Midwives- how far is too far for hospital waterbirth?

[deejay]

I want to have a waterbirth but the closest waterbirth hospital with midwives in my network is 38 miles away (45 minutes). Is this too far?

This is my second child.

Thanks for any help.

Dee

[JunipersMom]

I would think you'd have plenty of time to get there - unless you have precipitous labors. 45 minutes is more than enough time.

[deejay]

Thanks, JunipersMom.

My first pregnancy, back in 2000 was pretty fast. It lasted 6 hours and 3 pushes. I'm hoping the second will be relatively the same.

Dee

[SublimeBirthGirl]

That's how far I drove to have a hospital waterbirth with my 1st. The water was worth the drive, but it would have made a LOT more sense to stay home and I wish I would have.

[alegna]

Have you considered a homebirth?

-Angela

[deejay]

I have considered a homebirth and I'm still back and forth on the decision. My insurance won't pay for it and cost is also a factor. Although I'm thinking the hospital out of pocket cost might be the same or more than the cost of a midwife at home, since the insurance only pays 80%.

Dee

[SublimeBirthGirl]

Insurance was the main reason I had a hospital birth w/ my first. Homebirth is worth the money, for one. I mean, my HB was free but if I'd had to pay $2500 to have that experience it'd have been well worth it. I also found out after all was said and done my hospital birth cost me almost as much as the HB would have anyway. I definitely wish i'd stayed home.

[mwherbs]

so if you have say 8-9 hrs of active labor... 45 minutes travel is not much time- try not to leave too early most women get to the hospital and they are not even in active labor... or they present with too many worries and get induced--- so if you are going to worry too much and ask for reassurance from your providers what you may end up with is more intervention .... something to consider when making this decision can you find reassurance from family and friends and not your provider, this would go for distance you may need to travel to any other ache or worry--
as a reference for travel distance- women who live 2 hrs east of us do not have local birth options and have to come here to have their babies or stay home...and I only know of a handful of accidental births that don't make it---

[simonboy'smommy]

It all depends on the individual, but I can tell you what my mom and sil did.
My mom had her 3rd child an hour away at the hospital. She had plenty of time and she was not a long laborer. My sil had hers an hour away and both times we sat in the waiting room allll day You might want to have a plan for a hotel or a friends house to stay at in case you go there too early. Then you can hang out and wait till your ready to check in to the hospital, but only have to go a few miles (or across the street in the case of my sil's plan) That way you have a place you can rest and not worry about getting there in time. HTH

[deejay]

Thanks for all the options ladies, I am still considering all my options.

Dee

[courtenay_e]

As you said, perhaps you should look at what they charge for a waterbirth at the hospital. And then figure out what your deductible and co-pay end up at. And then think about the fact that, with a hospital provider, at best you have 20 minutes with them in a prenatal. More common is 5-10 minutes, tops. WIth a homebirth midwife, you will get an average of 45 minutes to a full hour with your midwife. Midwives spend more time in counseling on nutrition and exercise (two main ways to avoid a cesarean), as well as educating you in general as to what is going on in your body and getting to know you fairly well...because, after all, your birth will be the once in a lifetime chance to experience that moment, and midwives want to be a familliar friend in the room, not the stranger who waltzes in to catch!

Think about procedures you'll come against in the hospital...eye goop, routine suctioning, worrying about when the cord is cut, wondering if they'll offer you pain relief the first time you say you're uncomfortable or the second you hit transition...instead of physical and emotional support...

I don't think it'd be a problem at all to make a 45 minute drive to the hospital, if a hospital philosophy is what you hold when you think about birth. BUT if you are considering a homebirth, please don't let insurance be your ONLY consideration!

I have a client (and friend) who drove an hour and a half to birth her VBAC at a birth center. They are very, very far from a hospital at home and they wanted to know that, in case of transport, they had somewhere within fifteen minutes to go. The birth center put them 5 minutes away, door to door. So, she drove an hour and a half to be with midwives she trusted to encourage her to birth the way she felt safe doing! She called and told me when she made the choice that she had had the FIRST good night's sleep in MONTHS...and then she tore up her birth plan and had to rewrite it. She was able to say what she WANTED, not forced to defend herself against what she didn't want.

Just a thought.

[deejay]

Originally Posted by courtenay_e

Think about procedures you'll come against in the hospital...eye goop, routine suctioning, worrying about when the cord is cut, wondering if they'll offer you pain relief the first time you say you're uncomfortable or the second you hit transition...instead of physical and emotional support...

Will they do this even if I have a midwife at the hospital?

I will also check with my insurance and see if I can find out what the price would be after everything and compare that with a homebirth midwife price.

I also live in an apartment, which was another reason I was a little hesitant with doing it there.

Dee

[momileigh]

Midwives in hospitals are often (NOT ALWAYS) very interventive. Just because someone is a "midwife" doesn't mean they are necessarily going to provide the kind of care that you imagine a midwife would provide.

I would say if women really are having waterbirths at this hospital, that's a good sign. I say "really" because sometimes hospitals say they allow waterbirth, but when it comes down to the nitty gritty, they find some reason to get you onto the table.

I agree that you're not too far away to go there, but homebirth is certainly an option well worth exploring.

[alegna]

Originally Posted by deejay

Will they do this even if I have a midwife at the hospital?

Absolutely.

-Angela

[ZoeyZoo]

The midwives at hospitals are subject to similar rules as the doctors except there are certain cases they can't handle and would have to get the OB. It sounds like your hospital may be more progressive but it's still a hospital birth and you will have to be prepared for that.

When they say they allow waterbirth check to see if you can deliver in the water. Many only allow you to labor there.

Do you have another option closer to home that is out of network? In some states you can get insurance companies to cover out of network facilities are in network if they don't have a facility within so many miles of you home. It's something like 20 miles in my state.

Also, do you have any birth center options if you don't want a HB? Many insurance companies are better at paying for a birth center and you typically don't have to deal with the hospital issues.

[deejay]

Thanks, ZoeyZoo

I will ask the midwife about the hospital birth and what exactly it entails, I never really thought about whether they would only allow labor in the tub.

As far as a birth center - the only only one near me has been closed recently( I live in NE New Jersey). I'm not sure if there are any others in the surrounding areas so I'll have to look that up.

Thanks for the wonderful suggestions.

Dee

[BeckiCNM]

Originally Posted by deejay

Will they do this even if I have a midwife at the hospital?

Originally Posted by alegna

Absolutely.

-Angela

I think "absolutely" might be a strong word to be using here. I do births in the hospital, and I don't routinely do any of the things mentioned that this was responding to, except for the eye ointment, which most of my moms do choose to accept. I don't routinely suction, I delay cord clamping for at least a few minutes, more if I can get away with it. I ask about pain relief in prenatal care, and if they are choosing to go without, I don't ask them in labor.

And, FWIW, I have 30 minute prenatals, and I have been known to have 1 hour prenatals for people who need more time. All my new OB visits are 1 hour.

Basically, my point is there are variation in hospital midwifery practice, just as there are in homebirth midwifery practice. The key is to discuss in advance with YOUR provider what your desires are and see how willing/able they are to work with that. If they can't - find someone else.