Considering home birth....

[dw'smamma]

Hi,

I am hoping to get pregnant sometime in the next couple of months and was wanting some info. on home birth. My 14-month old son was born at the hospital with an epidural and all the other stuff, but I was hoping to do things differently this next time around.

There are many reasons why homebirth appeals to me, however, I have lots of questions also. My husband and I weren't even sure it was an option financially, then I saw on here that some insurance does cover it. How do I find out if my insurance covers it or not?? How do I find out what my state's laws are about homebirth and midwives (I live in Missouri)? How do I go about finding a midwife?? My husband's job will require us to be moving in a few months, possibly to a rural town.....is it still possible to find a midwife in a small town??

These are just a few of the questions that I have. I really no nothing about what it takes to give birth at home, and as much as I am interested in it, I am not sure I can do it. If anyone could answer these questions or provide me with other good homebirth info....that would be great. Also, how did everyone decide that homebirthing was the way to go....how did you make your decision???

Thanks so much!

[SublimeBirthGirl]

http://www.mana.org/statechart.html

Looks like homebirth is illegal for midwives in MO. That doesn't mean you can't have one. There are probably midwives practicing there. In GA it's not prohibited, but is also not licensed and midwives are always risking going to jail for practicing medicine w/out a license. however, since MO law prohibits it, you're probably not going to get it covered by insurance

That said, you may find it's still just as cheap as hospital birth if you can find a midwife. My first was born in a hospital and I found that after we paid our deductibles and copays, I could've hired a midwife (boy that ticked me off).

And of course, there is the option of unassisted birth, which is both legal and free.

[Lazyhead]

Yeah, since it's illegal in MO you'd have to ask around to find one. Have any crunchy friends or LLL?

As for $$, my midwives had a sliding scale according to our income.

[mary3mama]

I need to call my insurance co. and ask the following questions (sheet given to me by my midwives). I already know that insurance will pay for some of the fee, because my midwives have worked with this co. previously and have reported that they are good to work with.

I'd just call the insurance co. and ask these questions:

-Name of ins. rep spoken to; date and time
-What is my eligibility date?
-What is my out-of-network deductible?
-How much of my deductible do I still need to meet?
-Is a certified professional (or CNM) midwife covered by my plan?
-Is home delivery a covered benefit?
-Do I need a referral or authorization for this service?
-What percentage of the Usual and Customary will be paid for maternity care (CPT code 59400)? (The remaining ______% is my responsibility).
-When does my baby need to be added to the plan?
-Is baby's deductible included in mine?
-If not, how much is the baby's deductible?
-Will insurance reimbursement be sent to the provider or me?
-Is pregnancy a pre-existing condition? (know your state's laws, in some states it is illegal to consider pregnancy a pre-existing condition)
-If I want an in-network exception (because there are no contracted midwives in my area), what number do I call?

Obviously some of these questions may need to be excluded or re-worded depending on the legal climate with regard to midwifery in any given state.

HTH,

[dw'smamma]

Is it completely illegal in Missouri or are there certain types of midwives with the right kind of licensing that can practice??

What is unassisted birth?

Thanks for all your input.

Originally Posted by SublimeBirthGirl

http://www.mana.org/statechart.html

Looks like homebirth is illegal for midwives in MO. That doesn't mean you can't have one. There are probably midwives practicing there. In GA it's not prohibited, but is also not licensed and midwives are always risking going to jail for practicing medicine w/out a license. however, since MO law prohibits it, you're probably not going to get it covered by insurance

That said, you may find it's still just as cheap as hospital birth if you can find a midwife. My first was born in a hospital and I found that after we paid our deductibles and copays, I could've hired a midwife (boy that ticked me off).

And of course, there is the option of unassisted birth, which is both legal and free.

[Mama Poot]

Unassisted birth is a home birth without a trained medical professional such as a midwife present. You may want to head over to the unassisted birth forum and learn more there