Financial Information for Your Birth
Total Cost Breakdown
In an effort to be transparent, our fees are listed publicly. The cost of homebirth can seem a lot at first glance, but even with insurance, this is often still a more affordable option than a hospital birth. That being said, it is not our goal to give you the cheapest option, but to provide the highest quality of care to our clients and in order to do that, we not only must be able to afford our own lives, but also, we must continue our educations. Research is always ongoing, and we always strive to be on top of the newest information and recommendations in maternity care.
Global fee for Midwifery Care: $5000
Ultrasounds: ~$250 each
Birth Pool Rental(Includes Liner): $80
RhoGam for RH- clients: $150
Supplements: Varies widely, I focus heavily on nutrition and supplementation during pregnancy, this will be covered at the initial prenatal appointment.
Birth Tea (www.avetabirthbotanicals.com) $25
This is not an exhaustive list of the costs. Basic bloodwork/urinalysis are covered as well as standard testing throughout your pregnancy. Specialized testing and testing done by other practitioners is not covered in your global fee. This will be discussed at your consultation.
What the Global Fee Includes
All prenatal visits, including a 1.5 hour intake appointment at or around 10-12 weeks gestation, then monthly until at or around 28 weeks, then bi-weekly until 36 weeks. There will be a home visit made by the midwife to the clients home between 35-37 weeks, then appointments continue weekly in office until labor begins.
Basic OB bloodwork, Glucose Tolerance Testing, Group Beta Strep, Newborn Metabolic Screening (PKU) and your birth kit is all included in your fee.
Your AMAZING homebirth! You will benefit from the attendance of your birth team at this long awaited event. We will be in touch with you from when labor begins and will typically stay with you about 3 hours postpartum. Any medical devices and medications/supplements used are included in your Global Fee. This also includes an extended Newborn Exam where we thoroughly check to be sure baby is healthy and transitioning well. We will also ensure breastfeeding is established before heading home from your birth.
There are a minimum of 2 in-home postpartum visits. The first at 24-48 hours, then again between 7-10 days postpartum. Typically I will call you at 3 days, although this may also be a home visit at my discretion. There will be periodic phone check-ins during the first 6 weeks postpartum. We have one final visit in my office at 6-8 weeks postpartum to check on you and your baby of course, but also to give you a great big hug and tell you ‘Bye!” or better yet, “See you later!” By the time this appointment rolls around, we have become friends and it is always a bittersweet experience.
Payment Policies and Expectations
Wellspring Birth Services does not offer discounts, barter arrangements, or payment agreements extending past the birth. All fees must be paid according to the schedule outlined below.
Full payment is required at or before the 36 week home visit, before we go on call for your birth. We do not attend births with outstanding balances, and we do not accept payment after services have been rendered.
Please review this information carefully and ensure that our services fit within your family’s financial planning before scheduling care.
A$500 nonrefundable deposit is due at the first appointment. Additional lab fees and medication fees are due at time of service.
The fee is due in full at 36 weeks, and becomes nonrefundable at 37 weeks when we go on call for your birth.
In the event of transfer of care prior to 37 weeks, each prenatal, excluding your initial prenatal , will be billed at $250 each. Any payment in excess of that will be refunded.
We accept cash, checks, Zelle and credit cards. Note there is a 2.6% surcharge for credit cards and HSA cards.
We do offer a 3% courtesy discount for any payment made in cash.
Insurance and Healthshares
Unfortunately, home birth services are typically not covered by standard health insurance. If you do have insurance and you want to try to have a portion reimbursed, you will need to contact Napier Billing by 28 weeks gestation. There will be a $30 fee for a verification of benefits (VOB) and then a fee paid from the reimbursement to Napier Billing. The Global Fee is still due to the midwife at 36 weeks gestation regardless of insurance status.
If you have an HSA, typically they will pay! There is a 3% charge for you to use your HSA card, so it is better to ask them to send a check directly to avoid fees.
Most Healthshares are more than willing to pay for a homebirth midwife, as they should be! Some that I have worked with are Christian Healthcare Ministries, Samaritan, and Zion. Most of these will require that you have been covered for a time prior to conception.