Dr. Johnson won't do VBAC now, who next?

[fcres]

I was so happy to have found Dr. Johnson and have been seeing her last 3 years for well women checkup. Now when I'm finally pregnant again she stopped doing VBAC as of last September. She said Dr. Reeds also stopped doing VBAC.

All the other docs I'm hearing are in medical center. How do you get to Medical center on time when you are laboring ? Anybody has experice with VBAC in medical center when you live 25-30mlies away?

Also are there any other VBAC docs in North Houston like Humble, Woodlands or Willowbrook?
I just don't know what to do, I was crying on my drive back after seeing Dr. Johnson. Home birth is out of qn, DH will never allow. He is not even ok with VBAC, but agreed just for me.

Thanks.

[Sk8ermaiden]

There is an OB out of Willowbrook Methodist who supposedly does VBACs, last name Stanley, you can find her through their website.

Sorry, NAK.

[Sk8ermaiden]

Have you joined the Houston ICAN list yet? Invaluable.

[fcres]

Thanks Kellie, I just joined ICAN group, waiting for approval.

I didn't see a Dr. Stanely in the Methodist Willobrook. But I did see a Dr. Kirkman that was mentioned here before and her site says VBAC in the special interest column. So does a few of other docs .
I guess I will start a new thread about these docs.

[Sk8ermaiden]

I'm a moron, it' Stacey Norton.

http://www.nwwomens.com/index.cfm/fu.../site.home.cfm

[fcres]

Thanks, I saw 4 of that clinics doctors do VBAC, but Dr Norton is not accepting new patients eventhough the Methodist website says she does. I will call them tomorrow and find out.

[jenak]

I started my last pg with Dr Kirkman and she was happy to talk about vbac although she does not do them for twins. She delivers vbacs at Methodist Willowbrook.

I did end up switching to Dr Hector del Castillo in the med center at 22 weeks.

IMO Dr Kirkman was very overbooked. Long wait times at every appointment i had and of the 9 appointments I had with her, I only met with her once and the other times saw her nurse practitioner or the appt was cancelled outright after I was already at the office. Now, many of those times she was absent was due to delivering babies, which is a good sign I think, but I just couldn't handle it. Perhaps it was a fluke. Perhaps she isn't always so overbooked.

I will add that at my first appt, I found out that I had miscarried one of my twins and everyone at the office from Dr Kirkman, to the blood test lady and u/s tech were very nice/good/sympathetic... I don't know, those words don't sound right, but they did everything right is what I'm trying to say.

On the other hand...

I don't see living 30 miles away as a big drawback to delivering in the med center unless your first labor was particularly fast. My biggest regret to my *successful* vbac is that I went to the hospital way too soon and was there in L&D for 24 hours before DS was born. Another hour in the car would have been fine.

[HeatherB]

We live in Sugar Land and our first was born at Memorial Hermann, Med Center. Now, that was the cesarean birth, but being half an hour from the hospital wasn't a big deal as far as labor was concerned. It was miserable to drive and hit bumps, etc., while in active labor, so in that regard I didn't like the distance. But, the freeway isn't *too* bad of a drive.

I have heard good things about Dr. Hector del Castillo and Dr. Juan Franco, with Castillo being at (edited for correction) Memorial Hermann Med Center, and Franco at St. Joseph's downtown.

However, before you decide on a provider, I would highly recommend having free interviews with a few midwives in your area. Paula Davis is in Porter and would serve your area. She has been the back up for both of my HBACs and we really love her! I am not familiar with the other midwives in that area but know there are several.

I have generally found that most resistance to home birth comes from fear and a lack of knowledge/understanding. If you and your husband think about what concerns you have and address each of those with any midwives you interview, you'll have a better sense of whether or not it *really* is a good option for you. You do, without question, have a higher likelihood of a successful VBAC if you birth at home with a qualified midwife, so that's something to consider.

HTH!

