- Pregnancy
- Baby & Toddler
- Parents
- Getting Pregnant
- Baby Names
- Product Reviews
-
Registry
- Community
-
More
Want a personalized experience?
Download the free app
VBAC
M/C Dec 2010 - 5w5d Missing my sweet angel baby.
Talk to me about homebirth
I just found a midwife who supports homebirth, even for VBACs. I am meeting with her next week. Is there anything that I should ask about? I know she does water births, and even with a water birth, the price is 4500 less than my hospital birth! Is anyone here planning a home birth? Do you have a birth plan set up? Thanks ladies.
M/C Dec 2010 - 5w5d Missing my sweet angel baby.
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Talk to me about homebirth
M/C Dec 2010 - 5w5d Missing my sweet angel baby.
I'm planning a HBAC, too. Pretty much what PP said. My DH actually had more questions than me. The MWs did most of the talking, we all just got to know each other.
We had our meeting at 7 weeks and I've only had my prenatal care with them. My favorite thing about them is that they WANT us to be friends. Wouldn't you want to be attended by a friend rather than a bunch of strangers? My MWs are on FB and regularly comment on my posts (especially when I finally finished DS's CS birth story last week) and they are so accessible. I can call their cell phones anytime, or email them, or FB chat with them. And they care about my emotions. I vented to one of them the other day that I was just feeling really crappy mentally and everything that went with it. And she replied that she was so glad I was sharing that with her b/c it was part of the journey to me healing and being able to have a wonderful birth. How cool is that???
Just found the list of questions we took with us. Many they answered before we asked....HTH!
How long have you been in practice?
Who covers for you when you aren't available? Will we be meeting them?
What is your back-up system during pregnancy and labor-when you go on vacation, are sick or with another laboring mother?
How many babies do you deliver in a month?
Who will be there for delivery?
How much experience do you have with HBACS? What %? How often are they successful?
How much time do you allot to each prenatal visit?
What if I have questions between visits?
How can I reach you in an emergency?
How would you recommend monitoring of my hypothyroidism and depression?
What medical conditions would require me to transfer to a doctor's care?
If I do have to transfer, to what extent do your services continue?
What happens financially if I transfer?
What tests do you routinely perform during a pregnancy?
What if I have concerns about a specific test?
What if I choose to skip a test?
*What is your rate of cesarean section after transfer?
*What do you suggest to help me deal with labor (methods that work well, etc)?
*Will you help us develop a birth plan?
*What role will my husband play?
How do you handle pregnancies that reach 40 or 42 weeks without signs of labor?
What if the baby is breech?
What if the baby is posterior?
Does she have a way to order an ultrasound and lab work if needed (and if not, what does she recommend)?
What would she do if your blood pressure started to creep up at the end?
Are there tests she strongly recommends?
Does she come to you or do you come to her for appointments?
What support does she offer after the baby is born?
How much newborn assessment do you do, and how soon after birth do you suggest seeing a pediatrician?
What situations do you suggest/require transport for (in labor, and after the birth)? Do you go to the hospital, too?
What are you not comfortable dealing with at home?
Do you have time limits on labor, or deadlines re past 42 weeks etc.?
What will she do if there's a long labor or if there doesn't seem to be any "progress" for several hours?
How much monitoring does she like to do during labor?
What if you refuse vaginal exams?
What would she recommend if water breaks and labor doesn't start right away, or even within 24 hours.
Do you have a policy for siblings at births?
Have you ever lost any moms or babies? (My husband asked this, and it's a hard one to ask, but I was pleased when she said yes and then continued to tell us the story.)
Have you ever had to resuscitate a baby? What training do you have for neonatal resuscitation?
How do you treat excessive bleeding?
What are your expectations of us?
When is too early for a homebirth with regard to prematurity?
What equipment and supplies do you provide and what would we be expected to provide?
What is your experience with doulas during a birth?
How much time do you allow for the placenta to deliver?
How long do you stay after a birth, and who handles cleanup?
we are planning a homebirth as well! I love how my midwives really seem to care about me. She always hugs me when I get there and when I leave and she kissed me on the forehead when I told her I was pregnant (we knew eachother before I got pregnant just from doing things in the birth community). Everytime we leave she hugs and kisses DD too (I have my appts when DS is at school). I just love the difference in care and my last birth was with a midwife too (but in a hospital) and it is just night and day!
As far as a birth plan goes, since H wanted totally unassisted and I am not comfortable with that, we sort of told the MW that we want them to sit in the corner unless we need them. I want a very hands off (from them) birth and they seem to respect that.
I hope all goes well with your appt with them! The other thing I really like aobut the HB MW is that I feel like they really truly beleive that a womans body can birth babies. They have total faith that my body works and I appreciate that.
Thanks everyone. That was all really helpful!
Joel'sgirl- I didn't want to quote you and take up so much space but thank you for your list! I'm definitely writing down those!
M/C Dec 2010 - 5w5d Missing my sweet angel baby.
I'm planning an HBAC for June. I used the same midwife group (at their birth center) last time, so I am familiar with the transfer protocols already. My midwives can rent a birth tub, or there is local company that will set them up during labor (or I can get a fishy pool, LOL).
Since hospital VBAC is so limited where I live, the questions that I plan to ask at my next visit are around non-emergency transfer and whether I could still have a VBAC. Breech birth is right out, but things like preterm/near-term birth, postdates and induction (anything < 37 or > 42 weeks is out for home birth), or another non-emergent complication. I don't know yet what my options are in the hospital under those conditions.
In any case, I will definitely have a birth plan. I think it helped keep DS with me at all times last time.