Seeking OB/GYN or Midwife in DFW Area for a Natural Childbirth

They have certified nurse midwives at Baylor Dallas and at Harris Methodist Fort Worth. I was in the same place you are when I was pregnant. I went to see the midwives group at Baylor and LOVED my experience. I ate, drank, walked and did whatever I wanted with no pressure, IV, or anything while I was in labor. They are VERY natural childbirth friendly at Baylor. I loved my nurses in L and D and post partum. I would highly recommend it! Also, the midwives group at Baylor is part of a OB GYN group also, so if something were to happen to make you high risk , you just start seeing an OB but you can keep the midwife involved too. The midwives that were there when I went there were Lindsey and Jane. I had Lindsey for the birth and Jane afterward. Both Awesome! Lindsey has since moved to Fort worth and is at Harris I heard. I have heard great things about that group also! Good luck!

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Hi L.
I've had 4 kids, all at different hospitals around the US. But I would say that at every hospital the docs and nurses were okay with whatever I decided as long as I was clear and firm with my decision. If I started to waver they would push the idea of the meds but if you are polite but firm, I think they will probably respect your decision.

I only wrote this because I know it can sometimes be hard to match up insurance companies with birth plans that we want. So, even if you go with a "conventional" doctor or hospital, just remember that YOU have the right to request whatever care you want. Don't be afraid to speak up for yourself. The health of your baby is most important but don't let the hospital B.S. you either!

Good luck!

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In Arlington, Dr. Mary Finke;Arlington Memorial Hospital. my daughter writes her own birthing guidelines, etc.,goes over it with her and the attending nurse before delivery and does very well. The last two of 5 were natural and I was in there and she did awesome. Her quiet sister-in-law is her helper for ice chips, soft music, etc. and her husband is her assistant;ie: back rubs, walking, holding during labor etc. They don't cut the mebilacord for 2-3 minutes until it quits pulsing, no episiotomy, etc. You feel better, the baby is more alert and you heal faster. Go for it, girl!

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I used Dr. Gunby in Dallas (Baylor) when I had my son. He was very supportive of my wanting to go natural. He even told the nurse to leave me alone about an epi. I was able to labor in the shower, walk around freely, use a birthing ball. I felt very much in charge. I did end up having to be induced due to my water breaking and labor still not starting for ages and ages, but he even let me decide when I was ready for that as well. I would highly recommend him.

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I think mine, Dr. Peppler (at Arlington Memorial)is probably open to that- but my 1st child had to be induced as she had gotten too big and her size caused great trauma to her during birth. I am however very grateful that she was born in the hospital. I had no idea her being late would cause her to have a collapsed lung, acidosis, hydronephrosis, and she was big enough that they nearly broke her shoulder trying to get her out. With that said- even if things are going normally I would definitly try to have my baby in a hospital. I don't think she would have survived otherwise.

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I have had two babies here in Fort Worth. My first was with an OB that said she was very open to natural childbirth. It turned out that my idea of natural and hers were different. I had a home birth with a mw from Gentle Beginnings for my second baby. I did a lot of research and found that out of hospital births are considerably more safe. I know that it goes against our societal rules to think of a hospital as less safe, but it was true in my case. I highly recommend Gentle Beginnings. And if you like to read, I would recommend Jennifer Block's book "Pushed". Feel free to email me, if you think i can help you any further.

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i'm at baylor downtown using dr kurian (had been using a midwife til she left the practice)... i have complications to my pregnancy so i'm not 100% sure i'll end up w/ the natural vbac i'm wanting, but dr kurian has been so compassionate to my wishes and preferences and truly does seem very supportive of natural birth. i really liked lindsay stephens who is a midwife, but she apparently is now working at a birth center in ft worth...

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We used Anne Crowell at Gentle Beginnings Birth Center over in Hurst. She and her staff are AMAZING! I wanted a natural birth, with no epidural and when I went to see a doctor about that, I was pretty much told that I would end up with a c-sect. Not what I wanted to hear! I was able to walk around during labor, drink, didn't want to eat, and best of all, able to have a water birth where my husband caught my darling daughter.

