We're interviewing midwives for a homebirth...help?

[nova22]

I have a list of questions that I found online. It's really long and I think I would be interviewing all night if I actually asked for an answer to each of my questions. Since I've never had to interview a midwife before, I really don't know where to start.

I am so lost that I don't even know what, specifically, to ask in this post. I guess I need to know what the most important questions are, what I should be looking for, etc.

Thanks for any guidance you can offer...really...I'm stuck.

[alegna]

Go with the long list- and then add to it Really- they plan a long session for interviews IME (and if they don't- expect all your appointments to be rushed)

-Angela

[babsbob]

Usually a midwife will plan to spend an hour to an hour and a half so there will be plenty of time. Also, along with your questions, the most important thing is to just see if you are comfortable with her/him and if you like her/his philosophy and how hands-on/off the midwife is and your preferences.

[supermuma]

I am also in the process of interviewing midwives and feel very lost! My midwife that I used for both previous births is not practicing any more and I really REALLY liked her...and I didn't really interview her, we just clicked. It has also been so long since I was pregnant with my first that I can't even remember anyway!

I have interviewed one so far. I don't really know what I am supposed to ask either, but I did make sure that I asked about insurance and her experience. I wanted to know how long she has been practicing and what her views on different procedures was, such as US. I asked her about blood work and that kind of thing. I like to see how much time they are willing to spend. Our last midwife was eternally late for every appointment, but it was okay with me because I knew that it was because she was spending the time she needed and she would do the same for me.

But mostly I just felt her out to see if it FELT like a good fit.

Good luck!

[pamamidwife]

I would think about what things are important to you in a midwife...what sort of birth you'd like to have and what sort of prenatal care you want. Then make your list based on what YOU want, along with some general questions (philosophy about birth, etc).

[courtenay_e]

Certainly asking open ended questions is a great idea. Getting them to talk about things rather than just answering how they think you want an answer.

Twice I've made the mistake of choosing a midwife because I didn't know that there were more options available, and even now that I know about my wider range of options, I still wish there were more midwives available where I live...Simply because there is such a wide range of needs in the women looking for midwives and I wish that they had more choices in general in my immediate area. I'm looking at having to ask the best choices for me to drive an hour and twenty minutes or more to get to me...but I've found that the good ones WILL make the drive...and that it's worth it to me and my child to take that stretch of faith that my babe will wait to come till they get here ( I know very well the signals my body has shown when it starts to gear up for labor, so we all get some warning).

Know not to choose because somebody is twenty minutes closer or two hundred dollars cheaper...but because you have a genuine connection and truely would trust this woman with your life and that of your child.

[nova22]

Thank you all, I appreciate your advice. I'm feeling a little discouraged right now because I was emailing back and forth with a midwife who seemed incredible - she was very friendly, had a lot of experience, and her website looked great with lots of positive birth stories and affirmations. We were just getting around to scheduling a consultation when we realized that I live out of her area, and she doesn't do births out here.

I have two interviews coming up, and I'm really hoping I click with at least one of these midwives. We didn't seem to mesh really well over the phone, but who knows if their phone personalities are different from their IRL personalities, or maybe they just don't communicate well when they aren't face to face. Anyway, wish me luck...thanks again for all the guidance.

[Full Heart]

I think interviewing face to face is the best. Hopefully you will get a better vibe with someone during an in person interview.

When I interviewed I only had few questions that were really important to me. If I didn't like their answers to those questions I ended the interview because they were so important even if they were great about other things I wouldn't have hired them. So start with your most important questions.

[katt]

we interviewed 3 'groups'. I went in with a rough list of questions and basically just talked to them to find out their thoughts and opinions on certain procedures that are important to me.

What it came down to... I chose the one closest to my work so I could make my appointments during my lunch hour. AND... we did click, at least I think we did. I like both my MW, they both respect my desire for less is better. They are more then happy to just sit and talk about my family(ies) they enjoy getting to know the friends and family i bring to my appointments, I get my full hour, sometimes the 'birth' stuff is touched on here and there, but not the forefront of the conversation. (i don't have a lot of questions)

When we went in to interview I made sure to bring DH so that he could get any questions answered that he had and made sure to touch on the things that were most important to me.

[reillys_mom]

There are lists of all kinds of specific questions, but essentially you need 1) to feel comfortable with the MW to share one of the most intimate and imporant experiences of your life and 2) to be assured of her skill, competency as a MW, and that she will be able to handle potential complications. I found that in choosing my MW, I narrowed the list to very highly regarded MW's soI was less worried about the 2nd point, though I needed to learn a lot about being a homebirth mama. For us the decision was about fit.