Can I get prenatal care and have a homebirth?

I have to say yes, since that is what I experienced. If you hired a homebirth midwife, ensuring your prenatal health is part of her job. This will be done either by your visiting her office or more likely by her visiting your home. You will find the visits to be longer than visits to your average obstetrical office and covering more topics than your weight gain and swelling.

In my case, I was under the care of a nurse midwife who worked at a local hospital. I had been very honest with my midwife, and told her I wanted a homebirth but felt uncomfortable with the only choice in my area (an illegally practicing direct entry midwife). I was also honest with her about my concerns the labor might go fast and worked with her to be ready in case it did. She was an encouragement to me, and kept reminding me that if everything was going fast it meant everything was going well.

As much as everyone says how important it is to have an "expert" with you during labor, no one really cared after the homebirth happened. My midwife told me to make an appointment for the following Monday and the pediatrician made an appointment for a week later. In defense of my midwife, she was aware that I am a doula and a childbirth educator; this was my second son and my first labor was fast and uneventful. She trusted me to let her know if there was a problem.

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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