dMy last two babies have been born at home. We've had a lot of criticism for our decision, but the quality of care that we've recieved under midwives has been so much better than standard obstetrical care. When I was pregnant with our first, I went to our local OB to get the pregnancy confirmed (I've since learned this is completely unnessary). The midwife in that office spent a grand total of five minutes with me. My research told me that there were better options (and I did find a better hospital option for that pregnancy).
My anti-homebirth mother stayed at our house during and immediately following the birth of the third living our way. She didn't like us having babies at home, but she's realized that she isn't going to change our minds. So, I was ok with her being in the house. She was present during each of our postpartum visits with the midwives for the first week and after the last one we had a conversation.
Mom: I can't believe they spend an hour with you at each appointment.
Me: My prenatal appointments were that long too.
Mom: Wow! You are really lucky.
Me: Does that change your mind about homebirth?
Mom: Well, it was okay for you because nothing happened. What if something had happened?
Me: Something did happen. The cord broke and before I knew what had happened, they had taken care of the situation.
After the last comment, my mom asked to see the portion of the video where this happened (we'd video taped his birth). She was really amazed at how quickly the situation was handled. I wasn't sure where this left her opinion at the time, but a few weeks later she indicated that she had been worried about me having the baby at home, but now she thinks "it's actually kind of cool." Still, she's convinced that I wouldn't want my daughters giving birth at home. Honestly, I worry a lot more about my friends who go in for repeat c-sections than I do the ones that give birth at home. I hope my daughters will choose homebirth one day.
Having our second child at home, had nothing to do with money or a bad hospital experience. I had a great experience at the hospital with our first, but felt that it was a fluke. They were busy that night and I assume the hospital staff including the anestesiologist was greatful to have someone who didn't want to see them. My research said that natural childbirth was best and the best way to make that happen was at home. In hindsight, my favorite part of homebirth is that the baby is immediately with his/her family rather than sitting in a warmer for an hour and a half while we wait patiently for permission to hold our baby again. MrLivingOurWay was sold on homebirth after he recieved the bill from the hospital. His comment was "How can they charge that much! You did all the work! Maybe the nurse should get paid, but I know they didn't pay her thousands of dollars to sit in that room."
I did ask the midwife about filing through insurance with our second child, but because homebirth with a CPM is not a legal option in our state, it was as flat out "no." In fact, I think I offended her. However, the question certainly wasn't meant to offend. Regardless, her services were way more valuable than any reimbursement from insurance.
With the third child, I did have the option of filing with insurance. However, we were switching insurance before we got pregnant and I asked around to see how much people were getting reimbursed. The insurance companies, it seemed, were reimbursing less than what the maternity rider on an insurance plan would cost and we decided to go with a high deductible insurance plan without a maternity rider.
Did we take a risk? Yes, our insurance only covers emergency maternity care. I looked at the list of things it would have covered had we had to transfer to a hospital and there is no way I'd ever wanted to be diagnosed with any of it! However, we actually paid less than a maternity rider would have cost us, even when we had to see a perinatologist for one appointment. The really big things that would have cost us big would be a transfer for irregular fetal heart tones, being pregnant with multiples, or needing a c-section for a breech baby (should we choose not to do this at home). In our case, the risk was worth it and we came out much cheaper. If you are considering homebirth, the chances of ending up at the hospital are slim. All the midwives I interviewed stated that almost all of their transfers have been for women opting for pain management which aside from a pool of water, really isn't available at home.
Another option, might be to have your baby at home without a midwife. I know of many people who do this and think this is a viable option for them. MrLivingOurWay and I, don't feel it is a valid option for us because we have slow reaction in emergency situations.
Certified Nurse Midwives are the only legal midwives in many states. Unfortunatly in these states there are very few of them choosing to attend births at home. However, experienced Certified Professional Midwives (CPMs) are just as capable of caring for a pregnant woman who is low risk. Many states have made it illegal for CPMs to practice. Are CPMs legal in your state?
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