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Because of the rigors of becoming licensed and being able to practice in Florida. It's much more expensive for a midwife to BECOME a midwife and practice in Florida vs. somewhere like my state, where licensing is not yet available and my area charges around $1500 and east of here is around $2000 to $3000 depending on the experience of the midwife.
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My MW three years ago was $5000. This included all labs, but not U/S or the birth kit. On the big day, after I called her three times, she still refused to believe I was in labor and did not come to my house and I ended up going to the hospital at 9 cm because my water broke and had meconium. We still had to pay her full fee (which I knew; it was in the contract) but what i didn't know is that insurance would refuse to reimburse for any of it since she didn't attend the birth :( With this pregnancy I have a new midwife who also charges $5000, but this does not include lab tests or the birth assistant fee. This time we have no insurance, so I just pray every day that everything goes ok and we don't get stuck with hospital bills on top of that (very stressful). I am in FL, btw.   I don't know why prices are so high here, but it seems normal for the area.Â
i'm in the DC area and paid $3500 for my mw last year. That included all prenatals, the birth, and 4 postpartum checkups. it did not include the one ultrasound i had - my insurance covered that. it also did not include the $700 for the mw assistant, or the supplies.
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My mw midwife did miss the actual birth, and she still got paid in full. The actual delivery was so quick and easy, it would have been a minor part of the work she did even if she had made it. She still deserved payment for the nine months of prenatals, the six hours she spent with me after the delivery, and the weeks of follow-up appointments. it never occurred to me that she should receive anything less.Â
I'm in central NJ. Â My first pregnancy, mw charged $6250 but didn't include labs or u/s. Â Those were all covered by insurance though.
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This time, mw charges $5500, and labs and u/s aren't included either. Â They will be covered by insurance, so not much out of pocket. Â
Reading the contract, if she misses the birth there is no reduction in fee or refund b/c care will have been the same throughout the pregnancy. Â Same if a hospital transfer occurs.
My mw charges $3000 if you don't have insurance or $3300 if you want her to bill insurance. This doesn't include labs which are $150 if you go through her. Doesn't include ultrasound. I'm sure her fee would be the same if she missed delivery. She has been very willing to work with me so far and I'm thinking if someone was really struggling financially she would work something out.
My mw (in FL as well) charges $4400. Insurance covers $3400, so we pay $1000 out of pocket. This includes all labs and tests, and I think we pay a $25 copay for ultrasounds, but I can't remember. She will reimburse us some of the costs if she doesn't make it to the birth or we have to transfer though.Â
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I know she also has to carry malpractice insurance because of Florida law, so that could be another factor in the cost. Do all midwives have malpractice ins.?
his is only for those who feel comfortable enough answering questions that some might think is personal, but I am curious to know how much you have paid (past and present) for the assistance of your MW at your birth(s)? Our total bill will be 2800 for the birth (prenatals and birth included). IF I did have out of network coverage with insurance it would pay 60% of that. However since I don't we pay the full bill out of pocket. I will also pay 140 out of pocket for rhogam. IF I wanted to do GBS or GD testing they are about 20-50 bucks each..I am not doing those.
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How much for prenatals and blood tests? Prenatals are included. I had my blood tests run through my regular family doctor which insurance covers. Had them send me a copy and I gave the copy to my MW. I had elective US done at a stand alone clinic that my insurance covers. I paid 45 copay out of pocket for those.
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If your MW didn't make it in time to your baby's birth, and you (and hubby) did all the work, did she still charge you full price? Or any at all? If she doesn't make it in time for the birth then we still owe her (it's in our contract). But if I am transfered out of care DURING the prenatal period, not during birth, then she refunds a portion of the money less any prenatals she has done.
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Does your MW ever offer discounts or help you pay a price that your family can personally afford? Or is she, cut and dry, the same price for all, no matter their financial situation or this downturn economy?my MW offers payment plans. Not discounts. She's actually the least expensive in the area. Most were running 3000-5000
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I am very concerned about some of the stuff I'm hearing about MW's pricing and how they handle potential clients. Yes, they deserve to get paid for their work, just like in any profession or experienced individual, but some of this stuff is truly getting ridiculous, especially considering families that have lost/are losing their homes to foreclosure and having to file bankruptcy, etc. Just interested in hearing your responses and experiences, please!
My first, in 2007 in northern California, was $2,000 for prenatals, birth, postpartum. They also ended up giving me a lot of stuff, food, herbs, and arranged for me to get sutures at home, and provided all the materials for the sutures. No lab work was included, but my insurance covered all that.
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I'm now looking for a midwife, in central California, and the one I like is $4000. She takes most insurance but not my lousy HMO. I can't afford it...but I will anyway I guess.
This is only for those who feel comfortable enough answering questions that some might think is personal, but I am curious to know how much you have paid (past and present) for the assistance of your MW at your birth(s)? Our total bill for a birth center birth 2 years ago was $4200. We were self pay, as our insurance does not cover out of network providers until a $5000 deductible has been met. The ultrasounds and labs were extra. This time around, a different MW is cutting me a HUGE deal because we couldn't afford a homebirth through our insurance and only charging $1500 + labs + ultrasound + birth kit. Medicaid only pays about $2000 for homebirths or birth center births in Florida. Our birth center midwife was very pushy on her website about "Do you REALLY need to be on Medicaid, or could you just work 2 jobs?" and that always rubbed me the wrong way.
