I had 4 hospital births and then 2 home births. I would love another home birth, but my midwife is no longer practicing and the only other option is a midwife 4 hours away. My last labor was 1.5 hours from start to finish. My last 2 babies were born about 10 minutes before the midwife arrived.
I have no idea what to do this time. I don't want to have to do the hospital thing after experiencing home births, which is just worlds different. Plus I don't even know if I'd make it on time with such short labors and all the kids to get carted off to baby sitters. But I'm sort of out of options. I'm not comfortable with unassisted. It's a big dilemma right now.
I had worked as a HB doula for 10 years before getting pregnant-- so I really wanted a HB! My first went to 42 weeks and was quite a big guy and after 3 days of labor at home and 15 hours of pushing, we had to transfer for a stuck baby. I had a c-section, and the hospital transfer was not a bad experience. That hospital is no longer open though, so that makes me nervous this time.
I'm working with the same HB midwife, and hoping to having a HBAC, but I'm open to whatever happens (in my sane moments) and scared of a transfer to a new hospital with less generous mother/baby policies in my worrisome moments. It worries me that the circumstances of my last birth make having a HB less likely (i.e. if the c-section was for breech it wouldn't).
We are planning a home birth. My two children were born via water birth in a hospital with midwives. Both experiences were wonderful, but I am looking forward to doing it at home this time, again in the water.
Sarah, what midwives have you considered? We have pretty much settled on Heather Hack Sullivan, LDM, CPM. She was recommended by a friend who is a student of hers at Birthingway. She has been awesome through my miscarriages and I can't wait to actually get to continue care with her. We interviewed two others and she was just a good "fit".
We're planning on another mw-attended home birth, most likely with a CPM. Our new insurance will mean any coverage is out of pocket up to a ridiculously high deductible, so cost is crazy no matter what we choose (unless we did unassisted, which I'm not comfortable with, not entirely due to dh being kind of useless, lol). With both boys, my placenta took a looong time in coming, and it seems to have abrupted rather than separated from the outside-in, so bleeding is an issue--again, not comfortable making that call myself. My state just changed its laws between my last birth and now, so I honestly don't even know if CPMs are allowed to carry pitocin, though I doubt it. My previous MW was DEM and had a magical bag of tinctures that did the trick.
That's all assuming everything goes as planned; even though it's unlikely, I know something can happen that will mean we would be safest birthing in a hospital setting, and there's a hospital kind of close to me (okay, I'm in the city; most of them are pretty close) that has a great track record with granola moms and hands-off births.
Sarah, what midwives have you considered? We have pretty much settled on Heather Hack Sullivan, LDM, CPM. She was recommended by a friend who is a student of hers at Birthingway. She has been awesome through my miscarriages and I can't wait to actually get to continue care with her. We interviewed two others and she was just a good "fit".
Hi! I've interviewed a couple already and liked one of them (Kori at Alma); have another appointment on Friday with one final MW/group (Vivante), so will decide after that. I just called Heather to see about an appointment--she sounds great, thanks for the rec!
Hi! I've interviewed a couple already and liked one of them (Kori at Alma); have another appointment on Friday with one final MW/group (Vivante), so will decide after that. I just called Heather to see about an appointment--she sounds great, thanks for the rec!
Linda Glenn at Vivante was my midwife at OHSU with my first baby. She was great, matter of fact, but supportive, hands off. In then end, I decided to go with the less clinical feeling. Heather was just warmer and comforting. I've already done the clinical approach, albeit natural, looking forward to just whole different feeling. There are so many midwives to choose from here though! Good luck on your search! What area do you live in? Heather is way across town from me, but like I said, the right "fit".
Yeah, this is very difficult.
It's hard, very hard.
It's big financial tolls, stressful...and everything everyone stated above.
Personally, I have a choice of 2 midwife practices. I'm going to visit threelittlebirds practice on Tuesday. Then there is a practice in va, which takes insurance, but is full for July?
Really? I'm on a waiting list, really? for a home birth?
Must be the "in-network" insurance thing.
Plus, they travel 45 miles for home birth. I google mapped it, and I am exactly 45 miles away. haha. I called to verify that they would do it, but of course they wouldn't do that. Feel sort of uncomfortable about the situation. Not that anyone is trying to trick (don't get me wrong) but what if the policy changes, then what? The practice is large with 4 midwives I think, so maybe I will meet everyone twice. I suppose I could live with that - cause life isn't perfect.
However, right now, not a choice. I have a choice of one. Not much of a choice, is it?
I talked to my hubby about an unassisted birth. My mind is sort of going in that direction, but of course, he's 100% against it. I knew he would be but I felt I had to voice my frustrations. Would I actually do it? Probably not. My heart says it's too risky. I need someone there who actually knows what they are doing.
Needless to say, I have started the insurance drama. Not sure it's worth it though. It seems that it's going to be expensive to go through the insurance - to get reimbursed "out of network". Not sure the work is going to be worth it. What to do?
It's scary. I never imagined it would be so hard.
I thought about looking for an OB, but I don't want the fight. I have very strong opinions on this matter, and I think I would be fighting a loosing fight - even if I could find the "most hands off" ob in the tri-state area.
I am sorry that I am no help to you.
