1. Health Service Executive Direct Provision
The Southern Health Area currently provides a free homebirth service for women who are eligible and living in County Cork and County Kerry. You will be attended by one of the independent midwives working in the Southern Area and the fee will be paid directly to the midwife by the HSE.

For more details contact: Jo Delaney on 021-492-3935

2. Independent midwives fees
The fees charged by independent midwives taking clients outside of Health Area schemes varies depending on the distance the midwife will have to travel and the type of service the midwife will offer. Some midwives will structure payments throughout the pregnancy, others will expect a lump sum at the end. Fees currently vary from €2,000 to €5,000.

If you decide to engage a midwife privately, the fees will certainly be less or comparable to attending a consultant obstetrician privately, and you will receive an infinitely greater amount of one to one care. It is estimated that on average an obstetrician will spend a total of 60 – 90 minutes with you during your pregnancy and labour. An independent midwives will spend an average of 52 hours. Therefore, many people feel that you get more value for money with a domiciliary midwife with greater continuity of care, a more personal approach and a much greater likelihood of her attending the birth than a consultant obstetrician.

Paying your independent midwife’s fees
(i). HSE Grant
As part of the HSE’s implementation of the recommendations of the National Domiciliary Birth Group (2004), the HSE now offers a standard grant of €1,500 to all women eligible for a homebirth with an independent midwife, where there is no other clear pathway to care. Clear pathways to care are: the scheme in Counties Cork and Kerry, The scheme in Waterford and The Scheme in NMH Holles St.. In order to apply, you will need to contact the designated officer in your HSE area.

(ii) Private Health Insurance
VHI, QUINN, VIVAS and the Saturday hospital fund all offer a payment towards home birth. Standard care plans offer around €2,500

(iii) Others
Employees and spouses of certain companies with group health insurance such as Garda Siochana, E.S.B., Prison Officers etc., may also be eligible to claim for midwifery service fees. Make enquiries.

3. Hospital Home Birth Schemes

Hospital home birth schemes offer woman home births with a team of community midwives working from a Maternity Hospital. Care for those women accepted on hospital schemes is fully paid for as these women are viewed as public patients Only two such schemes are currently offering home births; the NMH Holles St (serving certain parts of South County Dublin and the southern inner city, with outreach clinics in Balinteer and Dun Laoghaire) and Waterford General.

Contact:
Weford/ Killkenny/ Waterford. Ethne Coen on 056-7720400

Dublin (NMH) Community Midwives on 01-6373100

For our readers in the North – there is also a limited scheme in DownPatrick Assumpta Morgan or Alision McDaid 02844 616995

What if you can’t get a home birth with the above?