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VBAC with a midwife at home  

post #1 of 22
6/3/08 at 1:15am
Thread Starter 
I am trying to concieve right now and I am looking into having a homebirth with a midwife. With my first I had a c-section so I would like to have a VBAC and I am very confused... I would like to deliver at home but I don't know if my family or my dh would go for it. But I want a more positive birth experience this time around and my insurance covers Midwife Services so I really would like to do this. I have so many questions. Anyone have so good advice for me? I guess I am nervous because I don't know much about homebirths and midwives. I have looked into a waterbirth and it sounds divine.

Thanks for any help you can offer!
post #2 of 22
6/3/08 at 1:52am
Quote:
Originally Posted by enchantinglysimple View Post
I am trying to concieve right now and I am looking into having a homebirth with a midwife. With my first I had a c-section so I would like to have a VBAC and I am very confused... I would like to deliver at home but I don't know if my family or my dh would go for it. But I want a more positive birth experience this time around and my insurance covers Midwife Services so I really would like to do this. I have so many questions. Anyone have so good advice for me? I guess I am nervous because I don't know much about homebirths and midwives. I have looked into a waterbirth and it sounds divine.

Thanks for any help you can offer!
Assuming you find the right midwife (as not ALL are great, some are as bad as traditional doctors), it is SO worth it! VBACs and out-of-hospital births are generally safer than the alternative (cesarean section, birthing in a hospital), with a few exceptions.

I gave birth in a freestanding birth center with an AMAZING midwife! She let me listen to my body and do as I pleased, didn't tell me to push or anything just let me do it when my body told me to. She was always willing to prescribe natural remedies (herbs, homeopathy, diet change, exercise, etc.) for things and would (but never had to) use meds or whatever if necessary. But natural was her first recommendation. I gave birth in the water as well. I knew I wanted to labour in the water, but not birth in it. It was AMAZING when I got in the water, it felt sooooooo nice! Like an epidural (well, from what I hear from women who had an epidural that worked)...only I wasn't numb and stuck in a bed on my back. I got out of the water for a bit and was on the bed when I felt the urge to push and so I did. Right after that contraction, without a word, I just walked straight to the tub and got in on all fours. Her only suggestion was to get on my side so we could keep his head underwater until his body came out. Next time I want a homebirth with her and a birth pool so there will be more water and I can birth on all fours if I feel the need. After giving birth in the water I couldn't imagine birthing out of water ever again. It was amazing!!!!
post #3 of 22
6/3/08 at 1:52am
And congrats for looking into a better, happier, healthier and SAFER birthing experience!
post #4 of 22
6/3/08 at 8:29am
If you are interested, there is this great blog written by a woman in Boston who just had a VBAC at home (water birth) about 5 months ago. She told her whole story in great detail (over 30 installments) and it was so interesting. If you go back to Jan. you should find the beginning of her story.

http://tinacassidy.blogspot.com/
post #5 of 22
6/3/08 at 8:35am
good luck! find a MW w/ whom you feel completly comfortable w/...anything less and i wont be a good experience.

interview many and have your husband do some reading also.
post #6 of 22
6/3/08 at 8:37am
Oh, and I found showing my husband the Business of Being Born was more effective than sending him tons of articles, making him read books, etc. For him the visual is much more effective.
post #7 of 22
6/3/08 at 9:36am
Who cares what your family thinks. Don't tell them if they're going to cause trouble. You can get your DH on board probably. The movie is great, and also interviewing midwives. The idea of homebirth sounds nutso to people when they first hear about it. But you and DH sit down with a midwife or three, and they're competent and professional and reassuring, and if he's seen BoBB he has some of the facts in his mind, and this wonderful midwife makes him feel safe.

Where I live, the hospital policies for VBAC are such that I would never consider a hospital VBAC outside of some medical reason to do so.
post #8 of 22
6/4/08 at 1:03am
Have you checked to see if your insurance covers a VBAC at home?

Good luck!
post #9 of 22
6/4/08 at 11:35am
Quote:
Originally Posted by SublimeBirthGirl View Post

Where I live, the hospital policies for VBAC are such that I would never consider a hospital VBAC outside of some medical reason to do so.
ditto that
post #10 of 22
6/6/08 at 1:35am
Thread Starter 
Yes I have checked with my insurance and they do cover a homebirth. thanks so much for all the info, especially the video about the business of being born I checked out the trailer on you tube and showed it to my dh and he said he would be more open to the idea.

Any other help anyone has would be great!
post #11 of 22
6/6/08 at 3:44am
Quote:
Originally Posted by enchantinglysimple View Post
Yes I have checked with my insurance and they do cover a homebirth. thanks so much for all the info, especially the video about the business of being born I checked out the trailer on you tube and showed it to my dh and he said he would be more open to the idea.

