Having a home birth!!!

It's official: little brother will be born at home, in "the green house" as it is so lovingly referred to by Hannah. I watched The Business of Being Born AGAIN a few weeks ago and started getting really bummed about the idea of having another hospital birth. Since this pregnancy is more than halfway over, I figured I can do something about it now or just get over it.

Assisting with a home birth is illegal in Maryland, and the climate against home birthing midwives has been extremely hostile lately so finding someone wasn't easy. The only one I could find is located about 5 miles south of the Delaware state line which is about an hour and 15 minutes from the green house....this is problematic for a person like me who thinks that anything farther than about a 15-minute drive is too far. Sure, she comes to us during the birth, but I'd have to go to her for all appointments and in the end, when you're checking in weekly...well, I knew that wouldn't work for me so I dismissed the idea and returned to the midwives who delivered Hannah and have an office 5 minutes from our house. They're great midwives, and Mercy has a new fancy-pants labor and delivery center so it's a fine option; it's just not my ideal option, and since  we don't intend to have any more children, I really, really, really want to do everything I can to have my ideal birth. 

I decided I owed it to myself to at least fully explore the home birth option before dismissing it based on location, so I contacted the midwife up north again and set up an appointment to test drive the drive and meet her. I had fingers crossed that we wouldn't connect, and the decision would be easy, but I loved her. The drive really was too much though, and in addition to that, we couldn't afford the fee. I had no idea how expensive a home birth is! When I was pregnant with Hannah, a home birth midwife quoted me $1,800. Apparently that is not the norm. The norm is a little over $4,000. I get why it costs that much, but we definitely don't have that sitting around.

Although we didn't go with her, she was able to refer us to another home birth midwife who is a little closer (about a 45-minute drive) and who bills insurance. Hannah and I went to meet her on Thursday and loved her. The drive is still a bit much, but manageable, and our out-of-pocket costs are $2,000, also more manageable.

Today I had my last appointment with the other midwives and was relieved that everyone in the office was incredibly supportive of my decision. I have copies of my records and an appointment next month with the midwife who will help us deliver this baby boy right here in the comfort of our own home. Wahoooo!!!!!