Picking a midwife

[Degas]

Deciding on a midwife...one midwife just opened a birth center and is only doing a couple homebirths (I want a homebirth), and says that if someone is laboring at the center when I went into labor she'd have to ask me to come into the center. I really like her and she helped me through the first miscarriage, but I don't like the idea of possibly having to go in to the center. Another midwife does homebirths, but will be going out of town at the end of April - I don't think there is anyway I'd go that long since I had my first the day before her due date, but what if I do?

I really don't like the idea of possibly having to go to the center, so I think I'll meet with the other midwife, and possibly a third, and see who clicks with us and supports our choices of no interventions (unless absolutely medically necessary).

What would you do? How are you deciding on your midwife or care provider?

[katiedidbug]

I'm picking my MW right now. I'm deciding between a certified and an almost certified. I'm leaning toward the certified one, because the dr she uses is in my network and she's a lot cheaper. Both do HBs. We don't have a birth center here, and MWs can't deliver in the hospitals.

[JenMidwife]

K- I think you're on the right track meeting w/ as many as you can. You'll know in your heart what feels best for you :heart beat

Katie, I'm so jealous that doctors are willing to work w/ midwives who do hb in your area & your insurance will cover hb! That's so great! Docs are very, VERY anti-homebirth in my area

I'll be using the same m/w I had w/ DD. It's a long stary about how I met her

[Sundance_11]

There are NO midwives in the province I live in. They're not funded by the government in this province--NB, Canada--so they practice elsewhere, so you guys are sooo lucky!
I would love not to have an OB deliver this babe, but I don't have much choice. Midwives are supposed to be funded SOON, I just hope legislation passes, and some start practicing here before April!

Melanie

[katiedidbug]

Originally Posted by JenMidwife

K- I think you're on the right track meeting w/ as many as you can. You'll know in your heart what feels best for you :heart beat

Katie, I'm so jealous that doctors are willing to work w/ midwives who do hb in your area & your insurance will cover hb! That's so great! Docs are very, VERY anti-homebirth in my area

I'll be using the same m/w I had w/ DD. It's a long stary about how I met her

Oh no, I must've misspoke. My insurance will not cover my HB, as CPMs just became legal in MO like a month ago. I was happy about the dr being in network for my basic ultrasounds and stuff. And the drs here are VERY anti-hb, too, there are just a few who are more friendly than others, who will put up with it. I wouldn't really be a client of the drs; she'd be more there to just do my basic prenatal testing ,if I wanted any and sign my maternity leave paperwork. Believe me, MO is bad news for hb. Grass roots groups have been working forever to get it legalized, and it's been such a fight. As a matter of fact, it sounds like what you described in PA. Pa, right?

[mischievium]

I'm waiting to see how many are in there, as it is my understanding that midwives can't attend twin births in WA state (even at a hospital )-- please someone correct me if I'm wrong.

If it's only one then I will look into the Puget Sound Birth Center or consider hiring a homebirth midwife (as my house is located very close to two different hospitals, should the need to transfer arise). Since this is my first, my inclination is to go to the birth center, but I figure I have some time to decide.

[acp]

Originally Posted by JenMidwife

Katie, I'm so jealous that doctors are willing to work w/ midwives who do hb in your area & your insurance will cover hb! That's so great! Docs are very, VERY anti-homebirth in my area

Here too. Illinois is extremely HB-unfriendly.
I did a lot of research last time, and went with a midwife practice that was hardly the most convenient - despite lots of hospitals here in Chicago, I drove 30 minutes north to a different town for every checkup, and to give birth - but that I had heard great things about, was super small (just two midwives), and where I got a really great vibe.
I had a wonderful hospital birth (not a single nurse even asked if I wanted an epidural, and they left DH and me alone for a good chunk of labor, when we wanted to be, let me go walk outside, labor in the tub, etc), and LOVE my midwife and would really like her to deliver this next baby.
That said, I'd really like to have a home birth, so I'm thinking of at least interviewing the one hb midwife practice I know of in Chicago and seeing what I think. I don't think my insurance would cover as much of it, but am hoping they might at least cover it at out-of-network rates.
Im' pretty torn.

[preemiemamarach]

I am so different than most of you, it seems.

I have to have a maternal fetal medicine OB because of multple risk factors. I actually chose the practiced based on how quickly I could drive to the highest-level NICU from our house.

I'm either a pessimist or a realist, but I am basing all these decisions on the NICU of this hospital. I am an RN, so most of the nurses I encountered during DS's labor were happy to accomodate my wishes.

I will probably stalk your HB conversations, though, as we live WAY up in the mountains, and it's still snowing a ton in early April! Assuming I get relatively close to term, I will be preparing a HB kit, just in case.

Were I low-risk, I would definitely consider a midwife-assisted HB.

[MissyLissa]

I'm still trying to decide between a homebirth, birth center, or hospital birth. I would really love to have a homebirth but DS was a 36 weeker and homebirth midwives can't deliver a baby that early (well, an unlicensed one but DH says absolutely no unlicensed mws). So my concern is that I'll have another early baby and have to go to the hospital anyway. I am very lucky though in that I live in a very birth option friendly area (Utah). Actually, there are laws that are slowly limiting what the homebirth midwives can do here but so far it's not too bad. They just lost twins and breeches a few months ago and I guess a few years ago a 36 weeker could have been born at home. Luckily if I do decide that the hospital is my best option there are several CNMs that deliver here that are really hands off and will give me the birth I want.

