How do I find a homebirth midwife?

In some areas, it is as easy as opening the phone book. In other areas, any providers of homebirth services are practicing outside the law and so are hidden from the general public. My first suggestion would be to check the Natural Childbirth Directory for midwives in your area. If you cannot find anyone there, your next step should be to contact doulas and childbirth educators in your area to find out about the homebirth climate. If there is someone in your area assisting at homebirths, they should be able to point you in the right direction.

If you are still unable to find someone to attend you, you might consider contacting an organization that supports homebirth to get further advice. You might even want to volunteer some of your time to promoting the availability of homebirth in your community.

Remember, it is not only you who needs to choose the midwife. Your midwife will help you assess your overall health and in some rare cases may recommend that you not plan for a homebirth. Most women will find their health is more than suitable to plan for a homebirth. Midwives won't judge you based on statistics, so you don't have to worry that having had a cesarean or having had an epidural means you are not a candidate. Instead, for a midwife to recommend against homebirth would mean something specific with your health concerns her. While this may not be the answer you want, remember homebirth midwives are there to keep you and the baby safe. If she has concerns about your health, ask her about things you can do to improve your risk. You may be able to re-evaluate the situation in a few months to see if your chances of being successful have improved.

You May Also Be Interested In: The Coach's Notebook of positions, techniques and tools for labor Homebirth Books for more information. Midwife Directory to find homebirth midwives and midwife organizations. Virtual Labor to practice your laboring skills. Labor Progress Guide to help you understand the process of labor. Birth Challenges to help you learn to navigate through a challenging labor. This is the story of how I ended up at home for Jaron's Birth.

© Copyright 2000-2008 Jennifer VanderLaan and Birthing Naturally

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