Common Questions Answered:

Is homebirth really for me?

Homebirth is not for everyone, but homebirth can be a safe option for healthy women carrying a low-risk pregnancy. Homebirth is not for women with diabetes, hypertension, Rh sensitization and other diagnoses which make their pregnancies high-risk. Women with previous uterine surgery and those who are considered "advanced maternal age" are not risked out of homebirth based on those factors alone.

But what about... ?

Many people have a "laundry list" of things which they think make homebirth impossible for them. They are concerned about the mess, the cost, insurance coverage, safety, etc. When I address each of these issues in turn, they are surprised to see that homebirth is indeed possible for them to achieve! For instance, there really isn't much of a mess in homebirth, contrary to what you might think. We clean up after ourselves and start a load of laundry before we leave. Most people are pleased to look around and see very few signs that a homebirth just happened there only a few hours before. It's the brand new baby that usually gives it away!

The cost of homebirth is much lower than the cost of hospital birth. The average fee for a homebirth midwife in Boulder County, Colorado, is $3000, and that's for 9 months of prenatal care, labor and birth, and six weeks of postpartum care for mom and baby! The average cost of a hospital birth is around $10,000, including 9 months of OB care, labor and delivery and a 2-day postpartum stay.

Most people are surprised to know that insurance does often cover some of the costs of homebirth. PPO insurance plans generally pay about 70% of a midwife's fee.

Homebirth is safe for low risk pregnancy and birth. The latest scientific study, published in the British Medical Journal in June 2005, looked at the results of all homebirths in North America in the Year 2000. The study concluded that

Planned home birth for low risk women in North America using Certified Professional Midwives was associated with lower rates of medical intervention but similar intrapartum and neonatal mortality to that of low risk hospital births in the United States.

12.1% of women in the study intending homebirths ended up transporting to the hospital, 4.7% had an epidural and 3.7% birthed by C-section. This is compared to a 60% epidural rate and a 22% C-section rate at Boulder Community Hospital for the same time period.

Tell me about transporting to the hospital

Most hospital transports are not 911 emergencies. Usually, we have time to get to the hospital without the need for an ambulance. If, however, we need the ambulance, we use it! In my practice, it is not homebirth at all costs. It's homebirth as long as it's safe and normal. When it's not, then we go to the hospital and are grateful to accept all the help they can offer.

What is the typical prental schedule like?

Prenatals are pretty much the same as in a doctor's office. My prentals take about an hour, which is about the same as they take at an OB's. The difference is that at an OB's office, you typically sit in the waiting room for 45 minutes before they are ready to see you. You then spend 5 minutes getting your vitals taken and having someone slap a doppler on your belly to listen to the baby before they send you off to make another appointment. In my practice, I also spend 5 minutes taking your vitals. The rest of the time is spent talking about your diet, your exercise regimen, how life is going, what you're doing in your spare time, how you're sleeping, what your dreams are like. Usually I use a fetoscope (an old-fashioned fetal stethescope) to hear the baby's heartbeat through your belly; I do also like to spend time "getting to know the baby" by palpating your abdomen and helping you recogize the different parts. Dads and siblings are welcome to attend prenatals and are always offered the chance to palpate and listen to the baby's heartbeat as well. Most people really look forward to their prenatal time and miss it when the birth is over.

Prenatal visits happen every four weeks until 28 weeks of pregnancy and then every 2 weeks until 36 weeks. At 36 weeks we do a home visit and then you return to the office very week until the birth.

I make postpartum home visits on Day 1, Day 3, Day 7 and Day 14 to check up on mom and baby. The 6-week postpartum visit takes place back at the office.

Where is your office?

My office is in my home in Lafayette .

How far are you willing to travel to attend a birth?

I am comfortable attending births within about an hour's radius of Lafayette, Colorado. I am willing to consider travelling farther, as long as all the logistics involved can be worked out.