1st Baby - Might need to have home birth

[palacemommy]

Hi ladies, well I'm in a bit of a tricky situation.
This is mine and hubby's first child and I had planned on having a delivery in the hospital... however I didn't have maternity insurance before I got pregnant and this crappy insurance that said they would give me discounts on all things maternity even though I was already pregnant. But they then informed me that they would give me only $300 off the $3500 doctor delivery fee, and probably a little under 10% of what the hospital fee would be. I'm not a U.S citizen yet as I was born in the UK so I basically don't have any coverage now because we cancelled that insurance that was charging $150 a month.

So because of financial reasons dh and I decided to look into birthing centers or getting a midwife to aid us in a homebirth. Although I'm due in November I'm absolutely terrified already of not having the option of pain medication. I SERIOUSLY admire anyone who has a natural birth. I just feel like I'm not cut out for it? I'm kind of a big baby when it comes to pain, and this being my first child I have no idea what to expect.

This might seem like a silly post for all you ladies who choose natural birth, because might seem I'm feeling pushed into it and not deciding by my own will. Does anyone have any words of wisdom, advice, what to expect if I do go through with home birth or birthing center?

 

[try4girl2]

Have you looked into hospitals that will help with the bill. Like a Catholic hospital or non profit hospital? What about Medicaid? I know there are some hospitals that will write off some if not all the bill if you don't have insurance and a limited income. I hope this helps good luck

 

[Mervs Mum]

I'm not sure on what practical advice to give you regarding your options but would looking into some hypnosis, anxiety therapy, Bradley classes, Hypnobirthing or something to help you believe in yourself. Obviously you have a lot of fear but if you can work through that, you will find that no matter where you are, it's actually no where near as scary as you think. Fear is what causes the pain so maybe looking for ways to understand the process ans how you can actually work with your body would be a good place to start. And those strategies and techniques will be incredibly useful regardless of where you end up giving birth.

 

[palacemommy]

thank you! going to look into all those options

 

[Lollycake]

Just replied to your comment on my thread and hadn't seen this. I don't really know much about the system in the US, I'm guessing that if you needed an emergency c section or something there would be a hospital who would take you?
I dunno if this helps, but I'm also a wimp when it comes to pain...like, when I'm at the dentist I ask for the gel (that they give kids) first so I don't feel the needle...I fainted when I got a piercing...I cried when I had to get an early (internal) scan when I was pregnant. If I can do it so can you!! Contractions are quite intense, but not necessarily painful. I think a lot of it is psychological - if you go into it expecting it to hurt then it probably will! Women's bodies were designed for this, women were birthing long before epidurals. Good luck, you can do it!

 

[try4girl2]

The hospitals here in the US have to take you if you are pregnant and in labor or any other Emergency but the Bills are CRAZY

 

[PepsiChic]

Im a Uk citizen didnt have insurance, I asked the hospital if they have any asisstance and infact most do, its normally called financial aid or financial assistance.

they get some information, like wage slips from you/husband and information ony our monthly costs. then they work out a % that they pay and a % that you can pay in installments.

however based ony our income is the %...because i was on maternity my income was $0 so they went off just my husbands and covered the bill 100%! I applied for medicaid for the baby straight away and that covered his bills 100%

 

[madasa]

I am a HUGE wimp when it comes to pain. Tremendous baby! But - I did love birthing. It really IS different. I promise you.

Here is the thing: let's say for a minute that you are going to hospital and plan on taking any and all pain medication on offer. You do not get it at the first twinge. You labour for a while first. Then at the end, sometimes drs like you to turn the epi down or off so that you can feel enough to push effectively. So, for these times, it is a very good idea to have a coping strategy to deal with the sensations. And, if you have tools to cope and good, continuous support - you will probably find you have less need of the pain meds anyway!

You will surprise yourself. You are stronger than you think. You might find this piece really encouraging!

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?...51950756000.408691.66427115999&type=1&theater

^ ^ ^ (let me know if you don't have access to Facebook and I#ll send you the tet in a pm?)

 

[palacemommy]

thanks so much everyone! your responses are incredibly helpful, definitely making me feel more peaceful about possible home birth. And PepsiChic that's amazing that the hospital did that, I had no idea of that possibility. Thank you ladies so much. Going to check out the facebook link right now

 

[try4girl2]

I would also try and call and talk to the hospitals because they are going to tell you a lot more then you will get off their websites.

 

[Jazavac]

I am not a US citizen either, and I've never had any issues because of that. I do have insurance through my job, though.

I'd probably ask the hospitals in the area, there are different forms of assistance. Also, birthing centers cost money, too.

Worse comes to worst, there's quite some time left between now and November, so you might even end up saving some money, or figuring out your insurance situation.

 

[Lizzie K]

Like other posters said find out what kind of financial aid is offered at the hospitals in your area. Also, even though you're not a citizen, look into getting Medicaid to cover the pregnancy. When I went for my booking appointment, they gave me a packet that also contained instructions on getting a three-month Medicaid card, with special instructions for non-citizens. I know in this state, you can get the temporary card, then, when you go into labor, apply for emergency Medicaid. (or rather apply as soon as LO is born) Naturally, you will be able to get the baby covered right after the birth, since he/she will be a US citizen due to being born in this country.
Also, look into low-income clinics for your prenatal care. I have no insurance and only have to pay $15 per visit. They will also help you apply for Medicaid. They will provide care for anyone, regardless of citizenship. The one I go to has a ton of illegals that go there, too.

 

[korndogger123]

I see you are in Florida, and I went and found this for you. You might want to read through it and see if it could apply to you. If you meet the requirements (income under certain level. ect.) and have a visa/green card to be here you can get pregnancy medicaid and if you don't have the visa/green card read the part about the Emergency Medical Assistance (EMA) For Non-Citizens)

https://www.dcf.state.fl.us/programs/access/medicaid.shtml#nc

 

[palacemommy]

thanks SO much!!

 

[MeanKitty23]

I'm on the verge of having my first baby at the end of July. I do have insurance, but I had to get Medicaid on top of it to afford what my insurance wouldn't cover. We're talking like, an extra 1000$ and then some... We just can't afford it.

I live in the US - Alabama specifically. Even if we didn't have insurance though, Medicaid would cover the medical costs if it had to, so it's definitely something you could check into. I'm not sure what type of qualifications there are for it though, so you could check with your local Health Dept. (or at least that's where we go for Medicaid info here in AL).

Then again, I haven't been happy with the way I've been treated by my doctors. They seem to care more about their needs rather than mine, so I home birth is becoming more and more appealing to me. After researching a lot on the topic, having the mindset that we are women, we have been built to give birth since day 1... Something about that is comforting and eases my mind. It may be uncomfortable, but I'm really dead set on not having pain meds, even if I go to the hospital (unless there's a need for a c-section of course).

We're made to perform this. It's supposed to come natural to us. I'm gonna be laboring in water as long as possible, using that as a natural pain reliever with DH there as the support.

Everything I've researched insists that you should keep a strong mindset for this process. You can do it!