Pregnant, Dr vs Midwife vs Doula question?

In my town, and alot of other, midwives work in the hospital and some clinics along side a doctor, my midwife gives me my pap smear and does anything in pregnancy other than surgical procedures such as c-sections. They are covered by most insurance. Also a doula is to help you give birth, not to see you during pregnancy or give ultrasounds and medical advice. So you could have a midwife and doula or a doctor and doula but you will need a midwife or doctor to have your prenatal exams, sonograms, and blood work etc. Btw aside from buying towels and maybe a pool, home births are free.

ADD: Just wanted to add that alot of people think midwifes are just for natural birth but you can still have an epidural or medicated birth. And they really are less expensive than a doctor, there care is also focused on you and the baby, emotionally too not just the medical stuff.

Unfortunately Medicaid won't pay for a Doula - I had one with my twin pregnancy as I was adamant about having a vaginal delivery with them if at all possible and let me tell you she was worth every PENNY spent!!

I live in Urbandale IA - just outside of West Des Moines not sure where you are but maybe you can find a midwife from here -

http://www.birthingnaturally.net/directory/midwife...

Home birth's are generally way less than a hospital birth - but if you have medicaid they again won't cover a home birth

You could however find a midwife through a birthing clinic - this is covered through medicaid and less expensive than a hospital birth

Even with a Doula you still need either an OB or MW for your prenatal care - they don't give this

I had my first baby at a hospital, and I will never set foot in a hospital maternity ward again, barring a life-threatening emergency. I am pregnany again, and planning a home birth with a CPM (certified professional midwife). We had originally wanted to use a birth center, but it was too expensive and I really wanted a home birth. The center was just a compromise with my husband. Read everything you can about natural childbirth. Make sure you understand the physiology of birth and know what to expect. Find a midwife you trust, educate yourself, and be prepared to transfer if needed, but do not plan on it. Statistics show that home birth in a low-risk pregnancy is as safe as a hospital for a first time mom, and at least as safe if not safer for a mom who has had a baby before. Good luck and congratulations on your pregnancy! ETA: Midwives DO have a fetal monitor, I don't know why so many people think they don't. They don't use constant fetal monitoring, because it is proven to increase the c-section rate and actually causes more problems than it prevents. It was never meant to be used universally the way it is in hospitals today; it was intended for high-risk labors only. Intermittent fetal monitoring is more effective, and allows mom to move around, so it doesn't slow down labor. Midwives also carry Pitocin to prevent maternal hemorrhage, and can handle any complication that comes up, even if it is stabilizing mom and baby for an ambulance ride to the hospital. Often, a home birth mama can be in the OR getting a stat c-section faster than a woman in the hospital, because the midwife calls the hospital while she is waiting on the ambulance so that they can prep the OR. If you can get to the hospital in less than 20 minutes, you are likely to be in surgery faster than a mom who labored in the hospital.

I can only speak in regards to the Doula portion. Our hospital offered doula services FREE OF CHARGE! It was great! We had not considered it at first, but then after learning more about their services, we requested a doula. It was, by far, the best decision for us. We will do the same for our next baby due in September. So, if you have options for local hospitals, ask around and see if any of them offer doula services as part of the birthing plan. I know that if you hire them personally, they are quite expensive.

Best of luck!

Medicaid WILL pay for a homebirth with a CNM. Here is one :

http://www.midwifekathy.com/contact.html

Or use a CPM, but pay out of pocket:

http://iowamidwivesassociation.org/

Good luck!