Please make me feel better about delivering at Magee (Pittsburgh)

[zus888]

I just took the Meet the Midwife tour at Magee, and I have to say I'm officially upset about the prospect of delivering there. Okay, upset may be a little over the top, but I am concerned about it. Enough to have knots in my stomach.

I've delivered in a small hospital and in a free-standing birth center. But this is a big hospital with rules and policies and triage! It's really freaking me out. It's little things like "no eating during active labor" and "no jacuzzi after your water breaks" that really bother me. I hate the idea being stuck in triage before getting a room, particularly since I have had two previous stalled labors, leaving me in a great deal of pain with little progress. Granted, I have NO DESIRE to eat at all during active labor, but it really gets my goat that my right to it is taken away. Not to mention, it's so "hospital-like." Plus, they don't even HAVE jacuzzis in all their rooms. There's only 3 total!

I wish I could just deliver at the free-standing birth center here, but my care has been transferred from there to Magee, so this really (unfortunately) is my only option. Someone please tell me Magee isn't as horrible as it sounds.

[amyfarr]

You are going with the midwives so I think it should be better than it sounds. I have been to births there with OB's that have been really terrible but the births I have been to with the midwives were a lot better. I will tell you that my sister used to work there and the actual hospital policy is that all births are medically managed but again with the midwives you may get a little more flexibility. I would talk to them about your concerns at your next appt so you are all on the same page. Best of luck I hope it goes well for you.

Amy

[Rfaith]

I agree if you feel comfortable with the midwifes their do that. My opinion of the triage is it was horrible and for anyone I know that had to deal with it. I sympathize for you and hope everything works out. Shadyside hospital use to have a birthing center, it was FABULOUS.and the care was PHENOM..but unfortunately I heard they don't deliver their anymore..I would have to check that though. Good luck to you and follow your heart, and you will be just fine.{{{HUGS}}}

[zus888]

I'll be having a long discussion with the midwives at my next appt. Luckily I have a doula, and she suggested going to the Hampton Inn across the street to labor, and then walking to the hospital during transition. It's an option... I just don't see myself moving at all during transition.

[evaski]

Hey there. You said that your care was transfered from midwives to Magee. Was this because of complications with your pregnancy or insurance reasons? Is it the birth center on Penn that you were at? If so they have a hospital birth ooption and it is at Allegheny general and I would choose that over Magee any day. But I think it all depends on what your situation is and the reasons behind your care being moved to Magee. Hope everything works out for you. Keep us posted.

[joelene22]

I had the midwives and I ate regularly as I wanted even though it was "against hospital protocol". They never changed my orders on what I could eat until after my c/s (when I obviously could only have clears for a while). I ate meals until I decided to stop ordering them because I was vomiting everything back up. If I had a nurse or NA who wouldn't bring me water, I'd just send H out to get some or ask my MW when she came in to check on me.

I hated that there was no mobile monitoring though. I ended up induced at 41.5 weeks due to dangerously low amniotic fluid and pre-eclampsia and once things really got going, I was strapped to the goddamn bed on oxygen and monitors since the baby's heartrate was decelerating. That part sucked.

For an uncomplicated birth though, the picture I had going in was that it would be quite different from your run of the mill non-midwife attended hospital birth.

[tulipmama]

I just delivered at Maggee 12 days ago and had a great experience (okay, my dd was born 4 minutes after we arrived, so maybe that's why...). But anyway, those rules are all dependent on your provider. My midwife is Patrick Thornton who is wonderful and supported all of my choices-- no IV/heplock, no blood draw upon admittance, only intermittent doppler, eating and drinking to thirst/hunger, no vit K, no hep B, no eye drops, no gsb test, etc. He really supported me and my birth vision and can basically help you achieve a birth center birth at Maggee if that's what you want. He also stays with you your entire labor at Maggee and doesn't let the nurses interfere a lot. I was also very wary of delivering at Maggee but I felt totally confident in Patrick's care. Good luck!

[shooper]

I had my daughter at a birth center in CA and delivered my son (VBAC) at Magee 7 months ago. I got scared too during the tour, but my doctor assured me that the experience depends totally on your caregivers. Our doctor is from a family practice (not an OB) and met us when we arrived and stayed the whole time. It was like having a midwife, but better because I knew it would be her delivering the baby, whereas with the midwives it could be any of them. We had a wonderful experience - and I would recommend it to anyone - as long as you trust your doctor/midwife and that person will be there to advocate for you.

[CookAMH]

I haven't read all the posts, but I have heard good things about the midwives at Magee. My bradley instructor talked to the anesthesiologist who said, with regard to the no eating/drinking rule, is that light snacks are ok. It sounds like it's not an absolute NO FOOD rule.

ETA: since you are having a doula, that will help immensely in any hospital situation. It's clearly shown that they help lower rates of intervention.

[CookAMH]

Originally Posted by evaski

Hey there. You said that your care was transfered from midwives to Magee. Was this because of complications with your pregnancy or insurance reasons? Is it the birth center on Penn that you were at? If so they have a hospital birth ooption and it is at Allegheny general and I would choose that over Magee any day. But I think it all depends on what your situation is and the reasons behind your care being moved to Magee. Hope everything works out for you. Keep us posted.

