Here's another question

[emrd505]

What all needs to be done AFTER the birth that when you're in the hospital, the nurses usually take care of? Anything from paper work to blood work. What all needs done?

[GoBecGo]

I can't think of anything that i di that nurses usually do...?

After DD was born the midwife filled in a card for us to take when we registered her (which she also would have done if we'd been in the hospital) and arranged for my GP to come the following day to do the newborn health check the paed would have done in hospital (but i didn't phone, she did). I guess i had to double bag and bin my own maternity pads, ratherthan having the yellow-bio waste bag option i might have had in hospital, but i would have had to do that when i got home anyway and my midwife did yellow-bag the chux from the birth and the placenta (which i didn't want) and take them back to the hospital furnace.

I'm in the UK and had an NHS homebirth last time. All this probably depends on the midwife you choose, have you called around a few to speak with them?

[Jilian]

I had DS1 in the hospital and the nurses gave him a bath, wanted to vax, wanted to circ, weighed him a million times, did a hearing test, had the pedi check him out, took his temp every few hours and recorded when he ate and when he had a wet/dirty diaper. After DS2's HB we monitored his temp, HR, breathing rate, and wet/dirty diapers and we also monitored my temp and HR. Our MW gave us a sheet to keep track of it all and it also listed any pp warning signs we needed to be concerned about.

[threadbey]

The major annoying thing we ran into is that our state requires the PKU blood test and it is a big pain to get that done out of the hospital. Luckily, our midwives did it, but they don't do it all days of the week and it's pretty specific when it needs to be done so it might have been an issue. It was also expensive and I got the sense it would have been less or better covered by insurance had we been in the hospital, but I'm not sure. We also had to do the hearing test on our own, but that may be true for hospital births, too.

And the newborn exam within 24 hours.

I was GBS+ so we monitored DS's vitals every 2 hours for the first few days. We were doing stuff with him every 2 hours anyway, so this wasn't a big deal and I felt better about us doing it than having a nurse be in charge of that, anyway.

[XanaduMama]

My MW did the PKU and hearing test. Those were included in her fee. I filed my own birth cert at the county office, and called it a UC since CPMs are illegal in my state--very easy, no problems at all.

If there are any medical things you specifically want done or checked, you can go see a ped on day 2 or 3.

I felt much better taken care of by my MW than by the nurses at the hospital with my first birth

[DahliaRW]

My mw took care of pretty much everything. Did the heel prick (both times), would have done the vit k/eye gunk but I didn't want it, did the newborn exam and then also looked over the baby at 3 days, 2 weeks, and 6 weeks. We filled out the birt cert form like we would have in the hospital, but she mailed it.

[hikingmommy]

We went to the hospital for the newborn hearing screen when DS was about 2 weeks old. Our MW did the heel prick at our house.

The real pain was the birth certificate and SS card. There's a big HB birth certificate packet that needs to be filled out. Our MW gave us a copy of it and filled out her part. You may want to check w/ yours and pick up a copy at your town hall before the birth if she doesn't provide it to save you a trip. We then had to bring the packet to town hall with a copy of our marriage certificate and a notarized statement from the MW stating that we had a HB. Then we had to go back to sign the birth certificate. Then I had to go back again to sign another birth certificate b/c they filled out a part wrong the first time and it was rejected.

To get a SS card you have to send in the birth certificate and, b/c it's a homebirth, you need another proof of baby's identity. Medical records from a doctor count, so we had to get our baby's records from his check up w/ the doctor to mail in.

And, of course, if you want your baby seen by a doctor you need to go to him/her. They come to you in the hospital.

[XanaduMama]

The birth cert requirements vary tremendously by state and probably by county. I seriously had no problems. Most require "proof of pregnancy" (ultrasound, positive test from a doc or licensed MW, etc) and "proof of live birth," for which your baby usually suffices.

If your MW is legal, she should take care of it for you. If not, call your county office and ask what's needed.

PP--I can't believe you needed a copy of your marriage license. :

[Emmeline II]

After the birth...

the mws cleaned up the mess, did the newborn exam, filed for the birth certificate on her lap top; the SS card came a few days later.

[paquerette]

The paperwork was the biggest hassle, too. I thought i knew what was required but I was totally wrong, so it took months. Do find out before the birth because it's just that much easier not tracking that stuff down with a newborn!

The marriage license makes sense. If you're married, paternity is assumed. If not, they have to "prove" it in some way, usually just the dad signing and notarizing something. I don't think they're saying that you can't get a birth cert. without a marriage license, cause that law would not last very long!

[emrd505]

Thanks

Thank you all for your replies!! They really help with all the questions I need to ask when I start looking for a mw (which I think we have a few in mind). Any more responses are VERY welcomed!

[redpajama]

I can't speak for your midwife, but the midwife with whom I work takes care of most of the "stuff" that nurses (or someone else) would have handled in the hospital.

--After the birth, while the parent(s) and baby are settling (usually in bed), we clean up, empty and deflate the birth pool, and pack up what we no longer need.
--We usually fix the family something to eat.
--We do a newborn exam within an hour or two or three of the birth.
--At our 24(ish) hour postpartum visit, we'll do the Newborn Screen (formerly PKU) test. In this particular practice, the midwife would have given you an order form and you would have been responsible for ordering your test. The voucher for the hearing test comes with the Newborn Screen, so we tear that off and give it to the parents, who are responsible to take their baby to a local testing center (L+D of a hospital, or some health departments have them).
--The midwife brings the paperwork and fills out the birth certificate and files it. It is sometimes required of the parents to come sign the birth certificate in person, but this varies county-to-county.

All in all, I don't think our clients have to do a *lot* more after the birth than they would in the hospital. But, like I said, this could vary significantly by practice.