What kind of birth are you planning? - Page 2

[BoobyJuice]

I am have had one delivery at a birthcenter with a cnm and one at home where the lay midwife didn't arrive in time - unplanned unassisted, I guess. Not sure about this time. We've moved to a different state. I'm currently seeing a family practitioner, never had a dr before but there aren't any midwives around and at least he isn't an ob/gyn.

We're probably moving in the next few months and then I'll have to decide all over again. I'd do the homebirth route again but we had some problems and I didn't like having to be alone. I have very fast labors so I worry about unassisted again. No matter what, I can't imagine a hospital.

[Friendlymama]

Good question, and one I don't have the answer to yet!

I am totally dreaming of a homebirth, but I don't know that it will happen. I met with a midwife, and while I like her, she can't handle my thyroid stuff (i am hypo and my TSH has been a little wacky so far). Also, my insurance only covers her 60/40, since she doesn't have a physician overseeing her. And if a hospital transfer were needed and the on-call OB wasn't with my insurance, we could possibly wind up paying for a c-sec out-of-pocket. Yikes!

I have also found an OB who specializes in low-intervention birth. She'll even deliver breeches vaginally and has an episiotomy rate of less than 2 percent, and a c-sec rate of 9 percent. And she said the only reason it's as high as 9 percent is b/c she gets a lot of women coming to her who want VBACs.

She is also handling my thyroid w/out hesitation. So I feel like she's not a bad option as far as OBs go.

However, I REALLY want to give birth at home! I love the idea of laboring in my tub, moving around my house as I please, and having the baby in our nice, comfy, big bed. And not having a bunch of nurses coming around every 2 hrs afterward checking my blood pressure and not letting me rest!

So, I just haven't made up my mind yet. I think I'll continue concurrent care with both the midwife and the OB and then make up my mind where to have the baby as the pregnancy progresses.

[KittyMommy]

More than likely we'll be doing a hospital birth with an OB. The hospital that DH's insurance covers doesn't have CNMs, which is what I would prefer, given the choice...

We may be moving in Aug or Sept, since DH finishes his MS in July and is job hunting. So who knows what kind of birth we will actually end up with...nothing quite like starting with a new care provider in the third trimester!

[MonkeyPrincess]

Although I very much wanted to birth at home with this baby (after 3 OB attended hospital births), I just can't afford it. Plus I live in Pennsylvania, and there is some legal stuff going on with Homebirth Midwives at this time that makes me a little uneasy.

So, I switched to a midwife practice that delivers in birthing center style suites within the hospital close to my home. I have to admit, I am disappointed about not being able to deliver at home, but there are a few things I am looking forward to about the hospital stay, so I'm okay with it.

[FowlMommy]

I am going to birth in my bed, unassisted. Just me and my partner and maybe our 4.5 year old, if he wants. I can't wait!

"due" 11/26/04

[stanya]

We're gonna do it at home! This is my first, and I always thought I'd want to go to a birth center, a sort of neutral place that's not a hospital. But then we found these two CNM's who we really like a lot, and they only do homebirths. So, we thought about it and talked about it and decided to go for it and just be at home. Now I'm really excited, feel like it makes a lot of sense, will help me see it less medicall and more organically. I hope it will all work out and I won't have to go to the hospital. We can't even really afford these midwives, but we're doing it anyway because it seems like a pretty important priority. Plus I don't like the hospital, don't have a lot of faith in Western Medicine and generally avoid it for most things. We trust our CNM's to decide if we need to go the hospital or not and will definately go if there's a danger.
Very excited about the whole thing. Plus they'll being a big birthing tub in case I want to do it in the water.
Stanya

[MonikitaUT]

I'm planning to birth at home in my big tub, with a Midwife. I don't like hospitals and have had some bad experiences with Gyno's. ( A year ago they tried to tell me there was something wrong with my uterus, and after all these tests and hundreds of co-pay dollars out of pocket, nothing was wrong with me. They also messed up my labwork and tried to tell me I had an STD. I made them re-test, and of course, I was clean.)

It also turns out that it will be cheaper for us to have the baby at home than in a hospital. I have insurance that will pay 80%, but when you add up all the co-pays for all the visits and the 20%, it is more than the midwife charged.

I've always had the belief that this is what our bodies were designed to do, and that they are completely capable of doing it. Birth is a natural thing, and I don't want it to be a medical thing unless absolutely necessary. I know I'll be more comfy and able to relax at home, and that will help!

_______________
Monica
1st baby due 11-8-04

[HypnoBirthingMom]

Megamama - I just met a mom in your area who had her first child at home with a midwife and is planning her second birth at home as well. If you need support for how to make a homebirth work for you, I will be happy to put you in contact with her and others who can be of assistance to you.

[momsmyjob]

I'm not 100% sure yet but it may be in a hospital with a midwife/doctors. A water birth would be my first choice. I love water and it looks so wonderful.