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rcarter
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| Posted: Nov 15 2011 at 7:58am | IP Logged
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Not sure if this is the right forum....
So I am thinking about a home birth this time around. I've had no complications with any of our babies, and I've heard that it costs less to have a midwife than going to the hospital, even with insurance. Also, I've been hearing a lot of things about our hospital, like that they are really trying to push moms out after a day for natural births and that they are understaffed for their nursery. So I'm wondering what you ladies have to say about home birth? Was it a great experience, something you'd definitely do again? I don't know what to look for in a midwife and I've only heard of one in our area.
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Rachel
Married to Bill 8/4/01
Mom to ds 9, dd 8, dd 6, dd 4, ds 1 and baby due 7/11!!!.
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JodieLyn
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| Posted: Nov 15 2011 at 11:09am | IP Logged
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A great deal depends on your and your dh's comfort level.
Are you ok with not having hospital facilities immediately available? Some people are, some aren't. Neither is right for everyone.
Some will say having interventions available means they're used unnecessarily with negative outcomes while others will say not having them can lead to negative outcomes.
In general homebirth is safe for normal pregnancies and births.
You'd want to know how your hospital might feel about transfers. I know here they're happy to have you if something isn't going right, if you need help, if you just change your mind at the last minute. (the things you find out taking a 2 yr old in for stitches when you're 2 weeks from your due date  )
The things you'd want to ask a midwife would be basically the same things you'd want to ask a doctor. Just in reverse. Instead of finding out when the doctor wants you to come in for the birth, you find out when your midwife wants you to call for her to come to you. Things like that. Talk with her about your other births, how anything that happened with those might be handled. Emergency procedures.
Anything you want that a midwife cant do.. how is that handled? any bloodwork you want done? any ultrasound? any prescriptions you need or that might need adjusting.
Cost depends. You'll need to talk to the midwife for her cost and you'd need to know what your insurance would pay for the hospital. I've never found it to be cheaper to pay out of pocket for a midwife vs a hospital (preferred provider and facility).. but it's been worth it to pay for a midwife and stay home.
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Jodie, wife to Dave
G-18, B-17, G-15, G-14, B-13, B-11, G-9, B-7, B-5, B-4
All men who have turned out worth anything have had the chief hand in their own education.
-Sir Walter Scott
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rcarter
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| Posted: Nov 15 2011 at 12:22pm | IP Logged
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Jodie,
That gives me an excellent starting point for what to ask, what to expect. Dh is completely on board with the idea of a homebirth.
I begin to see, just from what you've written, that we aren't just talking the cost of the midwife, there's also the possibility of going to the hospital anyway, the cost of an ultrasound, bloodwork, etc.
Gives me a good bit of food for thought...
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Rachel
Married to Bill 8/4/01
Mom to ds 9, dd 8, dd 6, dd 4, ds 1 and baby due 7/11!!!.
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elynnmom
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| Posted: Feb 07 2012 at 6:50am | IP Logged
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Rachel,
I know this is from a while ago, but if you're still considering a homebirth, I just wanted to share that we chose to have a homebirth for our 4th child. What I really liked about it was after delivery, the baby just snuggled next to me in my bedroom - no harsh/unnecessary hospital procedures and/or seperation. The midwife weighed him right there on the bed, etc... It was also a nice extended family bonding experience - my father was in the living room with rosary in hand the entire labor and delivery!
I'm a very cautious and anxiety-prone person, so I made sure there were some safety measures in place. We live 5 minutes from the hospital and I had a lovely OB who was willing to be a back-up if we had any difficulties.
In our state, homebirth is not covered by insurance, so for our family, choosing to have a homebith is/was actually more expensive than having a hospital birth. For that reason, even though I would prefer to have a homebirth in the future, (if the opportunity arises  ), we would have a hospital birth to save money. We would just come home as soon as possible (I'm one who doesn't like the hospital stay - not relaxing for me at all. I know for some moms it is a break and they love the pampering, but not for me!) If you have any more questions, I would be happy to share!
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guitarnan
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| Posted: Feb 07 2012 at 7:38am | IP Logged
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Two of my friends would have opted for homebirth but could not because their health insurance would not cover the costs. They opted for a birthing center instead, and were very happy with their choices.
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Nancy in MD. Mom of ds (24) & dd (18); 31-year Navy wife, move coordinator and keeper of home fires. Writer and dance mom.
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rcarter
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| Posted: Feb 07 2012 at 8:51am | IP Logged
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Thank you, Elynnmom, for sharing your experience! As I read about how you were able to snuggle with your baby immediately after, I could feel my own desire to have the same kind of experience! Our insurance doesn't cover homebirth either, plus the nearest hospital is 40 minutes away. Also, at my last appointment I found that there is a bit of an issue with where the placenta has implanted. If it remains an issue, I'll have to have a c-section, which would put homebirth out of the picture no matter what.
If God has plans for future children for us, though, I hope to revisit the idea!
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Rachel
Married to Bill 8/4/01
Mom to ds 9, dd 8, dd 6, dd 4, ds 1 and baby due 7/11!!!.
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knowloveserve
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For what it's worth, I had three hospital births and then two home births. God willing, I'll never step foot in a hospital again for a birth.
Screening is done to make sure you are a good candidate for home birthing... not everyone is.
All the labs are usually done 3rd party but are included in the cost a midwife will quote you.
I have 100% coverage for a hospital birth... 0% for a home birth. Despite that, it was worth scrimping and saving the $2500 to do it.
You never get to do a birth over again...
Being able to labor in the comfort of my own home with only people around who knew me and loved me and supported me was the most amazing, spiritual experience ever... and yes, being able to rest in my own bed and introduce the babies to my own smells, lights and space was priceless.
I'd highly recommend it if your dh is on board and you can afford it and you are a good candidate...
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Ellie
The Bleeding Pelican
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Marcia
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I had four hospital births. When I was pregnant with #4, I learned about a home birth midwife who was coming to my area, but I couldn't convince my husband that it was a good idea. (He works in the largest Trama 1 Center and sees the worst of everything!)
Before we got pregnant with #5, I begged him if it was a healthy pregnancy to let us have this one at home. He agreed. And was a blessing it was! He was SO calm and it was a wonderful experience. When we realized we were in labor we were able to spend more than an hour of early labor in prayer. The midwife (and her assistant) arrived about one hour before the baby was born. I was able to walk up to my bed within two hours and having all the children able to see the baby within minutes (we had to wake them) was so neat! We were able to have a little prayer time before we fell asleep again in the morning. It was such a spiritual time!
If God wills us to have more, we'll have them all at home from now on. No stress about knowing the best time to leave to get to the hospital (20 minutes away), no worries about where the other children will be, no struggles about which child to allow in the room to view the birth, etc.
We had to pay up front, but our insurance covered it and reimbursed us! (amazing since my husband is employed by a hospital!)
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Marcia
Mom to six and wife to one
Homeschooling 10th, 7th, 5th, 2nd, PreK and a toddler in tow.
I wonder why
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4Real Forums : Our Lady of Good Remedy and Care
Topic: Home birth and midwife?
