What were your out-of-pocket expenses for a homebirth?

[TheMommy]

Hi, 

We are in the process of deciding between a homebirth with a CNM or a birth center birth.  Unfortunately, one of our considerations has to be money.  We are lucky that our insurance DOES cover the "birthing" fee for homebirths, provided we use a CNM (which we are planning).  However, there are other expenses, such as a $650 fee to the midwives for "in home" care (not covered by insurance) and a birth tub rental (not provided by midwives), which will probably be $250-300.  Then there is the birthing kit that our midwives require us to purchase, which is $50.  So far these are the expenses I can forsee, what do you think I am missing?   I want to go into this with our eyes open, since our money is so tight right now.  

So, am I missing anything?   One possibility is that we would also incur a hospital co-pay in the event of an emergency transfer, which I don't anticipate, but am aware could happen.  That would be another $500 in addition to the above fees.  

Thanks for any experience you can share. 

Peace-

Emily 

[kawa kamuri]

Last time I paid $500 in addition to supplies. This time I'll pay $1000 in addition to supplies. 

[donutmolly]

I'll be paying about $40 for the kit of supplies my MW requires.  I have all the other stuff at this point... towels, receiving blankets... but I had to buy those the first time around.

I'm not getting a tub, so I don't have to pay for that (but it would be $200ish, if I was...)

Thankful to be in state that requires HB MW care to be covered!

[miriam]

No  insurance.

$4000 for the the entire nine months plus postpartum for the last one.  Supplies, chiropractic, and lab fees not included.

[KLM99]

It sounds like you've covered the obvious things - whatever insurance doesn't cover, birth kit, and extra supplies like towels.  Maybe little things like extra utilities cost (I spent most of my first labor in the shower, which I'm sure added significantly to our water bill!  Also, utilities for extra laundry, etc.), gifts for midwives/doulas if you're doing that (and you might feel compelled to after a great birth experience!), food for any attendants (again, midwives and doulas, but also any friends/relatives that will be there - they'll get hungry).  I'm sure all that wouldn't be a ton of money, but if you're considering everything, you might as well get the little things too :) 

[Greenlea]

I had no insurance.  My MW fee was $2000, plus $40 for each pre-natal exam/visit; $40 for supply kit from her; $75 for birthing pool.

I also got other things like towels, blankets, tarp for the pool but that was maybe $20 since I got a lot of stuff 2nd hand.

[sunnygir1]

My insurance didn't cover home birth.  We paid $3,000 to our midwives for prenatal, birth, and postpartum care.  We bought a birth kit $60?  We didn't rent a tub.

I had medical assistance for our first baby and everything else was covered, but I was on my husband's insurance for our second baby.  We may have had a co-pay with our second baby for the visit to the back-up doctor for the regular blood work.  (We didn't do any ultrasounds or anything, but those type of visits or doctor visits for complications may have also incurred a co-pay)  We did transport for premature rupture of membranes, and with our second baby we probably had a co-pay, but I don't remember how much it was -- you should look into that in preparation since it is a possibility.