My midwife was $4600. But I'm in NYC.
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First, $4600 isn't too bad. It'd be a bit much where I live (my midwife only charges $2300). I live in rural-ish north Idaho.
eta: She may have a sliding scale, I haven't gotten to the part of paying for maternity care.
Second, my hospital birth with ds was around $25,000, we paid $5000 out-of-pocket.
The insurance company didn't even blink.
That lovely price included a failed induction, followed by a spontaneous 4-hour labor (3 of which were in-hospital), 15 minutes of me pushing, them letting us see ds for a little bit, after which they whisked ds off to the NICU because he had fluid in his lungs (what else is he going to have in there, kool-aid?). I was only there 37 hours, ds was there for 3 days. I had no meds besides an IV to hydrate me, and nothing was out of the ordinary or spectacular. I was the easiest maternity patient that day the nurses said (and I was up and walking around in that stylish gown that afternoon).
Since you feel a little iffy about the midwife, can you make an appointment to just interview her? They typically don't charge for that, and you can get a feel as to whether you want to hire her or not. That's what I did with my midwife, and I ended up talking/chatting to her and her assistant midwife for an hour and a half. And dh and I aren't even close to ttc yet.
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Lanna
eta: She may have a sliding scale, I haven't gotten to the part of paying for maternity care.
Second, my hospital birth with ds was around $25,000, we paid $5000 out-of-pocket.
The insurance company didn't even blink.
That lovely price included a failed induction, followed by a spontaneous 4-hour labor (3 of which were in-hospital), 15 minutes of me pushing, them letting us see ds for a little bit, after which they whisked ds off to the NICU because he had fluid in his lungs (what else is he going to have in there, kool-aid?). I was only there 37 hours, ds was there for 3 days. I had no meds besides an IV to hydrate me, and nothing was out of the ordinary or spectacular. I was the easiest maternity patient that day the nurses said (and I was up and walking around in that stylish gown that afternoon).
Since you feel a little iffy about the midwife, can you make an appointment to just interview her? They typically don't charge for that, and you can get a feel as to whether you want to hire her or not. That's what I did with my midwife, and I ended up talking/chatting to her and her assistant midwife for an hour and a half. And dh and I aren't even close to ttc yet.
Lanna
I have only grabbed a 'sampling' of prices...but here in Northeastern/middle Ohio it seems to run approx. $1,000. some are below ($700-800), but that doesnt cover prenatals (some charge $25 each for prenatals and some dont seem to do them at all)
the higher ones are $1100, maybe more. I dont know, I found one I liked and stopped looking
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we seem to have alot of midwives, though...maybe 5-6 within an hour of each other (and those are the only ones who 'advertise' somehow, by hosting birth groups or also acting as doulas) maybe that effects the rates?
the higher ones are $1100, maybe more. I dont know, I found one I liked and stopped looking
we seem to have alot of midwives, though...maybe 5-6 within an hour of each other (and those are the only ones who 'advertise' somehow, by hosting birth groups or also acting as doulas) maybe that effects the rates?
Maybe it's just the exchange rate, but private midwifery care here (in England) in Expensive! Most of the midwives whose sites I've checked out charge about £2800, which works out to about $5100. And they all seem to charge £50 for an initial consultation - just to meet with them, even if you don't decide to hire them.
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We've got lots of time to think about it, but homebirth can be free under the National Health Service, but the midwives who attend your birth will be whoever is on call that day. So it could work out to be someone you've never met before! Or we can pay the £2800 for continuity of care. Hmmm.
We've got lots of time to think about it, but homebirth can be free under the National Health Service, but the midwives who attend your birth will be whoever is on call that day. So it could work out to be someone you've never met before! Or we can pay the £2800 for continuity of care. Hmmm.
THANK YOU ladies for all of the replies - I do feel better now knowing that her fee isn't outrageous. I had read somewhere that homebirths on average cost about $1500, and my sister is a midwife in another state and she said her fee is around $1700 for a homebirth. So I was just floored when I spoke to this midwife yesterday.
I have discovered that there is another midwife just a little further away than the first one, so I'll call her today, and I am going to call the first one back to ask for a face to face interview before the first official appt - I'm just not comfortable with giving her $1000 the first time I meet her, you know?
I'm also going to call my insurance co today to ask about homebirth coverage.
Thanks again for your input!
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I have discovered that there is another midwife just a little further away than the first one, so I'll call her today, and I am going to call the first one back to ask for a face to face interview before the first official appt - I'm just not comfortable with giving her $1000 the first time I meet her, you know?
I'm also going to call my insurance co today to ask about homebirth coverage.
Thanks again for your input!
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