Anyone decide on HB late in pregnancy?

[HinesMaMa]

I am 34 weeks pregnant with my fourth and the more research I do and the more this baby nags at me inside, the more I feel like I should be at home with this birth. I started this pregnancy with an OB that completly turned me off, and a bad experience at a hospital that I didn't want to return to. So I found another practice at 28 weeks with midwives at a hospital that will accomadate my birth plan, but now at 34 weeks...the stats and my own personal feelings about it inside is undeniable. I feel like I still "don't have it right" yet.....am I making sense?? I never experienced this level of concern in my other pregnancies....I don't even know where to really start in my state (NJ) and we definitly can't pay out of pocket right now....I have UHC insurance and I don't even know what they cover in NJ...what should I do??

[DWAXSMOM]

I decided at 28 weeks and I have a friend who decided at 35 weeks. It is not too late. We are both in NY. I would try contacting a HB midwife in your area and see what they say. They should know alot about insurance as well. I just googles homebirth NJ and found a ton of listings.

[tpintsch]

I decided on a homebirth at 35 weeks when I realized that our FSA account (flexible spending account) would cover midwives and we paid the rest by bartering a website. I had wanted a midwife and homebirth from the very beggining but we didn't see how we could afford it. Some insurance companies will pay for it, but its not the norm. Your first step would be to contact them and see what they will cover. There are ways to have it paid by them even if they initially say no. Also you should post in the Tribal Area and you can get a list of midwives in your area. Then you can call and see what their fees are. Good luck!

[wbg]

I switched to homebirth at about 28 weeks give or take. It was v hard because of finances but felt like I did not have a choice. I am also in NJ and the rates here for HB MWs are high. But very worth it. We also found out that we could use our FSA. We did get a bit of a discount as we joined so late, but most of the actual fee covers the birth not the prenatals so it was not such a big discount. Where are you in Jersey?

[SiobhanAoife]

We made the decision at 28 weeks and then spent some (slightly harrowing!) weeks interviewing HB midwives and finding the right one. I had my first prenatal with the midwife at 31 weeks.

They have had people switch care to them later than I did. If you deeply want this, go try to find it. The worst that can happen is you may find that logistics prevent it, and then you're not worse off than you are now -- if anything, you're better off because you'll know in your heart that you did everything you could for your child.

In your shoes, I would be looking for a homebirth midwife right away, to see what my options were. I wish you the best of luck and a beautiful birth!

[Otterella]

I looked into HB at 37 weeks and even talked to a midwife who said she would be willing to take me, but for whatever reason that I cannot now comprehend did not go through with it and just stuck with the hospital. That was a huge mistake and I would undo it if I could.

[MsBlack]

As you can see, some women DO change their birthing plans on short notice and late in pregnancy! And I assure you that there are midwives around who will pick up your care this late as well.

Do what feels right! Do it for you, do it for your baby--give you both this gift if at all possible.

[moderngal]

I switched at 30 weeks. Best decision I've made.

[Mommoo]

I switched around 36 weeks, after watching the documentary "What Babies Want" featuring Noah Wyle. I hb'd in Ontario, Canada though so money wasn't an issue. Good luck!!

[HinesMaMa]

Yea as with everything else in this state...its really discouraging. I'm in Somerset County, and have heard of a couple HB midwives in the area from the tribal board. I guess the first step is to see what my insurance covers, but if I have to pay up front, I mine as well kiss the thought goodbye...if you don't mind me asking what is the cost like?

Originally Posted by wbg

I switched to homebirth at about 28 weeks give or take. It was v hard because of finances but felt like I did not have a choice. I am also in NJ and the rates here for HB MWs are high. But very worth it. We also found out that we could use our FSA. We did get a bit of a discount as we joined so late, but most of the actual fee covers the birth not the prenatals so it was not such a big discount. Where are you in Jersey?

[HinesMaMa]

You hit home with that statement about logistics...thanks. I will look into my options, but if it does boil down to money than honestly....it is what it is.

Originally Posted by SiobhanAoife

They have had people switch care to them later than I did. If you deeply want this, go try to find it. The worst that can happen is you may find that logistics prevent it, and then you're not worse off than you are now -- if anything, you're better off because you'll know in your heart that you did everything you could for your child.

[wbg]

Originally Posted by HinesMaMa

...if you don't mind me asking what is the cost like?

It varies midwife to midwife. The two I spoke to each charged 5000 and 6000 respectively. The one I went with discounted 250 per monthly prenatal I had already had so i got 1000 off. It is very expensive in this area and not a lot of choice out there.

[Love_My_Babies]

I am 37 weeks 4 days, and we just made the decision yesterday! My story was similar to yours. I started out with a mw who works under an ob that I lost confidence in. I switched mw and hospitals at 34 weeks. Last Thursday at 37 weeks exactly I went into labor with cntx 3 min apart lasting 1.5 min each and went to the hospital where I had a horrific experience and my labor stopped. Even DH is refusing to go back there! I called a local homebirth mw on Saturday, and things just seemed to click. Since I am so far along, she was only going to charge me around $800, but we are bartering services so I probably won't have to pay for a thing.

[hislittlelambs]

your story is very similar to mine!

My son was my 3rd birth...i also like you, had that odd nagging inside for the entire pregnancy. finally, at 32 weeks i found a midwife and we switched from ob care to planning a HB. It was the best decision i ever made! like you, I also had scars lingering from past births, and that dang weird, odd nagging would never go away...i could never quite pin it on anything, but it still remained! it went away when i met our MW. our birth was beautiful (i will link the story for you...has pics in it too) and she is seeing us again for this birth and this time it has been right from the beginning. complete peace, no nagging feelings. i don't know anything about care in NJ, so i can't help you there...i would just say, poke around, do some interviews if neccessary, see what you find.

Good luck to you and happy birthing!
~Kristy
my sons birthstory:
http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/tinytoes/565746

[white_queen_22]

My midwife had a woman call her at 39 weeks looking to switch care. They had their first appointment, went over her medical records and the lady went into labor 4 days later.

If that's what you need to do for your own peace of mind than DO IT!

Angela <><

[happy & blessed]

I switched at 34 weeks with my first daughter. My midwife deducted some cost for each prenatal I'd had with my OB, but we still had to pay about 3/4 of her usual total cost. It was an excellent decision though. With this pregnancy, we've seen her throughout, and it is sooooo much better than when I was seeing an OB with my first!

[ryansma]

I switched at 29 weeks when pregnant with ds1. I am so glad I did! You should trust what your gut is telling you.

[PookieMom]

I just signed the forms and made my down payment with my homebirth midwife last week, so 26 weeks here. :

[slave2myprincess]

i'm 25 weeks and hoping for a HB and by the time i figure everything out i will probably be 30 weeks before i switch.

[srlpenny]

Originally Posted by DWAXSMOM

I decided at 28 weeks and I have a friend who decided at 35 weeks. It is not too late. We are both in NY.

I'm the friend that decided at 35 weeks, and I'm SO glad I did!!!
Go for it.