Fredericksburg area midwives? Insurance questions

wishingforthatday08

Hi everyone! I'm new to the boards. My DH and I are starting to talk about TTC, and I have been thinking a lot about home birth and using a midwife when the time comes. Has anyone from the Fredericksburg area had a good experience with a midwife, birthing center, or a hospital that is accepting of natural birth? Also, does anyone in the area have any idea what to expect as far as insurance is concerned? If you used a midwife, had a home birth, or went to a birthing center did your insurance cover it? I would appreciate any feedback. I'm really excited but all of the options and insurance concerns are a little overwhelming  

kbedfox

Hey wishing, my coworker and his wife decided to do a home birth for their LO about 10 months ago and had a heck of a time with doctors, hospitals, and insurance. NO ONE wanted them to do it for "safety reasons" so they got a midwife out of Richmond I think, and they went to her a few times and she came to their house for the birth. Not sure what insurance you have, but CIGNA did not cover any of the expenses of a home birth. We have United Healthcare now and I'm not sure if they cover it or not. GL!

wishingforthatday08

Thanks for the response Natsfan  

I have BlueCross BlueShield, and I plan on calling them soon to see what they cover. I was worried that this area wouldn't be so home birth friendly. Hopefully, I can work it out  

kbedfox

From what my coworker said, all the doctors they saw were appalled at the idea of a home birth, but as you go toward the more rural areas (Beaverdam, Midlothian, etc) it's more common and accepted and healthcare professionals won't make you feel like a horrible person for considering it lol.

wishingforthatday08

I wish it was more accepted here. I think we may actually go with a birthing center or a hospital with our first baby (I think DH would be more comfortable with that). But it would be nice if more natural techniques were more widely accepted. 

kbedfox

Spotsy Regional is the better of the 2 hospitals in Fredericksburg by a long shot. Also more affordable and brand new-- it's beautiful. Not sure if you've been there but the nurses are incredibly nice. I had a MC in February and everyone at Spotsy was so comforting and supportive. I'm looking forward do going back there eventually! We're going to TTC soon too

wishingforthatday08

Sorry to hear about your MC. Good luck with TTC  

I was looking into Spotsy Regional as well as Rappahannock Women's Health Center. RWHC has a midwife on staff that looks to be covered by our insurance. Have you heard anything about that facility?

kbedfox

I used RWHC as my OB/GYN for about a year. I was underwhelmed by their service.. I hadn't yet started TTC but had irregular periods and the Drs there immediately suggested fertility meds without doing any testing, which surprised me. They were also habitually behind schedule which made ME late, often waiting in the room for an hour. Just wasn't impressed so now I go to Southpointe OB/GYN, all the Drs (that I've seen, anyway) are fabulous.

wishingforthatday08

Thanks! I'll check Southpointe out