Hello moms -
I'm getting less happy with Kaiser as the weeks go by. Love my OB, don't like the system (my OB won't delivery my baby, another on-call team will). So I'm really feeling the need for either a doula to be with me at Kaiser when I give birth, or looking at the option to have our baby at a birth center with a midwife. Does anyone have suggestions? My first step is going to be to call Birthways, but personal recommendations are always best.
Thanks! Carrie S.
I had a doula-in-training and I wish I had all her contact information with me! My birth was one of the last ones she used to become fully qualified, and her name was Traci, based out in Concord or so (it was quite a drive for her to where I delivered!). That was 7 years ago.
I have to say, a Doula is a WONDERFUL luxury. I am so glad I made that decision. I almost let the cost stop me, which is why a friend of mine put me in contact with someone in training. A good Doula will listen to what you want, and handle things in the way you want her to. All that gets discussed before delivery, and often before the hire decision is made. I think you know when you meet the person, if she will work for you. It is so very personal.
But, definitely, go for it. A Doula is a fantastic advocate for your needs.
Hi Carrie,
I gave birth almost 15 years ago, so it may not exist anymore, but I was briefly a part of the Alta Bates birthing center, which had midwife-nurses. I liked the staff there, but was moved out of the program as a high risk pregnancy, so I can't tell you about the whole experience. I did give birth at Alta Bates and it was a wonderful experience- my whole family in the delivery room and my son by my side the entire time. Good luck!
The Nurture Center in Lafayette is a wonderful resource, along with having all you'll ever need for baby they can refer a Doula/Midwife. http://www.nurturecenter.com/home.html
I delivered my son at Kaiser (in Walnut Creek), and had a wonderful experience, they were very accommodating to the fact I wanted to go natural and didn't push drugs at all. I had a Doula and Midwife which made for a smooth experience. I wish you the same :) Good Luck! Oh, and if you do make it out to Walnut Creek ever, Dr. Bergen is my son's Ped, he is Father Nature.. I recommend him to everyone I know!
As someone who had a pretty poor experience with birthing at SF Kaiser I would HIGHLY recommend hiring a doula and I plan to when we have our 2nd. http://www.dona.org is the url for the International Doula Organization where you can find listings of certified doulas.
Hi, I don't have any recommendations, and I am hoping that I can get pregnant sometime this year-I am 38 and have never been pregnant.
Love to hear your story about how your pregnancy happened!
Thanks! Kelly O
It has been many years, buy I LOVED Hsiu Li Cheng in Oakland :-)
http://www.yellowbot.com/cheng-hsiu-li-rn-cnm-oakland-ca-1.html
I had a VBAC with her help (Vaginal Birth After Cesarean) and what a joy and relief after the horrible experience of my first birth. Having the support you need may help you avoid the decades of pain I hold from my first birth experience. I owe Hsiu Li so much; I only wish I'd been more diligent to find real support on my first pregnancy.
I highly recommend Maria Iorillo (midwife) and Michelle Welborn (doula):
http://www.wisewomanchildbirth.com/
http://www.welbornbaby.com/
Otherwise you can go with the bay area homebirth collective: http://bayareahomebirth.org/
Carrie,
We had our daughter at Safe Femme Midwifery in SF. It's a small birthing center in the city. It's not in the nicest area, but it's a gem. When I have more kids, I will definitely use them again. I also have Kaiser and was frustrated that I wouldn't get to use whatever person I found for my actual birth. (I never found someone I liked, though.) Kaiser doesn't cover the birthing center, but you could possibly look at their sliding scale. They may even be cheaper than a doula.
They have a team of midwives who see you for your entire pregnancy and spend at least an hour at each visit. Each of those women will also be at your birth, no matter what time of day or day of the week you deliver, which is wonderful. I had my daughter in a birthing tub and felt like I was in fabulous hands. The head midwife has been delivering babies for over 20 years and I trust her with anything. She's a little bit abrasive, but once you get past that, you will have the most amazing experience. They don't offer any drugs during the birth, but have a number of pain management methods that are wonderful.
They're at www.sagefemme.net.
Good luck!
Hillary
My experience with Kaiser in Walnut Creek was AMAZING all three times! Kaiser provided me with a doctor and a MIDWIFE and many nurses during my deliveries. They were all very helpful and wonderful to work with. You might check with your Kaiser hospital to see if it is their practice to have Midwives during baby deliveries.
I remember having so many concerns prior to my first baby but then when you are ready to deliver, it doesn't matter and then before you know it you have a little miracle in your arms!
Kaiser Walnut Creek and Kaiser Hayward have midwives, and you can give birth at any Kaiser (no matter from which location you currently recieve your care).
Good luck!
We had Joan Taylor as our doula (at Alta Bates, with an OB I'd never met but who was also good), and think the world of her. Also found Birthways to be a great resource and the starting place for our search (went to a doula information night; I would definitely recommend going to one if you can).
Call Carolynn Melchert (510-654-2384) in Oakland/Emeryville. She's a doula and a very lovely person. Good luck with your birth and congratulations!
Hi Carrie,
It is so nice to have the continuity of care in working with a midwife, establishing a relationship and then knowing that she will be at your birth! The only birth center in the East Bay is called Sacred Birth Place and is run by a lovely midwife named Selena Green. Their website is sacredbirthplace,com. I know her personally and am confident you would get excellent, personalized care from her. There is also a collective of experienced doulas; contact Janelle, [email protected] to find out more.
Best,
Abigail
All i want to say to you iS CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Only wishing you all the happiness with your first beautiful child!!!!!!!
Okay, you have my curiosity as to how you got pregnant so I'm asking as you've stated in your message. :0)
Congratulations Carrie! Such exciting news! I delivered my beautiful baby girl at Kaiser on Jan. 12, 2008 with not one but TWO doula's, my mom and my husband....we had a big team and I wouldn't have had it any other way!
Basically the doula we hired was in another birth when I went into labor 9 days late so she called in a replacement who we loved. Since my birth was so long our original doula finished the birth she was in and joined our party about 24 hours in.
In any case I had a 36 hour labor without a single intervention, though there was talk of breaking my bag of waters, pitocin, the whole deal, and I KNOW I wouldn't have had an intervention free birth at Kaiser without the help of my doula's. Not to mention that they did such an amazing job not just of taking care of me, but taking care of my mom and my husband. Really I could go on and on and on about how great they were, so if you want more info feel free to contact me.
The doula we hired originally was Jessica Berman: [email protected] but we loved Jannell, our replacement as well. Jessica has all her info.
No suggestions, just agree with the idea that you should try it out. I had a good experience with delivery at Kaiser and liked the midwife that I had. it's a good idea to book your checkups with the midwives.
The Bay Area Homebirth Collective will have referrals in your area, whether you decide to deliver at home or in a hospital.
I gave birth at Kaiser in Walnut Creek and though I like my OB I had a really good experience with the midwife who was in the delivery room. I don't know about the other Kaiser facilities in the area but in WC you can choose to have a midwife instead of the on call OB. I was also able to meet a couple of the midwife's before hand and they were all great.