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How much for prenatals and blood tests? Prenatals are included in our fee. Ultrasounds run about $200 each at the place they utilize if you are uninsured (we were for ultrasounds with our first child, and we needed 3, because according to birth center midwife, we needed proof in our chart that our baby was not transverse and that an issue with the 18wk ultrasound with her brain self-resolved). Homebirth midwife doesn't require any ultrasounds. Blood tests were ordered through our regular doctor, and I just took copies to the midwife.
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If your MW didn't make it in time to your baby's birth, and you (and hubby) did all the work, did she still charge you full price? Or any at all? Yes, we would be liable for the full fee regardless. This to me, is the biggest concern with choosing a birth center or a homebirth. If we have to transfer for any reason, we are financially sunk.
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Does your MW ever offer discounts or help you pay a price that your family can personally afford? Or is she, cut and dry, the same price for all, no matter their financial situation or this downturn economy? Both midwives I used offer payment plans. Neither offers any discounts. Our homebirth midwife is doing it on the cheap for us because our daughter was her first student midwife birth and when she heard that we'd have to do a hospital birth for baby #2, she offered us a birth at what we felt we could afford. $1500 is about what we'd have to pay for a hospital birth through our insurance and she accepted. I wish I could pay her more, as she really does deserve more.
we just paid the midwife at 36 weeks for the discounted rate of $2,200. if we waited any longer we would have had to pay full price of $2800. we actually borrowed money from my folks to pay early because i didnt want to pay full price. It covers prenatal, birth, postpardom/baby check i think up till 6 weeks. Does not cover labs, ultrasounds. i went to very few prenatals but really enjoyed them when i did, she came to the house once for a visit and i think will do all remaining visits at our home which is worth it right there!! I had an unassisted last time so sometimes it seams silly to pay someone to be there, but in the end its worth it if she shows up afterwards and does the birth certificate and baby well visit and post pardom stuff. we will call her when labor starts mostly because we are paying her so why not, but she will only come into where i am once ever 30 minutes to hear a heartbeat unless i want her there more.  remember we are paying for them to be on call for almost a month! she cant leave town, or go to a bar, ect.........
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Southern Indiana/northern Kentucky
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When I had my homebirths I paid $1500. Â I am now a midwife and I charge $1500- $2200... the fee is mainly based on location, ie do I have to make a special trip to that client's city for each prenatal or am I able to see 3 clients each time I drive to said city. Â How far away do they live? Â For example, I put a lot of time and miles into driving 2 hours to see just one client there. Â On occasion I have offered a discount to those who qualify for state assistance but I reserve that for cases where I know they are in need. Â
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Some of my clients live in an area where a couple of other midwives' service area overlaps... some of them charge $2400 and clients have to go to an office for visits and another one charges closer to $3000 and has extra fees for home visits etc so clients would end up paying somewhere b/t $3000-$4000.
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Prenatals were part of the fee, and that is how I operate. Â If I wanted blood tests I had to go to the backup doctor... I offer this to my clients but they pay whatever fee the lab charges.
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She made it in time, but not by much. Â I would have paid her regardless for her effort to be there and the time she and her apprentice spent on call.
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DC area: I am paying $3500. This is a practice with three midwives (CPMs). Fee for insurance clients is $3900. Birth kit is extra, as are any lab fees for tests you have done, but I am getting all that free through my OB. Â
Ditto this, exactly. Perhaps we are using the same midwife group?
I decided halfway through my 4th pregnancy that I wanted to homebirth. I always wanted to but I finally got DH on board. I called around and there were only 2 midwives that serviced my area. Both were 2 hours away and were about 2500$. No discount really coming in late. The last one I called was so very nice though and told me about a DEM (Direct Entry Midwife) who she refers people to some times. (also known as lay midwives) She had been delivering babies since the 70s. She actually had more years experience and birth under her belt than my OB and that midwife combined. Only difference is, she was only a midwife (yeah she did complete school for it) but was not or never had been a nurse. In most states, midwives allowed to do homebirths have to be CNM's. Midwives as well as nursepractictioners (or RN at the least). I contacted her and was blown away that she lived 5 minutes down the road from me. Women like this fly under the radar all the time and I never knew they existed!
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She gave me a student midwife's name who was apprenticing under her (because of financial reasons) both would be attending my birth though the student midwife would be in the driver seat and do all of my prenatals, etc.Â
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My student midwife was a very young grandmother who spent 10 years plus as a doula. She was amazing and we only paid around $500.
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Later me and my hubby split and I remarried. I knew I wanted another homebirth when I concieved my next child. I lost insurance 3/4 way through and looked up my old student midwife who was now an official MW and she was more than happy to deliver for me again.
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I was DH had been off work for 2 years and we were barely making it, bless her heart I believe in all, minus birth supplies, I only paid 200$. She supplied the birthpool, liner, I did pay for the PKU test, which is state required. Bless her heart would you believe this woman is backing me yet again knowing I can't afford much? I can do better than $200 this time but she basically told me, don't worry, we will work it out.
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A lot of midwives, especially ones just starting out (though they usually work under a more experienced midwife) are very flexible with their fees. Now DEM's aren't for everyone. Some just want to know their midwife is a nurse as well. Others are bothered by the fact that in some states (mine included) they aren't technically legally able to attend births. They work in a really gray area flying under the radar but are amazing women. They are more willing to have sliding fees that even me, being homeless at one point, could afford. They are an option. I would ask around and join local natural birth groups. They always know who these ladies are!
We've been all over the country and paid anywhere from $1500 to $4200. Those fees included prenatals, labs, birth, and postnatals, but not ultrasounds or birth kits. Â I've gotten a small refund twice. Once when mw didn't make it for delivery and once when I had to transfer. Â Both times, they refunded around $400.Â
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