The Our Children, Our Future legislative forum promoted the importance of home births Thursday in the Memorial Student Center.

Home births may be less popular in mainstream practices, but for one lifelong resident of Huntington, Midwife Sue Hovemeyer, it is a way of life.

“We are trying to get legislation to pass a bill so that midwives and other advanced nurses can practice independently without the permission of the doctor,” Hovemeyer said. “Doctors are only involved when there is a high risk in the pregnancy, and we’re trained to transfer our women to them if that happens.”

Huntington resident Sarah Haddox also attended the event to support the bill. She opted to have a home birth for her second and third child.

“I wanted someone to support me,” Haddox said. “Having a baby is a very transformative process, and you want someone to mother you through that. The doctors don’t do that. They see you for maybe 5 – 10 minutes.”

Hovemeyer said midwives conduct home visits for up to two hours answering the mothers’ questions, mentoring the women on labor and delivery and preparing them for natural births.

“We stay with our patients through the birth and post partum periods just coaching and mentoring them,” Hovemeyer said.

The Our Children, Our Future’s campaign purpose is to end child poverty. Hovemeyer said with midwives, the children have a greater chance of avoiding health and social issues in the future.

“We want women to be more proactive in their healthcare,” Hovemeyer said. “Home birth babies have the lowest rate of childhood issues.”

Huntington resident Mary Beth Ferda said the bill they are advocating would also allow nurse practitioners and nurse anesthetists to practice without the consent of a medical doctor.

“Physicians are the only ones who don’t want this to happen,” Ferda said. “They want a cut of everything.”

Haddox said home births are also more cost effective.

“My insurance company offered to pay the full amount if I had my child in the hospital, but only 60 percent if I had a midwife care for me,” Haddox said. “They would literally spend three times the amount at a hospital than they would have for the home birth I wanted.”

Hovemeyer said her patients do pay out-of-pocket but she is currently advocating a midwifery protection bill to change that.

“It would open some doors for insurance companies because normal pregnancies are within the means of families,” Hovemeyer said.

A monthly home birth support meeting will take place Feb. 20 at the Huntington Redemption Church.

Amy Napier can be contacted at [email protected].