I do not know if you could find that. Where I'm at I don't believe any of the midwives would do that though.

But if you're interested in having a midwife but just cannot pay for it- you may be able to find a student midwife (with her preceptor- a professional midwife to oversee care) for less then the usual rate, or you may be able to barter or find a midwife who will do a sliding scale for you.

I'd also sugguest seeing someone for you PTSD- and maybe hiring a doula or going to a birthing from within class to help you overcome some of those fears. In my experience stress and trauma really make birth much harder.

 

whoa... who is talking about falsifying birth certificates?? I don't see that the OP was asking for someone to lie about anything, just to help her get the paperwork filed. There's nothing illegal about checking someone out and verifying that she gave birth to her baby!

 

sorry- I thought she meant the midwife doing the birth certificate for her (as if she was there) I edited my post. I think I'm confused about how a birth certificate is done- I thought it was completed with witnesses signing it- so I thought she was going to have the midwife be a witness. But now that I think about it that is just an assumption I'm making, not something I'm sure of.

Sorry. I'm off to go look up filing a birth certificate.

 

A provider does not have to be present at the delivery in order to certify that it took place. If that were the case, then all the precipitous babies born on the way to the hospital would be screwed.

 

yeah, I sort of figured it would be hard to find. I have been trying to work out in my head a story about waiting too long laboring at home, but I really don't like confrontations and I'd rather not have to see this mainstream OB at all ever again. I have a feeling if all goes well that I won't be too eager to rush out to see someone that very second with my brand new baby, so that will piss them off. I just don't want stress, trauma etc. I'd rather save up and pay for one good pp appointment.

My fears may seem a bit extreme but i think they are justified looking at what I have been through and the hospital I have to work with here. For the ptsd aspect I have been waiting on a psych referral for a month now and still no word.

 

Why not just hire a midwife for prenatal, birth, and post partum care?

I'm not a big fan of UC/UP - otherwise why would I be a midwife? But I think it's especially ill-advised for a VBAC, or in a case where a woman has a need for very specialised care - in your case, someone who experienced medical assualts, perhaps has PTSD that will complicate the birth.

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Apricot Why not just hire a midwife for prenatal, birth, and post partum care? I'm not a big fan of UC/UP - otherwise why would I be a midwife? But I think it's especially ill-advised for a VBAC, or in a case where a woman has a need for very specialised care - in your case, someone who experienced medical assualts, perhaps has PTSD that will complicate the birth.

I might if I had the money. My ptsd mainly involves medical professionals doing things to me and my baby that I don't want them to do and feeling trapped hooked up to IVs, monitors and paralyzed on my back. I have no trust for them at all and really would only want to be seen if I or the baby had a problem. At any rate, I still need a birth certificate, which is mainly why I asked. Thanks for the advice.

 

I'm not the hugest UC fan, but I'm especially leery of people who choose it just because it's free. I think it requires a commitment, faith, and willingness to take such ultimate responsibility for you, your baby and birth, that it's not something to walk into just because you don't want to/can't pay a midwife. I can respect other reasons a lot more.

If you can commit to paying a midwife anything, in increments, I bet you would find someone willing to work with you. I know some midwives plan for some low cost work as a form of charity. It's worth looking into.

"A la carte" services are dicey for midwives. I know m/ws who are more than happy to do aftercare for UCs but I also know others who are less enthused about it because it's hard to walk into something that you've had no hand in the whole time and kind of take care of things. The one example I have heard is walking into a third degree tear and hemmorrhage...the midwife really felt like she could have done some things to prevent that situation to start with had she been there, and it kind of sucks to walk into an emergency when you feel like it didn't have to happen. Not saying that's the norm, and that particular midwife even does still do aftercare for UCs but I can certainly see why some would choose not to. There is also the liability issue. I believe most UC'ers wouldn't try to sue a midwife over something that happened out of her control, but in more hostile states, I can see DA's going after the midwife if things go wrong even if it had nothing to do with her.

