Marin General

I delivered at Alta Bates in Berkeley (crossing the bridge was not a problem), but I toured MGH as part of my labor and delivery classes and all the other expectant moms in that class delivered there. The rooms at MGH are HUGE, very calming, inviting, and comfortable. And from what I have heard from the nurses (the woman who taught my class was an LDN at MGH and a woman in my babysitting coop is a therapist there) and other moms who have delivered there, they are open to alternative birth arrangements. I don't know about a true water birth (not sure if they have the facilities to do it), but most hospitals and doctors these days (especially in the Bay Area) will deliver the baby in any position you want, including in the shower if that's where you feel most comfortable and are best able to manage your contractions.

Good Luck and Congratulations!

We had a great birth at Marin General!! I believe they've spent a fair amount of money upgrading their facilites, and we were very happy & comfortable there. Plus the nurses are fantastic!!

And from everything I was told, they're one of the only hospitals that ARE open to alternative birth arrangements. There is a wonderful group, BIRTH DOULAS OF MARIN, that only works at MGH. They're not contracted with the hospital or anything, it's just where they choose to do their practice. So they're there for a lot of the deliveries, & the nurses totally know them. I would suggest contacting them. They are an INCREDIBLE group of women.

Good luck! Happy Birthing. :-)

Hi C.,

I loved the experience I had a Marin General and am happy to be delivering there again in the fall. I was so relaxed and comfortable there. The Lactation Center at MGH is great too....a wonderful staff. They also have, at no charge, a weekly breast feeding class held on Thursday mornings for you and your baby. I loved it, learned a lot and attended often.

I'm not sure if they're able to accomodate a water birth, but your doctor could probably help answer that for you.

Good luck to you.

I delivered at Marin General 10 and 7 years ago, and I would say that I believe that the questions you raise will have more to do with what your doctor and other members of the on-call group are open to, as v. hospital policy. Basically, I would discuss this with the professional you plan to use to deliver your child.

My first delivery was a problem labor, baby in distress, so I had to concede quite a lot of control over the process, and ended up with an emergency C, based on the recommendation of my OBGYN. My second delivery I hired a doula, and she consulted with the staff on my behalf, and basically ran the show, as long as all medical indications were that all was fine. I was able to keep from having continuous monitoring, which allowed me to spend literally hours laboring in the hot shower, lol, and I delivered successfully as a VBAC.

Still, lawsuits have a way of changing things quickly, and it is possible that my experience would not be yours, given the years that have passed. So, I'm back to one of the first things I said: you need to discuss this with your delivery professional.