Seeking New Midwife/hospital near S Mpls

Fairview Riverside Women's Clinic
ALL THE WAY!!! I saw all the midvives and loved Janis Keilday the most!

I had both my kiddos at Abbott and I was unable to have a midwife because of major highrisk pregnancies but I do credit Abbott and the Perinatal staff their to have saved both my live twice and each of my childrens. It is a good hospital, nice, clean, it definately is MEDICAL and feels like a hospital it's no home birth or anything but for safety/health reasons I have two girls to prove their good.

I have a couple of thoughts.

First, you're definitely not silly for wanting a particular kind of prenatal care and birth experience. Those are important decisions and you have the right to make them any way you think is best. I had a midwife for my first pregnancy and birth and then, because of a miscarriage and complications, I was with an OB for my other two kids. One thing I realized was that I could have a terrible midwife and a great OB, that the nature of the practice didn't mean as much as the personality of the person. (Though my midwife for my first pregnancy was great, the midwife I had at my delivery was awful, very aggressive, and we clashed horribly.) So it may be worth it to be open to OBs, just to find a person you feel like you mesh well with. I found the OBs I had later were much like my midwife, in the important ways.

My first delivery was at Methodist, and my second two were at Abbott. Both hospitals were wonderful. During my first and second deliveries, I was faced with the difficult choice of whether to have a C-section (first time was a long, stalled labor with dcreased fetal heartbeat; second time was water broke and unable to get labor going). And both times, I felt that I was really allowed to make the decision without any pressure, which meant a lot to me. Just as an aside, as someone who was pretty nervous about the whole delivery, I liked being attached to Children's Hospital when we were at Abbott, knowing that if something happened, we were right next to there.

I hope that helps, and I hope you find someone you really fit well with!

I LOVE the midwives at Methodist Hospital. There are about 8 now and all are excellent. I had a two day labor, they were very very helpful and honored my requests of very little intervention. We had our first baby there 4 years ago.

S.,

Of course you are not being silly! You need what's right for you. That said, I have a recommendation to help you find the right midwife, try a class at the Blooma Yoga studio, talk to S. (the owner - and doula) about her experiences. She's has TONS of info, and has literally been at 300+ births. I think she could give you great advice on hospitals, midwives, and doulas.

I used the midwives at Generations Women's clinic, but they are in Shoreview, not close to you at all. I delivered my last two babies (in the birthing tub) at St. Joseph's in St. Paul and HIGHLY recommend it.

Good luck with your decision!
Jessica

2) I had my first child at Fairview Riverside Hospital and had all of my pre-natal visits with the mid-wives at Fairview Riverside Women's Clinic (25th and Riverside area). They were amazing! My favorite was Michelle Bichon (sp). She's really easy going and very friendly while also being very knowledgeable. This clinic does like you to have a visit with each mid-wive during pre-natal so that you'll have met everyone when the baby comes since you'll see whomever is on call. But really they were all great. My experience at the hospital was really good too. My baby came 5 weeks early and they were so good about making me feel welcome and cared for. They also have a very good NICU. I believe you can also see the midwives for this clinic at Fairview Hiawatha if that's closer to you. They may also work at other clinics and Fairview Southdale probably has another staff of super midwives (although, I didn't meet them).

1)No you shouldn't feel silly. Everyone is different and you have to find what works for you.

Good luck finding a good fit! And congrats on your new baby!

PS: You may also want to consider a doula (birthing coach). I didn't use one, but I think they are in addition to the midwife and found outside the clinic. I think the nice thing about working with a doula is you can have an ongoing relationship with one person who will be there with you through the entire process, including delivery. Since mid-wives (and doctors) are on call, you can't be sure the one you pick will be there when you deliver.

Hi S.--

I delivered both of my kids at Fariview Riverside Hospital with the Fairview Riverside Women's Clinic midwife team. I love the midwife group there, and wanted to have as "natural" of a birth as possible - that was important to me. The beauty of this clinic is that they have both OB's and midwives available, so should you need OB care, it is available to you. My fave midwives at Riverside are John Eads, Kris McCullough, Jennifer Ramsey and Janice Keil-Day. John delivered my son and Kris delivered my daughter. I did make a point to see the entire midwife group throughout my pregnancy so I would be familiar with whoever was on call when it came time to deliver.
Good luck!

Fairview Riverside Women's Clinic for the midwives, and Fairview Riverside (or whatever they're calling it now) for the birth.

We birthed at Abbott and had a really good experience. I went "all natural" aside from the fetal heart monitor (the standard external one). It definitely felt like a hospital, but at the time I was so focused on my task that I hardly noticed. We did most of the laboring at home (Bradley method - just used the book) and I arrived almost 10cm dilated so that that pretty much ruled out most interventions, but they seemed to be open to whatever I wanted. The nursing staff was excellent as far as I was concerned, both during delivery and afterward. I would, however, recommend finding a place near to where you live to birth. I think I felt every single pothole on our way to Abbott (we live in SW MPLS). I used Assoc. in Women's Health as my OB clinic. My regular OB didn't deliver me, but I made a point of having every other prenatal checkup with another OB in the group so I had met almost everyone by the time my due date came. I did have a birth plan that was clear, but also really short and simple and brought to the hospital. I noticed that the nursing staff asked for it and everyone who entered the room read it. It is important to find someone you feel comfortable with, however, because you will be seeing them really often before you give birth. If you like the OB your friend recommended, go with it - Abbott will be fine.

