
More than 25 years attending births at home in this community.
800+ babies
Very little surprises me anymore.
Licensed in KY
About Juliet
My name is Juliet Dietsch. It is pronounced DEECH.
I came to this work because of my daughter Willow. She was born at home with a midwife, and the experience was nothing like what I had been told childbirth would be. I wanted other families to be able to choose that too.
I trained the traditional way, through a three-year apprenticeship under an experienced midwife, and I have added training at free-standing birth centers in Tennessee since.
I attended births in Kentucky for twenty years before the Commonwealth began licensing certified professional midwives, and when it did, I was among the first to be licensed.
I keep my practice small on purpose. I want to know you by name, know your other children’s names, and know what you are worried about before you say it out loud.
I do not manage your birth. I watch it, I keep you and your baby safe, and I step in when stepping in is the right call.
Credentials
- Licensed Certified Professional Midwife, Commonwealth of Kentucky, License #9000002
- One of the first certified professional midwives licensed in Kentucky
- Certified Professional Midwife, North American Registry of Midwives
- In practice since 1999
- Three-year apprenticeship training, plus birth center training in Tennessee
I have served on the boards of the Kentucky Alliance for the Advancement of Midwifery and the Kentucky Midwives Alliance, and on the steering committee of the Kentucky Midwifery Taskforce.
What care with me looks like
Prenatal visits
Up to twelve visits:
| When | How often |
|---|---|
| Through 32 weeks | Monthly |
| 32, 34, and 36 weeks | Every two weeks |
| 36 weeks until birth | Weekly |
At least one visit happens at your home, so I know where I am going and what your space is like before the day arrives.
Visits run long. We talk about your blood pressure and your baby’s heartbeat, and we also talk about how you are sleeping, what your family is saying to you, and what you are afraid of. Both of those matter.
On call
I am reachable by phone for urgent questions throughout your pregnancy and afterward. From 37 weeks until your baby is born, I am on call for your labor 24 hours a day.
After the birth
I come to you at least three times, and more often if you need me:
- 24 hours after the birth
- One week
- Six to eight weeks
Those visits happen in your home, so you do not have to pack up a newborn and drive anywhere.
Water birth
Birth in water is welcome in my practice, and I have been attending water births for years. Warm water gives you more control and takes the edge off, and it makes it easier to reach down and catch your own baby. You can rent or buy a birth tub, and I will talk you through the options and the setup.
Where I go
I serve Louisville and the surrounding Kentucky counties: Jefferson, Oldham, Bullitt, Shelby, and Spencer. Travel to surrounding areas is available on request. My license is a Kentucky license, so my practice stays within Kentucky.
If you have had a cesarean
A lot of people are told the conversation is over before it starts. In Kentucky, it is not.
Kentucky regulation treats a prior cesarean as a condition requiring consultation with a physician. It is not an automatic disqualification from midwifery care. After that consultation, the decision about your care is yours, and your choice is documented.
Here is how I approach it. I want to see your operative report, so I understand what kind of incision you had and why the cesarean happened. I want you to talk with a physician, and I will help you arrange that. Then we talk honestly about your situation rather than about statistics in general.
I will tell you what I actually think, and it may not be what you were hoping to hear. That is part of what you are paying me for.
If you have had a cesarean and you want to know where you stand, call me.
Safety, and what happens if plans change
Most people considering home birth are quietly asking one question. Here is a straight answer.
Who is a good candidate
Kentucky licenses me to care for people with low-risk pregnancies.
Whether home birth is a reasonable choice for you depends on your history, and that is a conversation rather than a checklist I can put on a web page. At your first visits I go through your history with you and we work it out together. Some situations mean I refer you to a physician for your care. Some mean we consult with a physician first, and then the choice is yours.
During labor
I monitor you and your baby throughout, and I carry emergency equipment and medication to every birth.
If your labor stops being normal, we go in. Sometimes that is a calm decision made over an hour, and sometimes it is fast. Either way I am the one who makes the call, and I do not wait to see whether things improve on their own.
If you transfer
Most transfers are not emergencies. They are long labors, exhaustion, or someone deciding they want an epidural block, and there is time to pack a bag and drive.
I have established relationships with providers for transfer of care. If we need to go in, I am not making cold calls from your living room.
When we transfer at or after 37 weeks, I make every effort to come with you and stay with you. Your postpartum care with me continues exactly as planned. You do not lose me because your place of birth changed.
Fees
I publish my fees because you should be able to plan.
Midwifery fee
$4,800
That covers all of your prenatal visits, my being on call for you from 37 weeks, your birth, and your postpartum care.
Reduced fees
| Returning client | $4,080 |
| Paid in full at the start of care | $4,320 |
| Families on Medicaid | Discount available |
Only one reduced fee applies per pregnancy.
Kentucky Medicaid does not pay licensed certified professional midwives, so a family on Medicaid pays out of pocket the same as anyone else. I offer a discount to help with that. Ask me about it early.
Payment schedule
- $500 at your first prenatal visit, non-refundable
- $100 minimum at each prenatal visit after that
- Balance paid in full by 37 weeks, which is when I go on call for you
If money is tight, talk to me before 37 weeks. I will make a reasonable effort to work within what you can actually do, and that conversation is much easier early than late.
Insurance
I do not bill your insurance company. You pay me directly and file your own claim for reimbursement.
Some plans reimburse a good portion of a home birth and some reimburse nothing, so please find out what your plan does before you count on it.
Other costs to plan for
These are not paid to me. Most families will need:
| Prenatal labwork * | $100 to $600 |
| Birth kit | $75 |
| Newborn screening lab fee * | $62 |
Depending on your situation:
| Ultrasound, if wanted or needed * | $200 to $400 |
| RhoGam, if you are Rh negative * | $125 to $300 |
| Birth tub equipment | $35 to $200 |
| Childbirth education classes | $150 to $250 |
* Often covered by insurance.
You may also choose to spend money on a breast pump, a doula, a lactation consultant, chiropractic care, or a newborn hearing screen. If you need to see another practitioner during your pregnancy or afterward, their fees are yours to pay.
What families say
Published as written, from reviews left on my Facebook page.
Juliet is the most wonderful, caring, generous person I have had the privilege of knowing. She is the only reason I was able to achieve my dream of a vaginal birth. Successfully delivered my son HBA2C!
Brandi
Thankful for the professional, yet loving, care I recorded during my pregnancies, labor/birth, and postpartum periods. I highly recommend Juliet to those wanting an out-of-hospital birth and would definitely use her again
Erin
I can’t say enough great things about Juliet! She was there for me and supported me when my girls were born in 2000 and 2002. I had two prior csections and was told by the Drs that my pelvis was too small to birth the ‘normal’ way. Hannah was born completely posterior presentation, Juliet helped me by suggesting several different positions and the one that worked best was simply standing. My second daughter was a water birth and definitely my quickest birth. I couldn’t have done it without the sweet, warm, caring, and trusting nature of Juliet.
Amy
Let’s talk
The best way to find out whether we are a good fit is to talk. Call me, or send a message and I will get back to you. I answer inquiries myself.
Proudly serving Kentucky families in
Louisville · St. Matthews · Middletown · Prospect · Anchorage · Glenview · Norton Commons · Indian Hills · Lake Forest · LaGrange · Goshen · Crestwood · Pewee Valley · Shepherdsville · Simpsonville
Counties served: Jefferson, Oldham, Bullitt, Shelby, and Spencer
Travel to surrounding areas is available on request.