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As professional, community-based homebirth midwives, we help bridge the gap between traditional midwifery, evidence-based practices, intuition, wisdom, and modern medicine... bringing decades of combined experience directly to you!
We provide traditional midwifery care with access to basic clinical services for low-risk, healthy individuals throughout the childbearing years. Autonomy and informed decision-making are hallmarks of our midwifery care.
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, maintain active membership and involvement in state midwifery organizations, and participate 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.
Meet your OHMI Midwives
Lisa Baldwin, CPM, LM
Licensed/Certified Professional Midwife
Lisa Baldwin is a Licensed Certified Professional Midwife serving Northwest Ohio and Southeast Michigan. "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 a mother of sixteen children, 15 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 am 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 Licensed Certified Professional Midwife serving Northwest Ohio and Southeast Michigan.
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.
"My hope is to offer well-rounded care that pulls on the collective knowledge from all of my prior experiences working in emergency medicine, as a professor of cardiovascular testing, a registered sonographer, bodyworker, and years of studying alternative/holistic lifestyle and parenting practices".
To book with a 1-1 appt with Shelly for massage therapy, energy healing, or other birth-related services including placenta encapsulation -please visit Shelly's personal website.
About OHMI Midwives
An Individual-Mother-Centered Approach
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, point-of-care ultrasound (non-diagnostic), and referrals to local maternal-fetal medicine practices if you desire clinically diagnostic testing.
Midwife Role: At OHMI, midwives follow established best practices -which include community standards of care, up-to-date evidence-based information, resources, practice protocols, and guidelines. We are committed to applying informed decision-making for antenatal, intrapartum, and postpartum midwifery care, as well as newborn procedures. Informed decision-making is implemented with clients receiving verbal and written information regarding all pregnancy, birth, and newborn-related screenings and treatment. We provide ample opportunity to share our recommendations, and for clients to ask questions -we spend about an hour with each client at every appointment. Clients can choose or decline standard recommendations and sign informed choice documents indicating their preferences. At OHMI Midwives, we understand that each mom and baby dyad is unique.
"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
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 outside of our radius, visit the Ohio Midwives Alliance website where you will find the "Find a Midwife" location service.