If you've been considering home birth and have decided it's the route for you, here is list of questions you may want to ask a prospective midwife.
Photos courtesy of Peace Love Babies | Twin Cities, St. Cloud birth, newborn, family photography
First of all, congratulations on your pregnancy! As I discussed in my post about considering home birth, having a midwife that you trust is crucial. Looking for a midwife who fits your family and expectations can feel like an overwhelming process, but below is a compiled list to help you ask the important questions and find the perfect birth attendant.
The most important thing to think about is how YOU feel about their answers to your questions. Most midwives will understand and expect that you'll be interviewing a few different birth attendants to find the perfect fit for you. Here are some questions to consider, and don't hesitate to ask anything else you may be wondering about during the interview.
Questions for Your Midwife
1. How much is your fee and what is included in the total bill? Many midwives have a lump sum which includes all prenatal and postpartum care, along with the birth. Most will also work with you on a payment plan if necessary.
2. Do you take insurance? Some midwives work with billing agencies who take care of filing with insurance, some will file for you, and others don't deal directly with insurance. Often, you can submit a claim of your own to see if insurance will reimburse you after the birth if your midwife doesn't accept insurance.
3. How many births have you attended and how long have you been practicing?
4. Have you ever missed a birth? If so, what were the circumstances?
5. What is your hospital transfer rate?
6. What are some reasons you've had to transfer, and about how many resulted in C-section?
7. If I were to need a transfer to the hospital, what kind of care would you provide me for my labor and would postpartum care be the same?
8. Have you lost any babies or mothers? If so, what were the circumstances?
9. How often do you break waters?
10. How long after water has broken will you let a mom labor before intervening?
11. What kind of monitoring do you do on mother and baby during labor?
12. Do you consider yourself hands-on or hands-off?
13. How often do you do cervical checks?
14. How many clients do you deliver in one month, and do you have a limit to the amount of families you will accept in a month?
15. Have you ever had two clients in labor at the same time? What would you do in that situation and do you have a back up if necessary?
16. Do you require and/or offer tests like Strep-B, glucose screening, the newborn blood spot test, or newborn hearing screening?
17. If you require the glucose test, do you offer alternatives to the glucola drink? For a study about using jelly beans instead of the typical glucola drink, look here.
18. Have you had to deal with postpartum hemorrhage? If so, what do you do in the event of hemorrhage? Most midwives will have a protocol including herbs or even pitocin in the event of hemorrhage.
19. How far past due dates do you allow mothers to deliver at home? Do you require non-stress tests or monitoring after 42 weeks?
20. Do you bring an assistant to your births?
21. Do you perform sutures if necessary or do you evaluate tears to determine if they're required?
22. What do I need to have prepared at my home for my birth? Do you clean up after the birth?
23. If I'm interested in a water birth, do you have a birthing pool or do I need to rent/buy a pool?
24. What kind of resuscitation equipment do you carry with you?
25. Do you provide postnatal visits at my home?
26. Do you provide any physical support during labor or would you suggest hiring a doula?
27. Do you have an opinion about the amount of people I choose to have at my birth?
28. Do you suggest a birthing class, and if so, do you have any that you'd recommend?
Now, this isn't an exhaustive list and again, if you have other questions you should definitely ask them! Everyone is different and only you know your comfort level.
Have more ideas for questions for your midwife?
Leave them in the comments!
Check out our other Home Birth / Natural Labor Posts:
Home birth: Is it right for you?
You want a home birth, now what?
Must -have home birth supplies
Disclaimer: I'm not a medical professional, but after personal research and two home births, these are some questions that I asked, and some that I wish I'd thought to ask. This information, including text, images, and links are for information purposes only and is based on my (Amber) personal experience. This post is NOT intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment of any kind. Always seek the advice of your physician or health care provider with any questions you may have regarding your healthcare, diagnosis, interventions, or treatments. I am not a medical professional and I was under the direct care of wonderful midwives for both of my pregnancies. They monitored me to make sure I did not become high-risk and that home birth was a safe option for me.
Amber Ludwig says
This is such an awesome list!! I would've never been able to think of all of these questions!! I would always forget questions and think of them later!!
Linda Manns says
I just love the home birth idea. These are some great questions and great things to think about. I just feel that you need a back up if you run into any complications. Thank you for this great article