Anyone had a homebirth in a state where it's illegal for a midwife to assist?

There are unassisted birth group lists at Yahoo Groups that would be a valuable resource for you.

Generally, most homebirth moms-to-be have a doctor for prenatal care and simply stop going, while others chose not to have any care at all. I don't think that is wise for several reasons, some pretty obvious, but at the very least, it provides proof that you were indeed pregnant. In this day of people stealing babies, that is probably wise. Then there are the gals who do have the doctor, but stay home for the birth and contact the doctor and say 'ooops, I guess we waited too long.'

I considered both the unassisted and midwife assisted options, but due to a new health problem, a repeat c-section is more wise.

As far as the birth certificate, whoever was there! In most cases, the daddy was there and he gets to sign the certificate. This occurs even if you choose to transfer to the hospital after the birth. You do need more information on birth certificates for your own state, but as I mentioned, join a Yahoo group on the subject to see if this is really the route you would like to go.

In comment to the poster above, many nurse-midwives in hospitals have a misnomer title as they are not at all encouraging to avoid interventions and provide support. This is not true everywhere, of course.

Why not a midwife for this birth? There are midwives that work with hospitals/doctors. I saw a midwife with all of my children. They were all born in the hospital (she was gone for one of the births.) I was too far from her to do a home birth, but I found out after that some of her patient check into the local motel & deliver their babies there (they put a protective plastic sheet on the bed.) DO a search on midwives. The one I use has patient that come form 2+ hours away to see her (the downside is you have to schedule appts a month in advance.)

I would also suggest you check into provider who do water births as they are more likey to have a "natural" voew of birth.

There are "religions" -Amish- that have homebirths with midwives all the time. Having a homebirth in itself is not illegal.

CHeck out some of these websites for more info as it would vary depending on wht state you are in.

Also do a google search on Henci Goer- a midwife with many books & research.

"State laws must guarantee families the freedom to choose home birth by recognizing the type of midwifery which focuses principally on out-of-hospital birth, ..."

"It is not illegal to have a home birth, but it might be illegal for a midwife to ... Certified Nurse Midwives (CNMs) in most states within the USA can ..."