[1stTimeMummytoLore]

statistically speaking, midwives and homebirths have as good as or better outcomes than hospital births even for first time mothers. there was just a new study released in the british medical journal to this effect. when i say good outcomes, i'm not only talking about a healthy baby and mother, but also drastically less unnecessary intervention. midwives are full of patience, compassion and trust if the natural process of birth. quiet plainly, OBs are not. midwives monitor mom and baby regularly but not continuously throughout birth and take in the whole picture of the labor to determine how things are going. OBs require a great deal more electronic monitoring and tend to take whatever the machines say at face value instead of listening to the woman about her body. midwives will let a mom labor at her own pace as long and she and the baby are doing fine. OBs are just not comfortable with this idea and if the labor isn't moving along at the pace they are comfortable with, they will want to mess with it. midwives have a huge deal of knowledge about how to cope with and move labor along using position changes, accupressure, homeopathy, herbal remedies, emotional support, hydrotherapy, etc., etc. OBs have narcotics, opiate, and synthetically produced hormones. midwives practice tried and true evidence based care. OBs practice defensive medicine.

the bottom line is that midwives are the experts in natural, normal birth. they know what it looks like. most OBs have never even seen an unmedicated, non-agumented labor and birth. they have been trained for years in the pathology of birth and see every laboring woman as a potential train wreck waiting to happen. OBs deliver a women of her baby, midwives empower a woman to birth her baby for herself.

i wish i could persuade every mom including first time moms to explore the homebirth option. some people do risk out of home birth and need to birth in a hospital environment, but most women can have a safe and beautiful experience at home even with a first baby. i encourage anyone even remotely considering homebirth to meet with and talk to a homebirth midwife. they usually do free inteviews so all you give up is a little bit of your time and you might gain the most empowering and transformational experience of your life. midwives sell themselves if you give them a chance.

IMHO, if a woman is choosing to birth in a hospital, she needs to do her homework. she needs to become an informed consumer of health care. research, research, research! when you get work done on your house, you get estimates from various contractors and compare how well they would facilitate what you want done. it should be the same with your care provider and birth place too- if you've ended up going to dr. cut-it without realizing it, you can still research your options and switch providers. if you don't know what your options are, you have none. and pregnant and birthing women always have options, just sometimes care providers neglect to share those with them. birthing in a hospital environment, you need to be prepared to be your own advocate and you need a doula. a doula knows the lay of the land and can help you navigate the terrain.

just my thoughts from my admittedly very opinionated doula and childbirth educator viewpoint.

 

[MrsHenderson]

Quote:

Originally Posted by 1stTimeMummytoLore just my thoughts from my admittedly very opinionated doula and childbirth educator viewpoint.

I appreciate your insight because I honestly did not know the advantages of using a midwofe at home - thanks!

 

[Maxine45]

I'm already convinced that a birthing center birth, or homebirth with a midwife is preferable over a hospital with an OB.
but how can I convince my insurance company to cover it?? Their policy is that only hospital births are covered :-(

 

[1stTimeMummytoLore]

persistence is the key on this! do a little research and find out what the average hospital birth costs in your area, then get the costs of birth center and homebirth for your area too. when you talk to the insurance people give them that info and show them how much less expensive it would be for THEM. also, keep at it too. if you get shut down by one person you talk to, ask to speak to their supervisor, or call back tomorrow and talk to someone different. the inconsistencies are amazing and sometimes eventually you get someone who will say yes instead of no. you can also find out what other insurance carriers in the area would pay for birth center or homebirths and share that info with your insurance company too, letting them know their competitors do it.

if you have a flex spending account as part of your health coverage, some people use this to pay for their home births out of pocket so it is at least tax free. also many homebirth midwives will arrange payment plans with you. this can sometimes make the out of pocket expense affordable. for example, if a homebirth midwife charges $2100 for her package care, you can break that down into 7 seperate payments over the course of your pregnancy so that you are only shelling out $300 at a time.

it can take some people months and even years to get their homebirth reimbursed by their insurance, but most people consider it well worth the time, effort and out of pocket expense to achieve the birth experience they desire. we are paying out of pocket for our midwife and a home birth, but i plan on working with our insurance for as long as it takes to get them to understand that homebirth is a safe and ultimately less expensive option that they should absolutely cover for their customers.

good luck!
kate

 

[1stTimeMummytoLore]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MrsHenderson I appreciate your insight because I honestly did not know the advantages of using a midwofe at home - thanks!

Germaine-

many people don't, but as they journey through pregnancy they begin to learn about their non-mainstream options. there are some really fabulous websites and books to read relating to the myriad of options you have when it comes to you birth, because ultimately it is your body and your baby and you deserve a strong say it what happens to them! i'd be happy to recommend some wither on this thread or privately if you want to PM me!

Kate

 

[Maxine45]

Thanks Kate, it sounds like I'll be talking to the insurance company.
Luckily it's open enrollment soon, so perhaps we'll change to a better plan.

 

[Jade2561]

My insurance doesn't cover it either but we will pay out of pocket and try to get reimbursed. To me a birth at home with my family is priceless so I don't mind at all. i know sometimes even if your insurance won't cover it you can file it as alternative medicine; like seeing a chiropractor or acupunturist or file a claim for prenatal and postpartum care and not file for the homebirth if they don't cover that. The squeaky wheel get the oil.

 

[desireeb]

And until people like us call for this type of care to be covered under insurance, it won't!

 

[mollyeilis]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Maxine45 I'm already convinced that a birthing center birth, or homebirth with a midwife is preferable over a hospital with an OB. but how can I convince my insurance company to cover it?? Their policy is that only hospital births are covered :-(

My insurance company told me flat out that it would NOT be covered. And yet I had the entire amount of my home...labor (not birth, because I didn't get one of the beautiful wonderful caring knowledgable midwives but instead accidentally hired someone who thinks she's an OB and messed with the entire labor until forcing me to the hospital where the inevitable unnecessary surgery was performed on me, sigh), which was the same amount charged had I birthed at home. The company balked with the first billing, the receptionist simply re-billed, they sent a check, and she billed again, and the entire thing was at last reimbursed.

So no matter WHAT they say, have the midwives bill (or have them give you the codes and such so you can bill insurance) the company, and don't let them give up until at least 3 times.