I used the Midwives that work through Park Nicolett at St Francis Hospital in Shakopee. I will never go anywhere EVER again! I'm not sure how far of a drive that would be for you but I personally think its worth it!! They were so amazing to me and made me feel special and important (care that I did not receive with my first pregnancy using a different Dr.) The hospital is also great! The rooms are HUGE and there is no moving room to room for delivery and your post natal care stay. The food is also really good :) I can't say enough wonderful things about both both the midwives there and the hospital and nursing staff!!! I recommend them to everyone I know is pregnant!!!

Good Luck!

It may be a little farther for you to drive, but I used the Healtheast clinic that is attached to the hospital in Woodbury, Woodwinds. It was a half hour drive for me, but well worth it. I love all the Midwives there. I delivered both my boys (2&4) via waterbirth. It was exactly the experience I wanted for their births. If she is still there, Melissa Hassler was awesome for check-up care. But I really have no complaints with any of them. At the time I had my boys, I scheduled appointments to meet all the midwives.

Dr. Levitan is one of the doctors at Women's Health Consultants that I saw during my pregnancy. I actually saw every doctor in the practice and liked her a lot. My other favorites were Dr. Harris and Dr. Mainguy. Dr. Kilburg delivered me and I was very happy with the experience.

The thing to remember about delivering with a doctor (and a large practice) is that you cannot pick who will end up delivering you unless it is a planned c-section. Whoever is on call is who will deliver. The other thing is that when you deliver in a hospital it is more about the nurses you have that will make the difference. The doctor is only in the room for the actual delivery (basically when the head starts to come out) and maybe a couple of times through your labor depending on how long it takes.

I was very happy with Abbott, the nurses and my doctor. I just want to make sure you are well informed of the process if this is something you were not originally considering.

One other thing I should point out is that if you were planning on using a bathtub for any part of your labor Abbott does not have a birthing tub.

Good luck!

I have 2 boys, one 3 and one 18-month old, and both were born at Methodist in St. Louis Park. I loved the Meadowbrook midwives group. They were very respectful and honored my requests and gave me supportive advice when I needed it. I was 2 weeks overdue with my first baby and I had to be induced which made me very nervous and frightened. But my worries were always taken seriously and they treated with caring and kindness to make me feel more at ease and comfortable with my unknown fears. I would highly recommend them.

Hi S.! I just want to start out and say good for you for being so proactive so early! I had both my babes with the Health East midwives group; Woodwinds, St. John's and St. Joe's. I LOVED it! The appointments were great, the nursing staff was as expected. With out first, we started in Mankato, where we lived, and at 30 weeks, switched to Woodwinds. My first birth didn't go as planned, but at least it didn't end up with a c-section. But I didn't have a concrete birth plan, nor did I realize that I could refuse their recommendations. The second time around was exponentially better! I knew I would be medically late, so I took some measures to help things along. I didn't hire a doula, but had a friend attend who had a homebirth and is very homeopathic, and knew when and what questions to ask.

I liked the group and will go there for any other children I may have. You can see any midwife during the first 28-30 weeks, and then they like you to see one specific midwife at the end. They are 'on call' so you have a shot to not get the one you've been seeing, but you can always ask for the backup if you're not liking one. Two of these hospitals have waterbirth available, and you need to be with the midwives to have it as an option.

Be proactive in your birth planning, and I know, people will say you can't plan a birth. But, if you can write down your wishes, and on paper, go through scenarios, you can get a better outcome than if you just go with their recommendations.

I suggest reading "Birthing from Within", I don't have the book here (SIL has it!) and I can't remember the author. It is very enlightening, a bit out there - but it brings the birth back to you and baby. There is also a book from Henci Goer - title of the book escapes me, but it goes through both the positive and negative aspects of different birth options; epidurals (why and why nots), stripping of membranes, very informative. Especially if you have a more scientific, math minded partner. Blooma Yoga Center has 2 videos you can check out, The Business of Being Born - done by Rikki Lake, and the other is called Orgasmic Birth. Both are very eye opening on the statistics of birth in not only the US, but the world.

I know this is getting long, and I apologize - but I have become so passionate about trying to help other have a Mom/Baby/God birth and not a Dr/Dr/Dr/disease/baby birth that I can get longwinded.

Please send me a pm if you want anymore information or advice, or just good ol' plain support. Congratulations and Good luck!
M.

Hi S.-

I had both my babies at Methodist (OB at Park Nicollet St. Louis Park) and had a wonderful experience both times. I didn't use a midwife although I have heard that the Meadowbrook Clinic there has great midwives. I was nervous to tell my OB with my first that I wanted an unmedicated birth. My OB was near retirement and seemed like an "old school" kind of guy. When I told him, he said "GREAT!" If I remember correctly, I think they said in our birthing class at Methodist that the epidural rate is less than 50%...I was surprised and encouraged by that. I had both kids unmedicated. With my first, they did use a fetal scalp monitor because her heart rate was dropping. But other than that, I didn't even have an IV. I walked around, stood up, used a birthing ball. I was so excited that I also had the same nurse with both labors. She was phenomenal! She stayed on passed the end of her shift (off the clock!) to be with me when my son was born. I would highly recommend Methodist.

Good luck!

The midwives at Park Nicollet (Meadowbrook clinic at Methodist Hospital) in St. Louis Park are fabulous. I have seen them since before my daughter was born, 7 years ago, and only went to them ever since for annual exams, etc. I gave birth to my daughter at Methodist with one of their midwives and had a great experience. No drugs or interventions. My husband and my two stepkids there with me the whole time. My baby stayed with me in the room. All the things I was hoping for. Most of my girlfriends have also used the Park Nicollet midwifes and all have had good experiences.