Rhode Island Homebirth.....VBAC?

[ammomma]

Hello,

  I moved to RI a year ago after attempting a home birth to my 10lb breech 21 month old son. We ended up in a semi urgent c-section 6 days post dd after having sonogram to confirm his position. 

I've looked a round a bit and have had no success in finding a midwife for a vbac home delivery in RI, even heard its semi-illegal. 

Does anyone have any tips on home birth laws in RI. Even better perhaps a midwife who still considers delivery of vbac at home.

Thank you kindly,

Amanda 

[Barefootinthewoods]

There are midwives in CT and MA that travel in to RI for homebirths. pm me for ##s

Edited by Barefootinthewoods - 8/18/11 at 6:54am

[ammomma]

Thanks.

Ive contacted both of them. Please let me know if another comes to mind  :)

[Paige, CPM]

It is tough right now, I am so sorry.  I am afraid if you want a hbac you may have to do it in MA.  Some folks birth at relative's or friend's homes or rent a cottage or hotel room to birth in MA. 

It is terrible that you can't just do it in your own home, I mean it is supposed to be homebirth! 

We can no longer do them in RI until folks decide they want that right and start demanding licensure for CPM's in RI.  There are "organized" groups like the RI Birth Network, and even the RI Homebirth Collective on FB, but no one is taking leadership or really even talking about pushing for lisensure for CPM's.  I guess cause most folks are served by Mary's practice there really isn't a lot of motivation??  Duno... 

Oh, and it is NOT ILLEGAL to have a vbac at home, perfectly legal, just your only folks who do them are not allowed...just to be clear.

[Barefootinthewoods]

We can no longer do them in RI until folks decide they want that right and start demanding licensure for CPM's in RI.  Oh, and it is NOT ILLEGAL to have a vbac at home, perfectly legal, just your only folks who do them are not allowed...just to be clear.

Can you reference a law re: the illegality of CPMs?

[Paige, CPM]

http://sos.ri.gov/documents/archives/regdocs/released/pdf/DOH/5339.pdf

[Barefootinthewoods]

Ah so, as I understand it,  the legal definition of midwife by the state of RI is a CNM. Only a CNM may call herself a midwife. They "own" that word. 

Only a CNM may "independently manage" a "case of normal pregnancy and child birth"

And CNM's are required to turn in anyone who is a non CNM who is "independently managing" normal pregnant women....    wow. Can you believe it is the law for them to turn sister birth workers in!

There is nothing said specifically about the CPM. One could have a home birth legally under this law with a "traditional birth attendant" or any other word for it other than "midwife"  so long as they weren't "managing" pregnant women. It would have to be mom led care by a paid consultant, not a medical provider managing them. Sounds perfectly legal for an unlicensed care provider.  Sounds dangerous for the CPM who wants/needs to be called a "midwife" and who wants to "independently manage" women. I can see why CPMs who are bound by their own license to follow routine standards would want legislation to protect themselves. However, just as this current legislation takes choices away from women (to have a cpm or anyone else who calls themselves a "midwife") ;  legislating CPM's and giving them a "right" to the word midwife could open the door to eliminate yet another choice.... The unlicensed traditional birth attendant. 

I hope fellow women of childbearing age keep this in mind and stay far far away from more legislation. I will always put mothers rights to choose her own birth attendant over midwives rights. Without mothers rights placed first, midwives loose rights.  With midwives rights placed first, mothers loose rights.

[lovebeingamomma]

Are there any non-midwife's in RI who attend births?  I know they exist all over the place I've just never heard of people using them in RI.  Curious. 

[Barefootinthewoods]

oh Im sure there are. One would just have to do some digging. Ask CPMs who their apprentices are, past and current, where are they today? do they know anyone who is still unlicensed, etc. Ask UC mamma's. There are always traditional birth attendants...women helping women....

[Paige, CPM]

The CNM's are not turning in the CPM's, nor have they ever in RI.  I went to a DPH mtg with a CNM who doesn't like CPM's and she even has never turned anyone in.

There could be some tba's out there in RI, but I have never heard of them...  A question would be do you want a midwife to attend you, to make sure everything is going normally and to help IF there is an issue or emergency, or do you want an unassisted with a spiritual assistant?  Two very different things.  I would argue that people hire midwives to be knowledgeable and well trained to assist with the care.  TBA''s usually call themselves midwives.  Folks who call themselves midwives or tba's who are not well trained/experienced might serve a family, or womyn better by just being a spiritual assist, without midwifery expectations.  

Anyway, most of the midwives I know who were assisting families in RI have been given a cease & desist. 

I disagree, RI does not seem like a bad place to license midwives, as they have no rules and regs of practice...and, if they set about doing so I believe the majority of the make=up of the committee are midwives.  But, I understand the concern, as I have seen it limit what midwives can do in other states.

Right now there is no one serving womyn who want choice (other then one midwife to choose from {who I think is great, btw}, or a cpm or traditional midwife), hbacs, twins, breeches.  So the public has to decide what to do about that, or not...

???  Who knows what the future will bring ???

[JustAnotherJenny]

I would encourage anyone who is interested in helping affect change to get in contact with the newly formed RI Home Birth Collective and with RI Birth Network. RI Home Birth Collective in particular is looking closely at this issue, but there are so many facets to consider that it is difficult to know where to begin.  The core group, at this time, is fairly small and there is much to be done.  We need all hands on deck.  Their website is: http://www.homebirthri.org/ from there, you can request to be added to the facebook group where you will be able to find out about future steering committee meetings. RI Birth Network can be found at http://www.ribirth.net/