Home Visit?

[jraohc]

I'm a little bit surprised, and simultaneously not incredibly surprised, to find that my midwives don't do a home visit. I'm seeing a midwife group (2 midwives) who work out of a birth center. They do about 60% hospital births, 30% birth center, and 10% home births (based on client choices). I'm wondering what I might be missing out on by them not doing a home visit. I'm a little surprised that they don't want to check anything out before the birth. Or maybe a home visit isn't as standard as I feel like it is?

Did your midwife do a homevisit appointment? What happened at that appointment? What was the purpose of the home visit?

[janasmama]

Our current MW comes to our home because that is what she likes to do but she only does it for people living in the very local vicinity. (For people outside the area she does a 36w home visit.) Our first MW's didn't do any home visits at all except for the 36w visit they did so that they knew where your house was at for coming to the birth.

Home visits are nice because you don't have to go somewhere else and especially if you have children they can just stay in their environment but it's really not a huge deal.

[LianneM]

Mine does one around 37 weeks, I think to make sure she knows how to get to the house

[ryansma]

Mine does one at around 37 weeks too. To make sure you have everything you will need, birth kit and other items and to just check on you in your own environment. They ask that everyone that is going to be at the birth be there, like a check in with the "team"

[applejuice]

I had four children at home and my midwife never made a home visit. It is a good thing to do, but no absolutely necessary.

I just wanted to add that my midwife would always know how to get to my house, but she always asked for directions over the phone while I was in labor. It was a litmus test for her to know how far along in labor I was if I could give her directions on the phone without pausing during a contraction.

Every midwife is different.

A woman is queen within her own home. It is the home court advantage.

[zak]

At 37 weeks my MW came to do a home visit. She wanted to be sure she could find her way in the dark (if need be, and it was need be ). We talked a long time. I finally felt the "warm fuzzies" I had been waiting to feel toward her at this appt. I showed her around the house. It was a turning point for me. I was finally excited about birth after that visit.

Not necessary, but was a positive experience for me.

[ryansma]

Originally Posted by zak

At 37 weeks my MW came to do a home visit. She wanted to be sure she could find her way in the dark (if need be, and it was need be ). We talked a long time. I finally felt the "warm fuzzies" I had been waiting to feel toward her at this appt. I showed her around the house. It was a turning point for me. I was finally excited about birth after that visit.

Not necessary, but was a positive experience for me.

I totally agree. I felt warm fuzzies for my midwives all along but having them in MY environment where my child was to be born made everything that much more real and did great things for me mentally and emotionally.

[alegna]

Mine did one before dd... but not this time around (she'd been at my house a year or so prior when I was having a m/c)

Her main purpose is to make sure she knows how to get here.

-Angela

[dziwozony]

i think the biggest advantage to home visits is that the midwife fully enters your realm & gets an idea of who you are by how you live. also, it shifts the power to put the ball into your court, rather than you only ever entering her office, which is her comfort zone, giving her the upper hand. not that it's necessarily a power struggle, but inevitably that sort of happens.

a woman is likely to feel more comfortable & relaxed when in her own home. if the midwife is visiting her there, it will probably help reaffirm that this is HER birth. i would think it would help a woman rely on her own instincts if it's all in her realm, you know?

but having said that, while hospital births are still most common & most accepted here in NZ, home births are supported really well by the government. the midwives get reimbursed for driving costs, which makes a huge difference when you live in an isolated, rural area like i do. so i could understand if it's just not possible for some busy midwives who have clients spread out over a large area.

i think it's pretty weird to not do a home visit at all, though. i think you should push that a bit. they should be able to comfortably know where it is, not first sorting it out while you're in labour. plus if they come to your place, they could help you with advice like where to set up the birthin pool if you're using one.

[1972momma]

My midwife does home births exclusively, and except for the initial consultation, which happens in her office before you really officially hire her, all her visits are home visits.

I have two things to say about them:

One, I LOVE that she sees me in my home, for all the reasons pps mentioned above.

Two, it was NOT a high priority when I hired her, so at the time I just thought of it as icing on the cake, and really, if you like and trust your midwives, I don't believe it's essential.

[applejuice]

Just thinking this thread over, I remember my homebirth doctor did not make house calls nor did his midwives. In the book he wrote, he told a story of going out to deliver a baby and arriving at an address where there was an empty lot except for the teepee there with a campfire.

He delivered a new life that night in the teepee by campfire. I assume they had fresh water for the event for washing. It was a special, unexpected event.

[Salema]

My MWs actually did the first interview at our house. They were interviewing us as much as we were interviewing them. And then at 36 weeks, they did a home visit. Part of the plan was that they would find the place (and they did get lost on the way) and also that they would bring the birthing tub.

I think it depends on the MWs, and how much they are able to just "go with the flow" - regardless of how it flows at your house. My lead MW is a self-described "planner". She totally wants to know how it's all going to go, how long it will take her to get to our house, where the dog will be, etc. And if that helps her feel good, I'm happy to oblige...

We've moved, so they'll be doing another home visit at 36 weeks and I'm looking forward to it. It will make it much easier for my DH to attend the visit (he works 40 miles from their offices). And it helps the MWs know us better. And the better they know us, the better _I_ feel about them meeting our birthing needs...

[jraohc]

Thanks for the responses, everyone. I guess I'll just keep wishing they did a home visit, but not worry about the fact that they don't.

[Linzie2]

My MW said that she used to do them but doesn't anymore. I imagine it would be a lot of driving for her, as she covers a range of an hour away in any direction. She also said that it doesn't matter what she thinks about what the environment is like, the baby's going to live there regardless!

It would be nice to not have to make the one hour trip one time, though!

[jennadk3]

My midwife made a home visit also at 36 weeks. It was just your standard visit. Blood pressure, positioning, that sort of thing. Also she said it was to make sure that we had everything in place for the homebirth and to make sure there was enough room and that there was an electrical socket and also that there was a clear space (bedside table) to put things on.

[Tuwamare]

Wow... I feel really lucky. 3 out of the 4 different midwives I've had for homebirths did all my prenatals at my house. It was a wonderful luxury not to have to go to an appt somewhere other than my own sofa. They got to know the rest of the family this way, and by the time the baby was on its way, they had a good rapport with everyone.

[BakerALM]

My MW does a Home visit at 36wks. She said she likes to get to know how to get to my home and organize the birth supplies that I have assembled into the "way she likes them". She is a bit of a "type A" personality as far as I can tell, very organized which is great since I am also that way. I think she just likes to know where everything is so she can feel comfortable and on top of things when she arrives at my home.

[xixstar]

I just had my home visit this week (almost 36 weeks) and my mw does one so that she knows how to get to your house and also to check that you have birth supplies ready.

I think it helps her get an idea of where things are like the bathroom and where we plan to birth. Also, she likes to confirm how long it takes to get there, for us it's about an hour drive or longer if there is rush hour traffic.

I don't think it's necessary to have a home visit, but I like knowing that she's not going to be asking me directions or getting lost during my labor.

[CanidFL]

My midwife did a homebirth at 36 weeks. I think it’s so that she knows how to find the house and times the drive. Our homebirth was a little off because we just had a flood and our whole first floor was ripped up with no flooring, cabinets, etc. It was a mess lol. I just said “by the time the baby comes, this will all be fixed”. I didn’t even show her around because of the mess.

[Kim919]

Mine doesn't do a home visit before the birth. My house is really small she wont have any problem getting around, it would be wasteful.

I would much rather get an extra home visit AFTER the baby then one before.