My first went to 42 weeks and was quite a big guy and after 3 days of labor at home and 15 hours of pushing, we had to transfer for a stuck baby. I had a c-section, and the hospital transfer was not a bad experience.
Whoa, Mama! 
Hi, I'm new here and am hoping for my 2nd homebirth in July next year 
I had my first baby in a birthcenter, second was a planned homebirth but turned into an unassisted (the midwife arrived 10 mins after the baby 
). Both those were in England so this time feels very different being in a different country and I am having to learn all the "norms" over here.
I am feeling very lucky after reading some of your replies, we have been able to apply for a gap exception with our insurance so that they can cover my homebirth midwife as if in network so it should all be covered for us-phew! It costs $8000 where we are 
so there would be NO-WAY we could do it otherwise.
Thanks. :-) I have a high pain tolerance level and a will of steel and I WANTED that HB so badly! I felt like I went to hell and back, 70 hours of active labor, a day of transition, then 15 hours of pushing, and to top it all off major surgery! It's so funny how the second that baby is in your arms, you could care less about all that. You realize so quickly you'd do anything for that baby, a few days of intense pain is nothing compared to what you'd do to bring him whole and healthy and happy into the world, right?
And yet... ohhhh how I would love for this birth to go differently! Esp since I have a toddler now and would just love to have everything happen at home and not be separated from him for so long with a hospital recovery and then weeks of physical recovery. I am hoping a HBAC is not pushing my luck and I hope I don't have a 9 lb 4 oz 42 week baby again. I never felt my son descend, he was quite stuck, I know if I feel downward movement this time it will give me all the motivation I need to keep going! I literally dream about that feeling constantly.
I have such a connection to my boy's head. When I put my hands around the crown of his head, it feels like it's sending tremors down to my pelvis. I can feel those exact bones stuck in my hips pushing with all their might against my bones, day after day! It's so funny to get such visceral memories of his birth when I hold his head.
I never felt my son descend, he was quite stuck, I know if I feel downward movement this time it will give me all the motivation I need to keep going! I literally dream about that feeling constantly. I felt that with my second and I stopped during a contraction to say, "Oh my gosh, I just felt the baby's head move down!" It was so, so, so awesome. I really hope I get to feel that again. (Obviously it happened with my first, but I didn't feel it at all)
Planning for a homebirth this time around.
We attempted a homebirth first time but after 4 hours of pushing some meconium presented and my midwives are very much in the better safe than sorry camp. We transferred to the nearest hospital where, lucky for us, the OB on call was the OB my midwife had partnered with at our local birthing center (before it shut down). Anyways, he basically left us alone to carry on and ds was born with his hand across his chest and up at his head a couple hours later.
Hopefully, this little one will keeps his hands where they belong, and come out at home!
This will be our third home birth. I love the idea of UC and I like laboring alone but at the end I really do better having wise women around me.
WOW.
Thanks. :-) I have a high pain tolerance level and a will of steel and I WANTED that HB so badly! I felt like I went to hell and back, 70 hours of active labor, a day of transition, then 15 hours of pushing, and to top it all off major surgery! It's so funny how the second that baby is in your arms, you could care less about all that. You realize so quickly you'd do anything for that baby, a few days of intense pain is nothing compared to what you'd do to bring him whole and healthy and happy into the world, right?
And yet... ohhhh how I would love for this birth to go differently! Esp since I have a toddler now and would just love to have everything happen at home and not be separated from him for so long with a hospital recovery and then weeks of physical recovery. I am hoping a HBAC is not pushing my luck and I hope I don't have a 9 lb 4 oz 42 week baby again. I never felt my son descend, he was quite stuck, I know if I feel downward movement this time it will give me all the motivation I need to keep going! I literally dream about that feeling constantly.
I have such a connection to my boy's head. When I put my hands around the crown of his head, it feels like it's sending tremors down to my pelvis. I can feel those exact bones stuck in my hips pushing with all their might against my bones, day after day! It's so funny to get such visceral memories of his birth when I hold his head.
Hi Ladies!
I am having a homebirth and so excited!
i really want a home water birth but i cant...im a insulin dependent on a insulin pump and no MW with take me 
This will be our third homebirth (our first was at an independent birth center, and we were home an hour later, we should have just stayed home!). We use our tax return from that year to pay for homebirth, despite being in WA, where insurance is technically supposed to cover homebirths. My husband works for the government though, so our insurance is technically not based in WA, which means they don't have to play by these rules. It's a huge financial burden, since we would otherwise use our return as our "savings" (there is no room for savings in our monthly VERY strict budget for savings) but so far it has worked out.
We're paying out of our tax return as well, as my midwife cannot yet accept tricare (due to some issues with her working at the naval hospital as well).
When I told this to a friend of mine who is considering a homebirth she was like "what?! wont that be more than your tax return?!" err no... lol. It's not like paying for a hospital birth out of pocket!
When I told this to a friend of mine who is considering a homebirth she was like "what?! wont that be more than your tax return?!" err no... lol. It's not like paying for a hospital birth out of pocket!
I guess it depends on how you do your taxes. We have figured it out so that we pretty much keep whatever we are due during the year so we don't get a tax refund, or if we do it is minimal. It took a little working with the withholding. Filing our taxes is basically just an administrative thing.
Follow Mothering