Good luck, it sounds like your situation is far from ideal. (((hugs)))

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by AmieV I'm not the hugest UC fan, but I'm especially leery of people who choose it just because it's free. I think it requires a commitment, faith, and willingness to take such ultimate responsibility for you, your baby and birth, that it's not something to walk into just because you don't want to/can't pay a midwife. I can respect other reasons a lot more. If you can commit to paying a midwife anything, in increments, I bet you would find someone willing to work with you. I know some midwives plan for some low cost work as a form of charity. It's worth looking into. "A la carte" services are dicey for midwives. I know m/ws who are more than happy to do aftercare for UCs but I also know others who are less enthused about it because it's hard to walk into something that you've had no hand in the whole time and kind of take care of things. The one example I have heard is walking into a third degree tear and hemmorrhage...the midwife really felt like she could have done some things to prevent that situation to start with had she been there, and it kind of sucks to walk into an emergency when you feel like it didn't have to happen. Not saying that's the norm, and that particular midwife even does still do aftercare for UCs but I can certainly see why some would choose not to. There is also the liability issue. I believe most UC'ers wouldn't try to sue a midwife over something that happened out of her control, but in more hostile states, I can see DA's going after the midwife if things go wrong even if it had nothing to do with her. Good luck, it sounds like your situation is far from ideal. (((hugs)))

honestly, I don't want or trust any midwife or doctor. I just want to be able to get some pp care *if needed* and the birth certificate for my child without potentially going through miles of red tape or problems. I live literally 2.5 minutes away from the hospital if anything were to go wrong. I have been reading non stop and feel confident in my ability to have this baby naturally. I don't need someone barking orders or touching me when I don't want it. It has less to do with cost and more to do with me wanting to be left completely alone during my birth. thanks for your input, I think my question has been answered.

 

so find out what your state requires in order for you to obtain a birth certificate. that is going to tell you how much you are going to have to interact with a provider-- usually they want documentation of pregnancy, documents about who you are and where you live at the time of the birth and someone with a license that documents that you had a baby- so you would probably need atleast one prenatal visit with a legally recognized provider.

 

My biggest concern in your finding a provider to check you out post partum is that midwifery is really a witch hunt there right now, from what I have heard. There is actually a midwife who used to frequent the BirthPros board here who worked in LA and has a cease and desist in her area, so can only work in neighboring states.

SO you might just not be able to find somebody because they are rare. And so, SO needed, from what I've heard about the birth culture in LA.

I would talk to some LLL Leaders ("off the record" of course, as they technically are not allowed to "recommend" practitioners)and some good doulas in the area, and see if there are any of them who know of midwives working in the area. Then if there are, give them a call and see what they're willing to work out with you. I know of midwives in my area who absolutely refuse to discount their services in any way. They say it's the only way they are able to make a living, and if it's IMPORTANT to you, you'll find a way. On the other hand, I know a lot of midwives in my area, too, who are willing to barter, reduce fees, and do whatever it takes to help out a mama who is serious about the birth experience she wants and is willing to work WITH the midwife on a payment plan.

 

Hey there neighbor. I can't help with the midwife part of your post. With some, most of my kids I just went to the hospital long enough to have the babe caught. As far as the birth certificate goes, you need to have two people that can testify that you were indeed pregnant. So, on that end you are covered. I hope that you can find someone who can help you.

love and blessings
angie

 

Wish I had better news for you hun, but there are no licensed midwives in Louisiana north of Lafayette. The midwife previously mentioned who attends in Texas recently had a baby of her own, so I am not certain if she is accepting new clients or not. There are however at least a couple of doulas in northern Louisiana. I'm in Alexandria and not sure exactly where you are, but I could easily be too far away to be a feasible option. PM me if you'd like the contact info for the one midwife in your area.

Also, HBACs cannot be attended by a midwife here. But, you might get a referal to a great doula who could change your hospital experience.