Home birth in Indianapolis

[ChelseyS]

I am wanting to do a home birth in Indianapolis. Any recommendations on CNMs, support groups, local resources, etc.? I know of Lynda Barton-Kirch at Central Indiana Nurse Midwives but haven't had any luck of actually getting her on the phone. Thanks in advance for your replies.

[sere234]

Hey!! Come to the Indianapolis Homebirth Support Group! Meets the second Monday each month at the Warren Branch library in Indy. Meets from 6-8. I'm one of the leaders (Sarah) and generally you can get lots of recommendations from our members! Hope to see you soon!

[sere234]

Also- Lynda is hard to get a hold of since she is so busy. PM me if you want her cell or home numbers that she tends to answer more often.

[ChelseyS]

Sarah- Thank you for your replies. I'm having trouble sending a PM. I don't know if it's just the computer I'm on (at work...settings) or if I need to do something with my account. I'll try from my home computer tomorrow. I will plan to attend the January support group meeting. Thanks for the info. I wasn't having any luck finding info when I googled it. I'm excited to meet you and other like-minded people in my community!

[major_mama11]

Pm'ed you.

[rixafreeze]

Penny Lane is a CNM in Thorntown serving the Indianopolis area. I used her for my last 2 births and am currently seeing her for this current pregnancy. www.believemidwiferyservices.com
 

[ChelseyS]

Great! You must like her then. I will schedule a time to meet her. Thanks for your recommendation, rixafreeze.

[rixafreeze]

Yep, she's been great. I had my first baby unassisted but wanted a midwife for the next babies. I wanted to find someone who would respect my desires to be left alone and to be a really quiet presence. She has really fantastic clinical skills because she was a high-risk L&D nurse at both rural & tertiary hospitals before becoming a CNM. She also teaches NRP classes, so she's very competent with any kind of resuscitation the newborn might need. But she's also just really good at doing most of her in-labor assessments visually and at staying out of the mom's space, if that is what the mom wants. Lots of her moms catch their own babies, for example.

My biggest complaint is that she stopped taking insurance. Now you have to pre-pay and then submit the bill yourself to to your insurance company. I understand why she did it, because she was spending so much time on insurance & billing that she found she didn't have enough time for clinical care. But it's annoying nevertheless! There are midwifery billing services that will do everything for you for a fee. I think I might try it myself, but if I run into snags I will look into that service.

You can read my birth stories at rixarixa.blogspot.com. They're linked on the right sidebar.

[ChelseyS]

Rixa- I just finished reading all of your birth stories and watching your videos. Thank you so much for sharing your stories. I think reading personal stories gives me more confidence than any other resource in my decision for home birth. I'm a NICU nurse who attends high-risk deliveries routinely so I had a little anxiety when I first decided I would do a home birth because of what I see in my work. However, the more research I do and more stories I read I feel like I've made the right decision. I'm at peace with my decision now. I plan to get limited prenatal care and would like to do an unassisted birth with a midwife present. 

I'm very impressed with how calm you were in your resuscitation. I do NRP routinely and don't think I could have remained that calm but I guess you don't know until you're faced with the situation. 

Again, thanks for sharing your stories, photos and videos. They are extremely inspirational. You have a beautiful family. Congrats to you for following your instincts!

[ChelseyS]

Also, your blog is wonderful. I downloaded your abstract and browsed around a bit. I plan to read it more in depth when I have some free time. Thanks for sharing your knowledge!

[bethandanna]

Lynda is wonderful! Absolutely no complaints except she us hard to get ahold of initially. Keep calling. Once you are in her service, she is there for you 100%

[ChelseyS]

Thanks bethandanna. I will continue to try to contact her. Congrats on the baby! Almost a year old I see!

[Rosegin]

Originally Posted by rixafreeze 

Yep, she's been great. I had my first baby unassisted but wanted a midwife for the next babies. I wanted to find someone who would respect my desires to be left alone and to be a really quiet presence. She has really fantastic clinical skills because she was a high-risk L&D nurse at both rural & tertiary hospitals before becoming a CNM. She also teaches NRP classes, so she's very competent with any kind of resuscitation the newborn might need. But she's also just really good at doing most of her in-labor assessments visually and at staying out of the mom's space, if that is what the mom wants. Lots of her moms catch their own babies, for example.

My biggest complaint is that she stopped taking insurance. Now you have to pre-pay and then submit the bill yourself to to your insurance company. I understand why she did it, because she was spending so much time on insurance & billing that she found she didn't have enough time for clinical care. But it's annoying nevertheless! There are midwifery billing services that will do everything for you for a fee. I think I might try it myself, but if I run into snags I will look into that service.

You can read my birth stories at rixarixa.blogspot.com. They're linked on the right sidebar.

Rixa, I have been reading your blog for a while and had no idea you lived so close to me!  Off topic, I just had to say that.  lol

[bethandanna]

is your name chelsey? I can tell her to expect your call
 

[ChelseyS]

Yes, my name is Chelsey. I will try calling her tomorrow. Thanks 

[bethandanna]

I just sent you a PM
 

[ChelseyS]

I got it. Thanks!!