I would also HIGHLY recommend getting a doula, which is a labor coach. Having one with you is such a relieve. Check out the website dona.org for more info and one near you. My husband thought that the idea was dumb, but now he wouldn't want me to go through labor w/o one!

Hospitals can be tricky just because of the policies that they are required to follow, so if you do go the hospital route, definetly spell the things out that you want. Also, I know at Gentle Beginnings, they have a back-up doctor just in case. Their website is gentlebeginningsbc.com

They posted my birth story on their website too if you want to check it out.

Best of luck! and whatever way you do go, be happy :)

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Congratulations! And good for you for really researching your options.

As for a hospital setting, I have heard you can use the nurse midwives at Harris Methodist in downtown FT. Worth. I would personally recommend my midwife, Molly Germash. www.heartsdesiremidwifery.com I used her for both of my pregnancies and births. I did homebirths, but she also has a birthcenter. She used to be our of Family Birth Services in Grand Prairie, but she's since opened her own birth center in Peaster (near WEatherford). I have friends that have used Anne Crowell and been thrilled. There are so many more birth centers around here where you can find a good midwife.

I recommend a midwife if you want to have a natural birth. Having Molly as my caregiver for my two births was really one of the best decisions of my life! OB's and midwives look at birth from completely different perspectives. I recommmend you tour some local birth centers and interview several midwives. Ask them how they handle emergencies, what all is included in their care and costs. Ask them what is their birth philosophy?

Also, I HIGHLY recommend you watch the documentary, The Business of Being Born before you choose your caregiver. I know it can be rented from Netflix, probably from Blockbuster.com too.

If you'd like to talk more about this, feel free to send me a message.

Good LUck!

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Call the Dallas Birth and Womens Center on Swiss Avenue.It is a wonderful place,like having a baby at the best bed and breakfast in the world!
They are a few blocks from Baylor (which has a longstanding reputation of allowing midwives and being very respectful of your wishes).If there are any complications, they whisk you across the street to Baylor and the midwives stay with you at the hospital. I had my first and only child at 41 and ended up at Baylor, nothing drastic,I was just a tired older mom, but they thought after several hours of pushing, the best thing for my case was the hospital! Do NOT forget, EVER , that you are the CLIENT in this situation. I don't care who your doctor is, YOU are the client, you are paying for this, it is YOUR experience. If a doctor tell you how you MUST do something, that is the WRONG doctor. Having a baby is a natural experience not a medical emergency.

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I had a midwife, her name was Anne Crowell, she practiced at Gentle Beginnings in Hurst. She was the best and sweetest Christian lady. She made me comfortable from the very beginning, and her assistants where sweethearts. I had my baby at home but they also have a very nice birthing center there. She has 19 years experience and would highly recommend her to anyone. Even though it was tough, I would not have traded that experience in the world. I did most of my labor in the water which helps in the pain of the contractions, and had my closest friends and family nearby. I recommend you have a consultation with her and she will put your mind at ease. Best of luck to you!!

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I absolutely recommend Dr. Christina Littrell. She is located in Dallas at 4224 Swiss Ave###-###-####‎. She is the best doctor I have ever been to. She sat down with me in her office for 30 minutes to discuss my birthing vision and what we could do to insure that what I wanted would be a possibility. She works out of Baylor University Medical Center in downtown Dallas. I have 3 children, all of which were born at different hospitals and I have to say that my last birth was the most amazing experience and was made possible by Dr. Littrell and Baylor. She is a wonderful doctor and the hospital is outstanding. Good luck! I hope your birthing experience is beautiful!

I had all three of my children at home and all of the births were wonderful experiences. My fantastic nurse-midwife is Sherry Oldfield ###-###-####. Homebirth is really the very best way to have a child if you hjave a normal pregnancy.