Questions for Midwives?

[brandy111803]

Hi all, my dh and I are seriously contemplating homebirth and are trying to get some questions together for interviews. I have the standard how many years/babies, transports, etc. but wanted to know if you all asked, wish you had asked any other biggies for you and your birth. I know hindsight is 20/20 so I'm hoping that some of you might be able to relay some things that may have come up that you wished you would have asked at the interview.

Thanks a bunch!
Brandy

[soulsistah]

This is a (partial) handout I give momma's at our first meeting.....

Questions to ask when interviewing the homebirth midwife

1. How long have you been practicing and how many births have you been the primary midwife responsible? What is your philosophy about childbirth? Why did you become a midwife?
2. How did you receive your training?
3. Are you certified or licensed? By what organization? Why or why not?
4. Do you practice with a partner or assistants/apprentices? When will I meet them? What happens if I don't want one of them, or prefer one of them at my birth?
5. What happens if two people are in labor at once?
6. Who is your back up doctor? Do you have a back up doctor? Why/Why not?
7. What hospital is s/he at?
8. Do I need to see him/her prenatally?
9. What situations do you consult him/her for?
10. What situations do you transport for?
11. What complications have you handled? How did you handle them?
12. What emergency equipment and medicinals do you bring? When will you use the following: pitocin or methergine, newborn ressuscitation equipment, oxygen, suturing materials, IVs?.
13. When will you come during labor? What happens if my labor goes on for days? What happens if it's so fast you miss the birth? Have you ever missed a birth? Why?
14. What are your fees? What do they include? When is payment expected? Does insurance or medi-care cover your services?
15. How do I get my lab work done? What routine prenatal tests do you require?
16. What situations should they occur, would I be too high risk for homebirth?
17. What prenatal tests do you require? Where can I get them done?
18. Where do you conduct prenatal examinations?
19. How many women do you see at prenatals daily?
20. How long do you give each woman? What is discussed? What is done?
21. Do you do a postpartum home visit? When?
22. How do I contact you ?
23. What pharmaceutical drugs, homeopathics and/or herbs do you use prenatally and at births?
24. Do you use a doppler or a fetoscope? Why?
25. How many babies do you deliver per month?
26. What is your Cesearean rate? What are the most common reasons?

Hope this helps..... :heartbeat

[2+twins]

http://www.midwifemama.com/interview_midwife.html

[jerawo]

Ina May has a bunch of good questions in the back of Ina May's Guide to Childbirth.

[brandy111803]

Thanks guys! This is great! There are some questions in each list that I hadn't thought of to ask and make so much sense to! I absolutely love your site BTW! What a beautiful one w/ terrific pic's!!! I will have to have my dh ck it out too. THanks again! I feel much more prepared to go to interviews w/ my little (well, not so little) ;) list of ?'s in hand.

Thanks again!

[2+twins]

Oh, that's not my site - it's pamamidwife's but I bookmark it b/c it's great!