Looking for a midwife/birthing center in the Tampa Area

[excitednewmom]

I am 27 and pregnant with my first child. Despite all the preparation, I feel unprepared. I am due in early June, and I want to do the birth as natural as possible. I am looking for a midwife and /or birthing center in the Tampa area.


Do I still go to my OBGYN?

I am "overweight", but it is not an issue for me and do not want that to be an issue for my provider. I have been eating organic for about two years now and I have incorporated exercise into my routine, so I am healthy.

Thanks ahead of time for your help! I am new to this forum and site and am looking forward to chatting with you all!

[KestrelDream]

Congratulations! You can start by checking at these sites:

http://floridamidwives

http://http://www.tampabaybirthnetwork.com

Good luck!

[Hallielynn01]

Labor of Love has birth centers in both Lutz and Dunedin, and there is also Breath of Life in Largo. Im not sure what is going on with Countryside Birthing Place these days. Your weight will be looked at, because BMI is factored when factoring risk, and you may need physician review to birth there. I did, but its not big deal really, and the midwife never treated me differently. You do not need to see an OB to birth at a birth center. The midwife handles your prenatal care. If you have an issue needing OB care you will probably risk out of birth center birth. October 22nd the Tampa Bay Birth Network is hosting its meeting in Tampa focusing on midwifery care in our area. You should come if you can!

http://www.tampabaybirthnetwork.com/

[LillyTiger]

Hi, congratulations on your pregnancy! I recently learned that I'm pregnant as well, this is my second time, and I contacted Anne Hirsch to be my midwife. Her website is http://www.midwifehomebirth.com/ She only does homebirths, so if you are looking for birth center delivery, check others out. She does live in South Tampa though. Good luck! From the past experience (great!!!), one of the most important decisions that will affect the birth is choice of the provider. You are on your way!!!

[excitednewmom]

Thank you guys all so much I will look into all of your resources. I am so nervous. I want a homebirth, but family is already pressuring me about a hospital birth and hiring a doula instread to help me fulfill my birth plan.

How does the process work, do I interview different providers? Do I go to my regular OBGYN? When should I make my decision by?
I am stressed!

[KestrelDream]

Start off with interviewing different MW's, to see which one will be a good fit for you. You don't need to see your OB/GYN. Frankly, they would probably scare you with a million unproven reasons why a hospital birth is safer, etc.

Another good link for info is: www.homebirth.org.uk

As far as unsupportive family, I wouldn't even discuss my plans with them. I have one in-law (an RN) who emailed me when I was planning a HBA3C that vehemently opposed homebirth. I said unless you can show the research & facts to back up your thoughts, I do not want to discuss it with you....I had done plenty of research & was confident I was doing what was safest for me & my baby. She didn't write back about that subject!

To alleviate your fears, start reading all you can about natural birth. A book I wish I studied was "The labor progress handbook". I had so many questions about why my last labor turned out the way it did, & I learned so much from reading that book.

Please post anymore questions you have....I have to say you are way ahead of me when I was pregnant with my first!

Also, you can check out the birth professionals thread in the birth forum....& ask the MW's there some questions.

Oh yea, since you mentioned that you are overweight, & it concerns you, there is an AWESOME website that has a lot of great info on it: www.plus-size-pregnancy.org

It's not just for plus sized Mama's too....it is a gold mine of pregnancy & childbirth info!!

[excitednewmom]

Thank you so much Jackie, I really appreciate your help! I will post back if I have any questions after doing more research with the info you gave.

[skylarsmom08]

I've used the midwives at Labor of Love in Dunedin for both of my children. (I lived in S. Tampa for the first one and N. Tampa for the 2nd). They are AMAZING!!! I can't recommend them enough and can't imagine going anywhere else. I had my 1st at the birthing center and the 2nd was a homebirth. If you're interested in a homebirth, I would really advise you to go for it. It was the best experience of my life. I also highly recommend looking into some kind of pain management class (like Bradley or Hypnobabies). I didn't do anything for my first and wish I would have. For my second, I didn't take a formal class, but read as much as I could and also read a ton of posts on here about different techniques. Don't let your family's reactions make the decision for you, this is your birth and you deserve to do it the way YOU want.
Wishing you the best of luck in your search!

[zonapellucida]

The Labor of love is the only one that comes to mind for a center. If you want to birth at home, you csn ask them to suggest someone.

[massagemommy]

I used the midwife group (Mary O'Meara and co 813 258 3309) at Tampa General and was very happy with them and Tampa General. They completely respected all my wishes and made it a wonderful experience. I was not able to use a birth center b/c of risk factors, so Tampa General was the next best thing. They even have birth tubs, but I didn't get to use them b/c my water had already broken when I arrived. The only downside to the hospital. GL!

[s_kristina]

I am working on getting information together to call the Labor of Love office in Lakeland. It is the closest location to where we are in west Tampa. I really want to have every thing lined up ahead of time as it seems I am in for an even more troubled pg then I had with my ds2 who came 3 weeks early after being in and out of labor from 20 weeks on. I really need a clear picture from them if with that history and my ongoing medical issues if I would be a good candidate for them. If not it is looking like Tampa General would be my next choice as I almost started screaming when I looked at the info they have listed on the St. Joseph Women's hospital site. They spend more time giving info about their "amenities" then they do on labor or newborn care in the hospital