what states DO NOT allow HomeBirth??? - Page 2

[ishyfishie]

Wow, 9! We have...1, here in Buffalo. The next closest is at least an hour away and I believe only accepts one client per month (due date) up this way. I've met a surprising number of local women who have had homebirths though, which is great given the circumstances! Buffalo is kind of ridiculously medicalized though and the medical community has been pretty hostile to alternatives (both birth centers and homebirths).

[Chamsia]

Tammy645--I don't know where to find the laws per se, but I'd suggest asking a homebirth midwife. I'm in the Hudson Valley and had 5+ cnms to choose from. And insurance is covering it all! So awesome, as I had to pay out of pocket when my first was born in MA.

Incidentally, my cnm has an official backup ob. But he does not practice at the hospital where I'll go in event of transfer (it's too far). We'd just go via the ER at my local hospital. I don't know if the insurance folks realize that; I'm not telling them!

Best wishes!

[Peace+Hope]

NC:

CNMs are licensed, but must practice with the supervision of an OB. there are few OBs willing to do this in the state, so most CNMs practice in natural-birth friendly hospitals in the L&D, or as part of an OB practice. very few home birth CNMs.

CPMS are NOT licensed, but there are quite a few, concentrated in HB-friendly areas, who do prenatal care and home births. we have a great referral community that helps promote quality MWs, and people pay cash.

there are also lay-midwives who practice similarly to the CPMs.

there's a big effort by some to push through licensure for CPMs in the state. this would broaden access for women, but some midwives fear the licensing requirements that could come with it, and prefer to operate free and clear of all protocol, insurances, etc.

[FullMetalMom]

Originally Posted by ExuberantDaffodil

I live in florida and hb/cpm is "legal" -- it's even paid for by state insurance (medicaid). However, the medical community and the homebirth community are very hostile to each other. After my daughter was born, I called a local pediatrician to do the newborn check, and the office staff on the phone first asked me which hospital she was born at, and when I said I had her at home, the receptionist said, "We don't see homebirth babies" and hung up on me. I ended up taking my baby to another pediatrician who is a good friend of my mother's, and I think she was only very kind to us because she knew the family. My midwife practice clearly despises my pediatrician's office. it's ridiculous. There is definitely a huge disconnect.

This is not my experience either. I have seen a few different pediatricians and they don't give a hoot that I used midwife and planned a homebirth, in fact the docs all seem to know the midwives and refer back and forth.

[member234098]

Originally Posted by Kidzaplenty

In my state, MWs can be licensed and legally attend HBs, however, they have to have their applications approved (or something like that) and very few, if any , have actually "been approved" because the approval board is made up of OB/GYNs (I know in my area no new ones have been approved in like 30 years). Therefore, although technically they "can", they can't because they cannot get their liscense.

For decades in CA, midwives were legal if they passed a test, but the test for midwives had not been given since the 1940's.

There are no states that prohibit homebirth, persay. The issue is that a small handful of states don't license direct-entry midwives.
This is from wikipedia:
No state prosecutes mothers for giving birth outside of a hospital. In 37 states it is legal to acquire the services of a midwife. Many midwives continue to attend mothers in states where it is illegal, while efforts are underway to change the law.

Practicing as a direct-entry midwife is still (as of May 2006) illegal under certain circumstances in Washington, D.C. and the following states: Alabama, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, North Carolina, South Dakota and Wyoming.[35] However, Certified Nurse Midwives can legally practice in these areas.

Nebraska prohibits any out of hospital birth, even UC.

[groovynaturemama]

i'm in nm:

cpms (called lm's here) are licensed and regulated through the dep't of health. there is a defined scope of practice and designated protocols that are followed within that scope. transfers of hb's are readily accepted and are generally met by kind and understanding hospital staff in 2 of the 3 hospitals here in albuquerque. overall, our state is exceedingly friendly to cpms and cpms generally interact with the medical community pretty well. there are some snags here and there, but it is to be expected when 2 different models of care come together and both are very different, though the end goal is the same.

cnms are licensed and can practice individually (then no hospital privledges. ie, in the case of a hospital transfer, the cnm cannot deliver the baby, and becomes an advocate for mom/baby, but has no say in final decision making), or work in the hospital (full privledges under their scope of practice). a hb cnm, under state law, can write her own protocols under the scope of practice. i am not positive, but i believe cnms are regulated under something other than the health dep't.

overall, i think my state is quite friendly towards midwives of both licensures, and medicaid covers homebirth with either type of mw.

[Valerie]

Originally Posted by lovebug

i here from time to time that some states dont allow home births?

NO states prohibit homebirth! As some prior posters have pointed out, however, some states regulate who can legally attend a homebirth.

Valerie