[MI_Dawn]

Trying to decide between HB and UC actually. We've moved, so I can't use the mw's I had for my last two home births. I haven't found a mw in the area I click with yet... maybe it's a sign I should go unassisted?

[mischievium]

Originally Posted by preemiemamarach

I am so different than most of you, it seems.

I have to have a maternal fetal medicine OB because of multple risk factors. I actually chose the practiced based on how quickly I could drive to the highest-level NICU from our house.

I'm either a pessimist or a realist, but I am basing all these decisions on the NICU of this hospital. I am an RN, so most of the nurses I encountered during DS's labor were happy to accomodate my wishes.

I will probably stalk your HB conversations, though, as we live WAY up in the mountains, and it's still snowing a ton in early April! Assuming I get relatively close to term, I will be preparing a HB kit, just in case.

Were I low-risk, I would definitely consider a midwife-assisted HB.

I'm also an RN-- a NICU RN, actually. If you have risk factors for prematurity, then it makes a lot of sense to make sure you have a good NICU lined up-- hopefully, you won't need it this time :.

[Pregnant_Midwife]

I'm a homebirth midwife, so I had to pick between my peers. I've had several offer/beg in the past to be at my birth if I was to ever become pregnant again. Before becoming pregnant, I always wondered how in the heck I'd be able to choose. These are all women I've known and loved for years. Who I've called at all hours of the night, who've assisted me at births, and I've assisted them. They are all my dear sisters. And I also know all the pros/cons to each since I know them all so intimately!

But, as soon as I got the +HPT, I immediately knew in my heart who I wanted at my birth. Not a question, not a doubt.

Now, I have the fun task of telling the other midwives in our community that I *didn't* pick them. Ugghhh... putting that off for a while still. Want to make sure this pregnancy is going to stick before I start disappointing people.

[scraphappy-Red]

Originally Posted by preemiemamarach

as we live WAY up in the mountains, and it's still snowing a ton in early April!

HELLO.....neighbor! Saying hi from just up the Interstate in Cheyenne, WY. I know what you're saying...we get our biggest snow accumulations in March and April. I remember it snowed in 2001 on Memorial Day. It was enough to cover the ground and make everyone feel depressed!

May I ask? Are you close to Denver? Is that where you would go for a NICU? My sister had twins last year and had some of her care at Children's in Denver. She made it to 36 weeks and was able to deliver here in Cheyenne, but really liked the professionalism of the folks at Children's.

Take Care and Good Luck (and don't forget to keep your door's lock in case of rouge mountain lions

[scraphappy-Red]

Wyoming is also very hostile to midwives. DMVs have been illegal here since 2001 but we still had a few practicing anyway. We had one DMV here in town and several would come up from Colorado (I'm just 15 miles from the CO/WY boarder) to assist with home births. However, a baby died after a home birth delivery from the local midwife, so she was arrested, prosecuted, sentenced and fined. Luckily she avoided jail time, but it was just awful.

So now the DMVs from Colorado won't come anywhere near us and the closest CMV who will do home births is 100 miles away. I had a referral to a possible CMV who is only 45 miles away and is just starting out a home birth business after recently moving into the area...but she might be traveling in March and said that she wouldn't feel comfortable with me as a client so close to my due date with her out of the country. ***sigh***

I think I might have exhausted my search....

[LydiaJW]

I am trying to decide between a birth center and home...my home is small, my bathroom is nowhere near big enough for more than one person, and I have 3 little children making messes all.the.time. DH would be more comfy at the birth center, I know, and the midwives there work with a dr. so there is a higher possibility of it being covered by our insurance. Still...I love the midwife here in town that I'd have if I did a homebirth. Decisions, decisions...

[riverview9]

i haven't decided yet. i know i don't want to be in a hospital is all. i think i would like home better than center because i am so comfortable in my home.
someone mentioned they had a small bathroom and that being a problem. i have a small bathroom too.

[mamato2boys]

I'll be interviewing two midwives in the next few weeks. The midwife we used last time is no longer practicing. I've heard nothing but good things about the two we will meet, hopefully we'll click with one of them. If not, the birth center in town does homebirths too, so I can check them out as well. It's really nice to have multiple options.

for all of you living in homebirth hostile areas

[SallyN]

For my first birth, I had a CNM at a Baby-Friendly Hospital. We ended up with more interventions than I had been hoping for, though I was okay with them at the time - I felt unprepared for the circumstances we were in, despite all my research (my water broke w/no contractions... also GBS+... so my decisions were in fear of hitting that '24-hr' deadline and being pressured for a c-section.)

Anyway, I'll start care with the same CNM, but hoping to convince DH to go with a CNM-attended homebirth. We're only 7 minutes from the hospital, if we need to transfer, and only 20 minutes from the hospital with the NICU.

[SallyN]

oh, meant to add..

The biggest difference with this birth (well, unless I get a hb) will be having a doula. DH did as well as he could in supporting me, but this time I'd like to have someone experienced and knowledgeable in the labor/birth process to help guide me and boost my self-trust.

[bjartgoddess]

picking a midwife

I am just clueless. I would like a home birth, but need someone close. I live in Ft. Worth Tx. Anyone willing to reference anyone in detail. Had a reeeaaaalll bad experience with my last hospital delivery with a nurse midwife. (Beware Susan Storry) by the way!!!! Can anyone give me great reference to a great midwife??

Thank you,

bj