New Hampshire Babies

please recommend your midwife

Hello NH moms & moms-to-be,

I am very interested in having a midwife attend the birth of our 1st child and I've been on nhmidwives.org to get myself started with research.

So...my questions are,

-Who are you having attend?

-Are you delivering at home or in a center? Or hospital with midwife?

-Cost?/Any problems with insurance coverage?/Is a hospital with midwife more expensive than at a center, all other things being equal?

-If out of hospital, does your midwife have a relationship with a physician(s) to refer to in case of emergency?

TIA!

Lilypie First Birthday tickers Lilypie Second Birthday tickers

Re: please recommend your midwife

  • Hi!

     

    We're on the Seacoast and we're going with Val Jaques at the Coastal Family Birth Retreat.  She's amazing and is very encouraging a supportive of my desire to try for a VBAC.  We had a midwife at Exeter Hospital and the one thing I will say is that midwives who practice with OBGYN's are bound by the OB's scope of practice and really don't have the autonomy to make their own decisions regarding your labor.  We ended up with a really bad experience with our daughter who is 2. After trying and failing to refuse every intervention in the book I ended up with a c-section so I definitely would recommend talking to a midwife who isn't associated with a hospital along with a midwife who practices under an OB so that you can see the differences in their philosophies.

     As far as insurance goes, the birth center we're using takes our insurance and has a sliding scale for patients that don't have insurance so I feel like they are doing their best to make a non-medicalized birth possible for anyone who wants one.  All things being equal it is always more expensive to be at the hospital than to be at a birth center.

    My midwife does have a relationship with several doctors in the area in case I would need to be transferred during my pregnancy and the birth center is 5 minutes from Exeter hospital in case of a true emergency during my labor.

     I know there are a couple of other free standing birth centers here in NH and I would definitely encourage you to check them out!  Hope this helps!!

    Liz 

  • I went to Dover Women's Health. They have nurse/midwives on staff as well as doctors. My insurance covered it. I went to Wentworth Douglas. It's a hospital, but they were very holistic in their approach. I don't know if this is helpful to you at all.
  • Loading the player...
  • I just relocated from Pennsylvania to the Rochester area. I am going to Garrison Women's Health Center in Dover (it's across from the Wentworth-Douglass Hospital). We just met one of the midwives yesterday. They seem amazing! I love it already. They have 4 midwives there (but 2 will be on maternity leave pretty soon to have their own bundles of joy) and then there are 4 OBs (i think Hmm). Anyways, you can either choose ONLY midwives or ONLY Obs, or you can do both. Personally, i am going with only the midwives. Anyways, i've heard great things about them! (and relocating from so far away and not knowing anyone, wow! that means alot). I am giving birth in the Birth Center at the Wentworth-Douglass Hospital. Im planning on having a water birth. So they do that too Wink

    Everyone at Garrison is great! They answered all of my questions, were very in tune with everything, and more importantly they respect your values and ideas of birth and how you want to give birth. I would highly recommend them! 

     As far as insurance goes...they accept most insurances. Just call em up and ask, thats what i did! I know for sure they accept Atna (sp?) and Blue Cross, and the state health insurance. I know they accept many others too, so i would just call and ask. 

    Here is their website if you're interested:

    https://www.gwhc.com/

  • I'm in southern NH and see the Dartmouth midwives at CMC.  There are 4 in the office plus 3 OBs, but if you're a patient of the MWs with no complications you won't see the OBs.  Personally I love all 4 of them, there wasn't one I found myself hoping wouldn't deliver me.  I delivered at CMC, so it was a hospital birth, but they were open to all requests we had for natural, intervention free birth and after birth baby bonding and said most things we wanted were standard for them, anyway.  As with most MWs it was a very hands off pregnancy (minimal testing) and birth (all I took was the antibiotic for strep b) and I was highly encouraged to be active during labor and to use a ball, the tub, etc.  I was very pleased with both the practice and CMC.  As for insurance it was all billed like any other doc office visits for me.
    Lilypie Third Birthday tickers
    Lilypie First Birthday tickers

    image
  • I also saw the Dartmouth midwives at CMC.  I will definitely use them again when we decide to try and have number 2.  They were very attentive to my needs/concerns/wants during the pregnancy, labor and delivery.  I ended up needing a c-section so also had an OB from their practice but my midwife was there the whole time as well.  During my recovery at CMC, I not only had doctors checking on my recovery, all of the midwives on duty came in as well.  My choice was confirmed as a good one when they took a care in my child as well.  Every one of them came in and went to her or asked to hold her along with having conversations with me.  Good Luck with your decision!!
    Books to read in 2015: 9/60
  • imageWildcatPrincess:
    I'm in southern NH and see the Dartmouth midwives at CMC.  There are 4 in the office plus 3 OBs, but if you're a patient of the MWs with no complications you won't see the OBs.  Personally I love all 4 of them, there wasn't one I found myself hoping wouldn't deliver me.  I delivered at CMC, so it was a hospital birth, but they were open to all requests we had for natural, intervention free birth and after birth baby bonding and said most things we wanted were standard for them, anyway.  As with most MWs it was a very hands off pregnancy (minimal testing) and birth (all I took was the antibiotic for strep b) and I was highly encouraged to be active during labor and to use a ball, the tub, etc.  I was very pleased with both the practice and CMC.  As for insurance it was all billed like any other doc office visits for me.

    This is who I went with as well.  I ended up having a very long and and traumatic labor and delivery...3 of the 4 mw's and 2 of the 3 md's assisted me.  They were all amazing.  If it wasn't for their postive attitudes and patience my experience would have been much worse and would have most likely resulted in a c-section.  I am so happy this is the group I went with and I am so glad I went with midwives over MD's (though the MD's in this practice are fantastic as well).

    Edit: Just wanted to add that I believe there is a great birthing center close to New London.  The MW's there were actually featured in The Business of Being Born. 

    Baby Birthday Ticker Ticker
  • imageWildcatPrincess:
    I'm in southern NH and see the Dartmouth midwives at CMC.  There are 4 in the office plus 3 OBs, but if you're a patient of the MWs with no complications you won't see the OBs.  Personally I love all 4 of them, there wasn't one I found myself hoping wouldn't deliver me.  I delivered at CMC, so it was a hospital birth, but they were open to all requests we had for natural, intervention free birth and after birth baby bonding and said most things we wanted were standard for them, anyway.  As with most MWs it was a very hands off pregnancy (minimal testing) and birth (all I took was the antibiotic for strep b) and I was highly encouraged to be active during labor and to use a ball, the tub, etc.  I was very pleased with both the practice and CMC.  As for insurance it was all billed like any other doc office visits for me.


    This! The midwives at CMC are freaking incredible. Kerri, Dorice, Jamie, and Susan are all amazing. I've been so happy with my care!! Even though you rotate between 4 women it all still feels very personal...
  • I see the midwives at the Birth Cottage in Milford NH. LOVE IT! Adrianne and Autumn are amazing.
This discussion has been closed.
Choose Another Board
Search Boards
"
"