Any other help anyone has would be great!
But does your insurance cover a VBAC at home? You might also want to check that your midwife has insurance, and if her insurance allows for VBAC at home.
post #12 of 22
6/6/08 at 10:10am
Congrats on making a wonderful decision! I agree with the pp that said it doesn't matter what your family thinks. I'm having an HBA2C and my family is less than supportive, except for DH, but it did take some research for him to come to his decision. For us, the risk of a 3rd c/s is far more dangerous than a HB.

I would also recommend joining your local ICAN chapter or the main list. You'll have tons of knowledge & support you can lean on. You'll also need to find out if you need an informed consent for a trial of labor. I'm not sure what your state laws are, so you'll want to read up on those as well. Books are good, too, like Birthing From Within, maybe look into Hypnobabies, watch videos on Youtube, read birth stories anywhere you can find them, make up a list of questions to interview mw's... Beyond that I can't think of much else at the moment

Good luck to you & I'm sure you'll have the birth you want
post #13 of 22
6/7/08 at 10:05am
My practice is probably 70% VBACs. I just blogged about it yesterday - it is SO frustrating to me that women don't question their providers...and that providers seem to think we are born with a dotted line on our lower abdomens! ARGH!
I want my ladies to ask questions and I want them to be as involved in the birth process as I am!!! I encourage my ladies to NOT discuss their birthing plans with their family if they even remotely think that their family (i am talking about extended family here) will not be supportive. I find that even husbands who are a little bit leary will come around when they talk to the midwife and when they see the extra special care that their wife is receiving!
jeni
post #14 of 22
6/7/08 at 4:50pm
:
post #15 of 22
6/7/08 at 5:14pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Joezmom View Post
But does your insurance cover a VBAC at home? You might also want to check that your midwife has insurance, and if her insurance allows for VBAC at home.
The place of birth is not generally mentioned when billing insurance. If her insurance said that her midwives will be covered she shouldn't go looking for a reason for her birth to not be covered.
post #16 of 22
6/7/08 at 8:05pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Joezmom View Post
But does your insurance cover a VBAC at home? You might also want to check that your midwife has insurance, and if her insurance allows for VBAC at home.
i dont even understand this question. i dont think anyone should care about a provider having malpractice insurance...many dr's dont now a days (and some brag about it).

insurance covers providers and centers (my insurance is covering my MW they have no idea where im birthing).
post #17 of 22
6/7/08 at 8:39pm
Thread Starter 
Originally Posted by Joezmom
But does your insurance cover a VBAC at home? You might also want to check that your midwife has insurance, and if her insurance allows for VBAC at home.

See this confused me as well! I have been worrying that possibly I didn't have all my facts straight...Thanks Belle and passionatewriter for giving me a better answer!

Oh does anyone have any good info and how to find a midwife?
post #18 of 22
6/7/08 at 8:47pm
I had two babies at home after my c-sec with my first. DS's midwife did not take insurance and was a lay midwife so she wasn't even covered. She was relatively inexpensive ($2000 which included all prenatal and postnatal care) and took payments. It was a wonderful experience and I would recommend homebirth to anyone even if they have to pay out of pocket. Naiya's midwife was a CNM and I was fully reimbursed by my insurance. If you look at your insurance, you will see if you have to have a "certified" midwife or not. . .however some states do certify midwives who do not have their CNM. There are a lot of great books to read about the safety of homebirth and VBACs. The Thinking Women's Guide to a Better Birth is a great book, as is the VBAC companion. I actually found Ina May's Books to be the best for pumping me up for the birth and helping me alleviate my fears.
post #19 of 22
6/7/08 at 8:59pm
DS1 was a c/s delivery, because of a cascade of unnecessary hospital interventions. With DS2, I really wanted a natural vaginal birth, but the local hospitals are not supportive of VBAC. : So I stayed far, far away from the hospital, hired a midwife, and birthed at home.

Everyone says "oh, you were so brave to have a VBAC at home," but the truth is, I wouldn't have had a VBAC in the hospital - I'd have been harassed into a repeat c-section - so it wasn't a question of bravery, it was just that I wanted a peaceful birth, free of intervention.

I found my midwife by word-of-mouth; we have a local homebirth support group in this area, and I also found recommendations by asking in my Tribe here on MDC. My insurance didn't pay for my midwife because CNM are not licensed in my state, but I had the birth I wanted, and it was worth every penny.
post #20 of 22
6/7/08 at 10:11pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by enchantinglysimple View Post
Originally Posted by Joezmom
But does your insurance cover a VBAC at home? You might also want to check that your midwife has insurance, and if her insurance allows for VBAC at home.

See this confused me as well! I have been worrying that possibly I didn't have all my facts straight...Thanks Belle and passionatewriter for giving me a better answer!

Oh does anyone have any good info and how to find a midwife?
since it was difficult for me to find someone to attend me (due to my states asinine regulations) i emailed every MW in surrounding towns to find mine. it took a bit of work, but was well worth it.
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