Frequently Asked Questions

Someone who:

• Takes full responsibility for themselves, and their health choices for themselves and their baby

• Strongly believes in their body’s ability to birth

• Wants to be an active participant in their healthcare and develop a relationship of reciprocal trust with their midwifery team

• Will seek out education from high quality sources on the physiology of birth, coping techniques, and preparation for labor

• Does not require medication for blood pressure

• Does not have any type of diabetes that requires medication

• Lives within our service areas in Davidson, Sumner, and parts of Wilson, Robertson, and Williamson Counties.

Part of the midwifery model of care is ongoing risk assessment to ensure you remain a good candidate for safe physiologic birth in the home setting. A good candidate for care with Music City Midwifery also understands that there are circumstances in which responsible midwifery care requires transfer of care to a provider or facility with elevated diagnostic and treatment tools.

Many of our clients are able to submit their invoices for reimbursement from their HSAs or FSAs.

We cannot currently accept insurance, as homebirth coverage remains limited and payout rates currently do not cover the cost of our labor as midwives, the labor of our birth assistants, our organization fees, supplies, and labs.

We believe homebirth midwifery should not be a luxury, and will gladly accept insurance in the future if and when this system changes.

Our global fee for midwifery services, which covers prenatal care, standard labs and screenings, the birth, and all standard postpartum and newborn well visits is $6,500. This does not cover ultrasounds, extra labs that could be needed, or the birth supply kit.

The average cost of hospital birth in Nashville can be anywhere from $15,000-$40,000, or more when specialized care is needed.

We do our best to keep our pricing as accessible as possible while allowing us to continue to practice the midwifery model of care.

There are times when a pregnancy will develop a higher risk factor that requires more escalated care, such as gestational diabetes requiring medications, preeclampsia, anatomical differences in the baby that will require intervention immediately after birth, etc. When this is the case, we provide recommendations on other providers who work with these conditions to transfer care to and facilitate the transfer. We are never paid by these providers or other facilities for transfer.

There can also be situations that arise during labor, birth, or the minutes and hours after birth that necessitate transfer of care. When we see signs of any abnormal developments, we communicate them and recommend transfer to the hospital. We give report to the doctors or midwives taking over care for the birth at the hospital, and if we are able to, provide in-person support. We then are able to continue postpartum appointments once clients are discharged from the hospital.

If a transfer of care happens after 36 weeks, the full fee for services is still due. When transfers must happen earlier in pregnancy, clients are not responsible for the entire fee, and partial refunds may be given depending on how much has been pre-paid and how much care has been given. More precise details are listed in our contract.

We frequently take on VBA1Cs (vaginal birth after one cesarean), on a case by case basis. There are several factors that affect risk level with vaginal birth, including but not limited to the type of incision that was made during surgery, the reason for the cesarean, and the spacing between births.

Breech is a contentious subject, as most care providers are no longer trained in vaginal breech birth. Our practice has training and experience with breech, but we don’t regularly encounter breech births and therefore do not consider ourselves specialists, as only 4% of babies are typically breech at full term. We do believe that parents should have freedom of choice beyond surgical birth, and also know there are many factors that affect whether someone may be a good candidate for breech birth. If a client has a breech baby close to term, we have thorough informed consent discussions about the risks and benefits, the standard of care in our community, our experiences, and their priorities, and support the family in making the best choice for them.

Homebirth is an appropriate option for those having uncomplicated pregnancies, giving birth at term, and attended by a licensed midwife.

Midwives are trained to manage emergent events that can happen in low-risk populations, including excessive bleeding, a baby having trouble transitioning, or shoulder dystocia. We carry the same medications used in birth centers and hospitals to treat hemorrhage, maintain certification in Neonatal Resuscitation Protocol, and carry resuscitation equipment.

For more reading on homebirth safety and efficacy we recommend:

Outcomes of planned homebirths with certified professional midwives

Midwives of North America Statistics Project

Outcomes of planned homebirths vs. planned hospital births

Planned homebirths in the USA have outcomes similar to planned birth center births