Frequently Asked Questions
Why choose home birth?
Increasingly, many families are choosing to birth their baby in the comfort and safety of their own home. What a wonderful decision to birth where you feel the safest and have complete control over who is with you as you welcome your new baby. Many families choose home birth to avoid routine medications and interventions that are present in hospital birth settings. At home you can be assured of who attends you, who is invited, what you eat and drink, and how you are cared for before, during and after your birth.
Is home birth safe?
Although the safety of homebirth is still a hotly debated subject, there are many well researched studies that show that giving birth at home is as safe as a hospital setting for low-risk birthing people expecting a healthy pregnancy. Your midwives are trained and specialized in normal birth.
What about an emergency? What happens then?
True emergencies are very rare. Your midwives are well trained to recognize when things are not normal and to act swiftly and competently. We carry the very same medications to stop hemorrhage that the hospital uses. We are trained in CPR, advanced neonatal life support and emergency birth procedures. We carry oxygen, IV supplies, antihemorrhagic medications, and are prepared to resuscitate a newborn at every birth.
How do I choose a midwife?
Birthing families in the Twin Cities are fortunate to have so many choices for their midwifery care. Home birth midwives feel strongly that a good fit is of the utmost importance when choosing care. We provide a complimentary consultation visit so you can meet us and get all your questions answered. Please bring your partner and all your questions to this visit.
What about my older children and other family members? Can they be present at my birth?
This is your birth in your home. We consider ourselves guests when we are asked to attend a birth. Who you invite to your birth is your choice. Children can be valuable and cherished members of the birth, and we will help guide you in preparing your children if you choose to have them present. Anybody attending a birth needs some preparation and knowledge of your expectations. We can help you set boundaries with friends and family and to create the ideal atmosphere for your baby’s birth day.
What if I need hospital care?
Occasionally it becomes necessary to transfer care to a hospital provider during your pregnancy or to transport you and or your baby in labor or in the postpartum period. We have several wonderful and supportive health care professionals we consult with if this should happen. If hospital guidelines allow, we accompany you and stay with you until you have birthed. When you return home, we then continue our excellent postpartum care in your home.
Does my baby need to see a pediatrician after the birth?
Midwifery care includes caring for you and your baby for six weeks after the birth. We monitor weight gain, feeding, and normal newborn behavior. Unless you are opting for certain vaccinations, it is not necessary for you to bring your baby to a doctor in the first six weeks. We will perform the Newborn Metabolic Blood Spot Test (PKU), Hearing Screen and the Critical Congestive Heart Defect (CCHD) screening in your home. These screenings are performed in the first days of life. If your midwives have concerns about your baby’s health or well being, we will refer you to an appropriate health care provider.
What supplies do I need to have home birth?
We ask that you purchase a birth kit, which we make available online. This includes some disposable items and several things that are harder to obtain locally. Many other items that we like you to have on hand are things that you probably have in your home. If you are planning a water birth, you will need to purchase a new tub liner, new hose to fill the tub and an adaptor to attach the hose to a faucet. We will provide a birth supplies list and discuss home preparation as part of your prenatal care.
How much does homebirth cost?
We have set our fees to be competitive with the Twin Cities market and have allowed for a sliding scale based on your individual family budget. We will provide you with resources to thoughtfully choose where to land on our no-questions-asked sliding scale.
Additionally, we ask our families to purchase a birth kit which contains essential disposible supplies for your home birth. For families operating with low income and tight budgets, we can discuss ways to compile a birth kit for you at little to no cost. If you are planning a waterbirth, please also plan for the cost of a new hose.
Any desired lab work and ultrasounds are billed directly to your insurance.
Does Insurance cover home birth?
We can never guarantee that your private insurance company will cover the cost of your home birth. Home birth remains a direct pay service, and we ask that you pay our midwifery care fee directly to us by 36 weeks of pregnancy. We offer individualized payment plans to all families.
If you would like to try billing your insurance for reimbursement of our fee, you have the option of hiring our third party biller for this service. The billing process begins with a Verification of Benefits which will provide information about how your insurance company is likely to treat your claims. Billing claims are filed after the birth and reimbursement may be denied, partial or in rare occasions, complete.
Birth is messy, who cleans up?
We admit it, sometimes birth is messy, but it isn’t nearly as messy as you may think. We do a great job of containing the ‘festival of fluids’ that are present during a birth and we do the clean up after your baby is born. We don’t leave your home until the birth room is cleaned, the laundry is done and you have eaten a good meal.
How often do I see the midwives?
We see our families on the same schedule as other hospital-based providers. We schedule visits every 4 weeks from when we start care until 28 weeks, then every two weeks until the home visit at 36 weeks. After the home visit we see you weekly until your baby arrives. Our prenatal care visits are 45 minutes long. This gives us the luxury of time with each of our birthing families.
Do you offer water birth?
Yes, we love waterbirth! We own several water birth tubs that you can use free of charge. Please buy a new hose and make sure it fits on the faucet you will be using to fill the tub. Your home birth supply kit has the option of including a disposable liner for the birth tub. Order this if you plan a water birth or water immersion in labor.
