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Your Midwifery Team
OHMI Midwives have established business practices according to the Midwives Model of Care (cfmidwifery.org). Each midwife on staff is a licensed professional midwife, having completed an extensive didactic and hands-on apprenticeship, passed the National Professional Midwife Certification exam through the North American Registry of Midwives, are active members of state midwifery organizations, and participates in extensive continuing education practices to maintain their credentials.
We provide traditional midwifery care with access to modern clinical services for low-risk, healthy individuals throughout the childbearing years.
Autonomy and informed decision-making are hallmarks of our midwifery care.
Lisa Baldwin, CPM, LM
Licensed/Certified Professional Midwife
Lisa Baldwin is a Licensed Certified Professional Midwife serving Northwest Ohio and Southeast Michigan. "I apprenticed under Barbara Lahey, CPM for five years. I am also a DONA-trained doula. I have over 25 years of childbirth, breastfeeding, and holistic mothering experience. I have extensive knowledge and experience in fertility awareness and ecological breastfeeding."
Lisa is the mother of sixteen children. Fifteen of them (including one set of twins!) were born at home with the support of an amazing midwife. "It is my hope to offer the same kind of support that I was blessed with throughout my childbearing years. I believe each healthy woman has the strength to bring her baby into this world according to God’s design. My goal is to help pregnant women draw out that strength with information, support, and encouragement throughout pregnancy, labor, and motherhood. As an advocate of woman-to-woman support. I believe it is our duty to pass our experiences down from one generation to the next"..
Michele DeMeo CPM, LM, RCS, LMT
DBA: Shelly Varelli
Licensed/Certified Professional Midwife
Shelly Varelli is a Licesned Certified Professional Midwife serving Northwest Ohio and Southeast Michigan. It is my honor to have trained with, supported by, and work alongside other midwives at Trillium Birth Services, Nine Short Months Birth Center, Northwest Ohio Birth Services, and the Toledo Midwives.
Shelly is the mother of three children and has worked with pregnant people as a doula, childbirth educator, midwife assistant, and licensed massage therapist for over 20 years. She has an extensive medical background as an EMT, professor of cardiovascular testing, cardiac ultrasound sonographer, and has studied many forms of holistic practices. She brings all this knowledge forward when working with clients.
To book with Shelly directly for massage therapy, energy healing, or other birth-related services including placenta encapsulation -please visit Shelly's website or click THIS LINK for direct online appointment booking.
About OHMI Midwives
An Individual-Mother-Centered Approach
As professional, community-based homebirth midwives, we help bridge the gap between traditional midwifery, evidence-based practices, intuition, wisdom, and decades of experience directly to you!
Description of Services: Comprehensive midwifery care spans conception, pregnancy, birth, and 6 weeks postpartum. As a client, you have access to our continued support and resources for up to 6 months postpartum, as needed! We offer on-site access to blood draws for prenatal labs, NIPT/Genetic Testing, and point-of-care ultrasound (non-diagnostic), as well as referrals to local maternal-fetal medicine practices if you desire to have clinically diagnostic testing.
Midwife Role: The midwife will engage in informed decision-making by providing evidence-based information, resources, and recommendations regarding clinical care. The client is responsible for making decisions regarding their personal health and their baby. Within our practice, informed decision-making looks like clients receiving verbal and written information regarding all pregnancy and newborn-related screenings and treatment, with ample opportunity to ask questions. Clients have the freedom to choose or decline recommendations. Certain parts of pregnancy are best understood by tuning in and listening. At OHMI Midwives, we understand that each journey is unique. Within each appointment, we will take time to focus on your mental, emotional, spiritual, and physical health -creating a personalized, holistic care plan for each client.
"Within our practice, we aim to provide inclusive pregnancy, birth, and postpartum care that is compassionate, respectful, and culturally appropriate for each individual client, parent, baby, and family. We have a personal and professional passion for helping people feel empowered, knowledgeable, and confident. We are honored to provide Toledo area families with a safe, meaningful start to pregnancy and parenthood."
Midwifery Fees: $4900. Global fee for comprehensive care as stated above. No reductions for those coming in 'late to care' or for catching your own baby (we fully support that!). Payment plans are available (please inquire directly). Midwifery fees are out-of-pocket, (with exception of labs and ultrasounds) as most insurance companies do not cover homebirth expenses -please see our FAQ section below for additional details.
If you are pregnant and inquiring about homebirth midwifery services, and you live in the Toledo area (within 60 miles) please complete the attached inquiry form. We will reply with additional information after your form has been reviewed.
For a list of questions to ask any midwife you are interviewing, see our FAQ section below.
Thank you!
Shelly Varelli & Lisa Baldwin, CPM
Certified professional midwives offering homebirth services in Toledo, Ohio, and surrounding areas.
5166 Monroe, St Suite 301. Toledo, Ohio 43623
We are happy you have landed on the OHMI Midwives website. Licensed, Certified Professional midwives Lisa Baldwin and Shelly Varelli serve clients within a 60-mile radius of their Toledo office. If you are looking for additional options for a homebirth in Ohio, visit the Ohio Midwives Alliance website where you will find the
"Find a Midwife" location service.