Devastated.

[Reidfidleir]

Ok first of all everything is fine with me and my baby's health so far.

What I am so crushed about is that I have tried absolutely everything around my insurance to get some kind of out of network coverage so I can have a home birth.
My first was a wonderful and magical home waterbirth that we had to pay out of pocket for. (Our insurance at the time would have been the same price or more expensive for hospital)
Now my insurance has wonderful health insurance and we have no deductible either. I am grateful of course.
But this time I cannot afford to pay out of pocket. ($3600). I have tried to find out of net work coverage for some nurse midwives I found but any glimmer of hope that I had has been shredded to smithereens.
Our insurance has a specific policy written in to deny women this fundamental right to birth the way they want to.

So I am officially sentenced to having a hospital birth and I almost feel like I am in a grieving process. I am working with midwives right now but they aren't as flexible as the midwives I had before. They seem pretty bound by hospital policies so far.
I'm seriously considering hiring my former midwives as doulas to accompany me.

Not really sure what I'm looking for here. I'm just incredibly sad and very upset about having to birth at a hospital AND be denied a waterbirth as well!! (No hospitals around here will allow one).
Any advice? Any words at all? Thanks....

 

[Luvspnk31]

I don't have any advise, but I do feel you're pain. I live in Indiana, and I have always wanted a water birth. There is only one free-standing birth center near us, but it's out of network, and I doubt whether my ins would cover it anyway. The hospitals around here have large tubs in each room you can labor in, but not birth in. And only if there are "no interventions". I have always been induced, and could never use them because I was on pitocin. I'm hoping this time around I can at least labor in them. We have some really good CNM's around here, but hospital policy keeps them from allowing a water birth. It really sucks. This is one thing I'm really jealous of the UK ladies about.

 

[emmi26]

Aw I don't understand the whole insurance thing I'm afraid I'm in the uk but must be very upsetting not being able to have the birth you want because of insurance are they saying a home birth is more risky ?

Emma

 

[Leliana]

I don't have any advice I am afraid, however I have seen you mention several times how much you want a home birth and I am so terribly sorry that you are not able to have the birth experience you want. I think that hiring your former midwives as doulas will be really helpful in making you feel secure. They will be able to advocate for you and it will hopefully give you a greater sense of control/empowerment. I really hope that whatever happens you have a wonderful experience

 

[pinkcatgirl]

Sorry you are not happy. I would be devastated if I was told I had to have a home birth, I can't wait to get to the hospital!

 

[LuxAeterna]

I understand the feeling. I also grieved the possibility of another homebirth (I planned homebirths with my boys, and really, really wanted to birth at home again this time) early on when I first called around and discovered it's a bit more expensive than the two previous times I planned one. The going rate is between $4000-4500 in my area, and in the previous locations it was $2500. A significant difference.

So I had my sights set on birthing at a free-standing birth center nearby. Well, I tried going that route, but the providers operate outside my network. They don't accept my specific insurance plan. The whole insurance fiasco caused me a lot of anxiety and stress because I absolutely did NOT want to birth at a hospital. It was either at home or a birth center.

A couple weeks ago I basically made up my mind that I wanted us to do what we could to make a homebirth possible, and I called around again. I found one that offers services for my insurance plan at a discounted $3000, and another one $2000. I went with the CNM/CPM/OB homebirth practice because I really liked their cooperative effort/philosophy, and the main midwife lives only 2.5 miles from me. It felt like a weight was lifted off my shoulders.

I would have absolutely been devastated had we not found a midwife that offered services at a discounted rate and was willing to work with us. So I completely understand and empathize. (((hugs)))

Are they able to work with you at all, as far as a payment plan?

 

[Reidfidleir]

There's definitely payment plans but we simply cannot afford the fee even broken up into chunks. We managed last time but we have more debt and a mortgage now (we were renting very cheaply before).

Thank you for all your kind words and wishes. Anybody hope for homebirth and do hospital and it still came out ok?

 

[DolceBella]

I had an amazing waterbirth at a hospital with wonderfully supportive midwives, in the states. Is there really no way to find compromises where you live?