Ditto. I know many are very pleased with delivering at AGH with the birth center midwives (I'm using them myself, with the hope of being at the birth center but would accept if I *had* to use AGH).

[lisabc311]

Giving birth at Magee with midwives is completely different than giving birth at Magee with OB's.

Stick with any of the midwives there and you'll do fabulous.

[zus888]

Thanks everyone for your kind responses. I was transferred to Magee due to possible complications in the pregnancy. Even though the risk period is over and I'm technically back to being low-risk, I doubt they'd take me back because of the recommendation of the perinatologist. I did call Patrick, and he believed that he, too, would have to follow the recs of the perinatologist. So, that pretty much leaves me with Magee (plus the fact that I have UPMC insurance). Unfortunately, I have so many serious chronic health issues of my own and that seems to make the midwives uncomfortable (at least the ones without the hospital backdrop).

I'm planning to give hypnobabies a try, so hopefully, that will also help make me less anxious about giving birth in a large hospital. My biggest concern right now is the jacuzzi (getting one and hoping that my water doesn't break so I can still use it).

[tammyswanson]

Too bad you can't have a home birth with your midwives present.

I went to magee when I was having preterm labor. I hated it and it galvanized me to never set foot in there or Washington Hospital again if I didn't have to. I was stuck in triage for over 5 hours, and basically abandoned there. It sucked. It was SOO uncomfortable being hooked up to a monitor, and just TRY to pee in bed with a bed pan, it would have been less stressful if I had gotten up to go.

Maybe when you go in to give birth, can't you just be all ornery and do what you want? Just tell them, "Hey, I WILL drink what I want, and eat what I want, and DO what I want to!" And, don't get out of the jacuzzi, heck with them, refuse to get out.

I hope that everything goes well for your birth! Did you see the red raspberry leaf tea tribe thread? It's awesome, and it works, I labored for 7 1/2 hours total, it was my first baby too.

http://www.mothering.com/discussions/showthread.php?t=347728

[Decca]

I had pre-eclampsia, so my actual birth was pretty sucky. But I have to say, I had one labor and delivery nurse that was fantastic. All my postpartum care nurses were fine, but one - who had nursed twins - was out of this world.

I think if you have a birth plan, a doula, and you know to ask for the Lactation Consultant right away, a birth at Magee is nothing to be worried about. I personally don't think they deserve the "baby factory" remarks that they get.

[zus888]

Yes, I will be pulling that out of my bag of tricks if necessary! I can be quite ornery when needed, and thus far, haven't had any major problems in getting what I want. But that experience was at a much smaller hospital. I'm not sure a larger place like Magee (which probably encounters a lot of ornery patients) will bend as easily to my demands! I plan to discuss the jacuzzi issue with the midwives and will try to get a doc's approval before labor that I may use the jacuzzi even if my water breaks. I haven't been able to find even one study that suggests an increased risk of infection due to jacuzzi use after the membranes have ruptured.

[Galatea]

I have a friend who had a bad experience with one of the Magee midwives... she was left in triage for a long time and it stalled out her labor and she ended up panicky with a c-section... she is the type of person who just needed to be in a room with her music on so she could relax and dilate, and it would have been fine (she already had a vaginal) but the one midwife wouldn't listen to her and so it went south.

I think the midwife center in the strip and at AGH now has an agreement with UPMC insurance... their backup OB is the head of maternal/fetal medicine at AGH... I would take them over Magee any day, even if I had to pay for some of it.

Good luck. How frustrating for you.

[zus888]

Unfortunately, I originally started with the midwives in the Strip District. They transferred my care due to the risk of complications, so going there is no longer an option for me. :

I'm trying to stay positive. If things don't work out the way I want them to, my doula suggested the option of going to a nearby hotel with a jacuzzi room and laboring as long as I can there.

[wishin&hopin]

I am so sorry you are having to deliver at magee. I have heard good things about them, and some of my friends have had great experiences there. I have delivered my two boys at the free standing birth center, i am due this november and am planning on delivering there again. I would be stressed if I had to be transferred, I think the one thing I would do even though you are delivering w/MW's is to hire a doula. Jan Mallak from heart and hands is awesome. It would give me more piece of mind to have someone on my side other than DH! jmo. good luck!

[zus888]

Just wanted to update. I delivered with Emily (one of e midwives) at Magee. I had a really good experience there. There were a few things I wish had been different. I wish that I had been able to hold DS longer. They put him on my tummy right away, but they didn't like his skin color, so he had to be taken away. Then he couldn't regulate his temperature. I really believe that if they had let me keep him on my belly and covered in blankets everything would have been fine, but that's based on hindsight. And I wish they hadn't wiped him off so much. But that's it. Nothing major. Emily and my doula, Kathy, were AWESOME. I couldn't have asked for a better team. And the stay at the hospital was totally fine. They didn't bother me about not bathing the baby and any of the other choices I made. Everyone there was completely accommodating.

[ryan'smom]

Thanks for the update. I will be delivering there in a couple of months. I am also using the midwives. So far I've seen Tanya, Caroline, and Carol. Next Wednesday evening, dh and I will be going to the "meet the midwives" night and taking the hospital tour. Glad to hear things went well for you!

Laura