Frequently Asked Questions
Do you accept insurance?
Yes. If you have health insurance with maternity benefits, you will be reimbursed accordingly once the claim is paid by your insurance company. We cannot bill for any services until after the birth and it can take several months for the claim to be paid. Due to the volume of our practice, we cannot accommodate this long delay in payment for our services.
After the birth we can file the claim for you through our billing service. We are non-participating providers for most insurance plans so your level of benefit will be less then if using an in-network provider. Typically this means that you will have a deductible that will need to be reached and then insurance will reimburse at some level of coverage which is less than 100%. If we can negotiate in-network authorization prior to the birth then your reimbursement will be much higher. If you have a plan that allows us to request in-network authorization, we will do so as soon as you begin care.
HOW MANY WOMEN ARE DUE WITHIN A MONTH OF MY DUE DATE?
Our practice is growing each year, but usually we have about 4 women birth each month.
WHAT HAPPENS IF TWO WOMEN GO INTO LABOR ON THE SAME DAY?
While this happens rarely, it is not a problem for our practice since there are two midwives. In the event that two women are laboring at the same time one midwife will go to each woman and we will call upon labor assistants or a midwife from another practice if the situation requires extra hands.
DO YOU EVER INDUCE LABOR? DO YOU USE PHARMACEUTICAL PRODUCTS TO DO SO?
Induction with drugs (pitocin or cytotec) is not part of our practice. If a medical induction is needed then we would make arrangements for that to happen in hospital. Sometimes we recommend natural remedies; such as herbs, homeopathics, acupuncture or castor oil to try and stimulate labor or to make it stronger.
WHAT PRENATAL TESTS DO YOU ROUNTINELY RECOMMEND AND/OR REQUIRE?You will be offered all prenatal tests and screening currently available to pregnant women in the United States. For each test and/or screen you will be given information on the condition or disease being screened for, information about the test and/or screen itself, information to help understand the range of results and how the results may affect your care. You will than make a decision about whether or not to do a particular test/screen. Read more about this process and the tests we offer.
HOW COMFORTABLE ARE YOU WITH DELIVERING BABIES OF FIRST-TIME MOTHERS?
We are very comfortable attending first-time mothers at home. In fact, we both had our first babies at home. Typically, one third to one half of the women in our practice at any given time are first time mothers.
WHAT KINDS OF PAIN RELIEF CAN YOU OFFER AT A HOME BIRTH?
Many factors contribute to a woman's perception of pain in labor. We find that with the continual support of skilled and familiar attendants, in a relaxed environment where a woman is at ease with her surroundings, a natural birth can be accomplished, often leaving a woman in awe of the power of birth. We are able to offer a variety of methods to help women cope with the discomforts of labor including massage, hydrotherapy (including waterbirth), changes of position and other methods all without associated risks of drug use to mother and baby.