Calling All Homebirthers! - Page 7

[rosemarydawn]

I planned a home water birth last time but didn't get it as there were not midwives available to come out so I chickened out and went to hospital.  Didn't have any intervention/pain relief etc though.

Planning home water birth again this time and hopefully I'll be a lot more confident in my own ability to birth the baby without a midwife reassuring me everything is fine (though I will call them and hope that they send someone anyway).

I'm going to have an ultrasound at 12 weeks for the nuchal scan.  May not bother with the 20 week one.  Those of you who are planning on 20 week scans, what are your reasons for this?  Maybe I'm missing something...

Don't know about the doppler.. hmm I'll have to find out and make a decision.

Booked with my midwife this week (at 9 weeks) but just really had a chat and did her paperwork.

I'm interested that some of you say you'd like to have the other children at the birth - I had not thought of this.. my son will be 2.5 years and I was assuming my mum would look after him, but do you recommend letting him be at the birth?  I'm still nursing him so he'll probably want to feed at some time (or often!) - do you think this is likely to stall my labour?

Thanks everyone, it's great to see you all on here!

[jannamo]

rosemarydawn - I'm not doing the nuchal scan, but my midwife recommended the 20 week US to provide her more confidence that I'm appropriate for home birth.

[8inTulgeyWood]

I know that there are statistics out there showing that there isn't a proven reduced risk by having an ultrasound, but statistics don't apply to individuals... only to the masses.

I like to have the 20 week scan because it is the best time to get a good look at the organs and baby's well being.  There are problems, that although rare, could save the baby's life if they are caught in time.

I am probably biased because I worked in an infant unit at one of the best children's hospitals in the nation and am aware of many lives being saved by what was found in the ultrasound.

For myself personally, a problem was found with my first pregnancy that would have no doubt led to the loss of one kidney at a minimum if we hadn't caught it in u/s.  My first cousin's baby had a similar problem, but with her baby it was both kidneys and there isn't a chance she (the baby) would have lived without medical intervention during the pregnancy.  It was amazing what they were able to do to save her life with cutting edge technology.

And I'm sure you've all heard other amazing stories of surgery done in the womb that prevented the baby from dying.  Also there are many conditions that must be treated right at birth for the best odds of survival.

For me, it is well worth it to have a close look and see if any problems are found.  It doesn't guarantee you will find it if there is a problem, but I would rather be ready for anything they do find, especially since I plan to give birth outside the hospital.

[Lolafanana]

I am planning a homebirth here, too!  I wouldn't have it any other way.

My daughter was a c-section after she turned breech at 37 weeks.  For me, it was a horrific and quite traumatic experience.  I feel blessed that there are c-sections in case of emergencies but it was such an awful experience that i hope to never have to repeat it. 

My son (child#2) was born at home and it was the most beautiful birth.  Fast and furious, yet so beautiful.....I get teary eyed thinking about it.

[Janel47]

I want a 20 wk scan for the same reasons as 8inTulgeyWood.  There are some problems that can be addressed if caught at that time and our family is no stranger to unusual medical problems, so I would feel better getting it done.  That's also a reason we avoid other things, so I understand deciding either way, this is just the route we've chosen.  :)

[mamathomas]

I posted this question on my local homebirth collective FB page but didn't really get the answers I was looking for.  Hoping that maybe some of you who have had a prior homebirth can help me out!

"...we have United Healthcare and I’m not really sure how to go about setting things up for reimbursement for our homebirth. Is it best to call them now? Do I need to get something in writing? Any department in particular I should call? Do I need to be careful how I word things?  Is it better to just wait and submit the paperwork after the birth???  I don’t want to call them and ask outright for fear I’ll somehow screw myself out of a chance at reimbursement! Any insight would be greatly appreciated."   

I'm certainly not counting on getting anything back and if we do, I know it's not going to be 100% of the fee.  But getting a little something back would be better than nothing!  

Hope everyone is doing well :) 

[Lolafanana]

mamathomas-

everyone's healthcare is different so i can only offer you the way we did it since i don't know specifically about United. For both of my homebirths, as soon as I knew i was pregnant i called my insurance. BOTH times I was told they would not cover anything initially since my midwife is out of network. I had to get a pre-certification to allow my midwife to be approved for in network (there are currently no homebirth midwives in network in my area). We just got the approval accepted and now they will cover 100% of what they feel is an acceptable fee.

Even though your insurance may differ, it would be wise to start calling them now. Do you have a billing person that works with your midwife? Mine was much more successful than me at finding out the above info so i suggest trying that route first.

It's also a good idea to get familiar with the homebirth laws in your state, they vary from state to state. That will help when you talk to people at your insurance, who many of them will have no idea about homebirth.

Good luck!

[RosieL]

DDCC - Mamthomas, I have United and from my midwife's biller's experience, my plan will reimburse a bit of the costs, but not much. My particular plan does not allow for adding providers as exceptional in-network providers, unfortunately. I do not believe that is true of all United plans. In any case, they will cover 65% of the agreed-to rates that are billed. I expect in the end to get about 30% of my costs back, all told. My MW's biller specializes in homebirth insurance billing and will submit all the claims after the birth. 

I wonder if she freelances and would help you our for a bit of the recovered costs? Want me to ask?

[mamathomas]

Thanks ladies!  I know my MW doesn't freelance, but I do have an appointment with her tomorrow morning so I'll pick her brain to see what she has experienced with other clients. 

BTW, I can't believe I'll be 19 weeks on Thursday!!!  Time sure is flying now that I'm not throwing up all the time! 

How is everyone else doing?  Anyone starting to get their supplies together? 

[Dandy Lion]

Originally Posted by Lolafanana 

mamathomas-
everyone's healthcare is different so i can only offer you the way we did it since i don't know specifically about United. For both of my homebirths, as soon as I knew i was pregnant i called my insurance. BOTH times I was told they would not cover anything initially since my midwife is out of network. I had to get a pre-certification to allow my midwife to be approved for in network (there are currently no homebirth midwives in network in my area). We just got the approval accepted and now they will cover 100% of what they feel is an acceptable fee.
Even though your insurance may differ, it would be wise to start calling them now. Do you have a billing person that works with your midwife? Mine was much more successful than me at finding out the above info so i suggest trying that route first.
It's also a good idea to get familiar with the homebirth laws in your state, they vary from state to state. That will help when you talk to people at your insurance, who many of them will have no idea about homebirth.
Good luck!

I'm really interested in how you got your midwife approved as in-network. I'm on a high deductible plan, and my midwife fee is the same as our in-network deductible (3000). As long as everything goes perfectly, then we're not out any extra money. It would be nice to satisfy the in-network deductible in case I do need to be transferred, or if one of us gets sick during 2012 though. Right now we're preparing financially for the worst case scenario, and it would be nice to devote that money elsewhere! Also, my prenatal care is 100% covered before the deductible, so I could save some money there as well.

So should I work with my midwife's billing company first and get them to work with the insurance?