[ShwarmaQueen]

Originally Posted by HeatherB

However, before you decide on a provider, I would highly recommend having free interviews with a few midwives in your area. Paula Davis is in Porter and would serve your area. She has been the back up for both of my HBACs and we really love her! I am not familiar with the other midwives in that area but know there are several.

I have generally found that most resistance to home birth comes from fear and a lack of knowledge/understanding. If you and your husband think about what concerns you have and address each of those with any midwives you interview, you'll have a better sense of whether or not it *really* is a good option for you. You do, without question, have a higher likelihood of a successful VBAC if you birth at home with a qualified midwife, so that's something to consider.

HTH!

Paula was our assisting MW as well. Our primary MW was Chris Duffy, who we love.

I'd rent The Business of Being Born and have DH watch it. You're waaaaay more likely to be successful at your VBAC if you're at home, free of interventions and bad vibes.

[fcres]

Thank everybody. With Dr Castillo, who will be the back up Dr? and will they do VBAC?

I'm checking with NW women's Center's docs. Dr. Norton won't take new patients and Dr.Mcguirk will take VBACs on a case by case. They will get back to me tomorrow about whether he will take me.

[Nannysbaby]

I sent you a few messages over on ICAN. But I wanted to mention that it is Dr. Hector Del Castillo and he delivers at MHTMC. He has been my gyn for several years. He's a good dr. His backups, I'm told, "do what he wants." FWIW. There are several woman over on ICAN that have recently had vbac's with him, also, Dr. Juan Franco has done recent vbac's at St Joe's.

Hopefully your meeting with Dr. McGuirk will go well. They have a CNM in their practice too. I do not know if she is "allowed" to do vbac's but you should ask. I am curious about that myself.

Linda

PS-on the Rate MD's website Dr. McGuirk is said to have delivered twins vaginally...that's pretty rare these days and IMO is a good sign as to his beliefs about birth...

[jenak]

Del Castillo delivers at the med center.

His backups... there are 3 and honestly I don't remember all their names. 1 won't do vbacs. He said the other 2 will. The one I saw was Dr Tsai. Dr Tsai did not want to do a vbac with me, though he said he will do them with his own patients, he did not want to do mine because I had GD and was 41 weeks. Fortunately, I was able to wait until Dr DC came back (he was on vacation for a week starting at my due date - he was due back on Monday, I went into labor Sunday night, so I had Dr Tsai from 10pm-6am when Dr DC came back... and didn't have a baby until 10pm that night)

[linziimae20]

Dr REED in the woodlands is still doing vbacs, but her partners do not so you have a 25% chance of having a vbac with her, her partners do sections, Shelby hampton at the woodlands does vbac, she used to be in reed's practice, also try the midwives at st lukes or jackie griggs at bay area birth center she is great she delivered my last baby tell her lindsey recommended her

[linziimae20]

ddi i mention i am a vbac x2 and cried when i found out i was pregnant and no one did vbac it took me six weeks to find the right perosn

[alegna]

Neither the hospital midwives nor birth centers will take VBACs.

-Angela

[Sk8ermaiden]

Originally Posted by linziimae20

Dr REED in the woodlands is still doing vbacs, but her partners do not so you have a 25% chance of having a vbac with her, her partners do sections, Shelby hampton at the woodlands does vbac, she used to be in reed's practice, also try the midwives at st lukes or jackie griggs at bay area birth center she is great she delivered my last baby tell her lindsey recommended her

Dr Reed isn't doing VBACs anymore.

[babz]

Try the Women of the Woodlands practice - my friend saw Richter-Werning there who offered her a VBAC 2½ years ago. My friend refused. To each his own. Last time I checked their website said they would VBAC.

My son's piano teacher VBAC'ed w/del Castillo last Nov. She transferred to him over 20 weeks along along.

Good luck.

I drove to the Woodlands for my VBAC w/Johnson. It's about 25 miles for me. I went up there in early labor and got a hotel room to labor in until I was ready to go to the hospital. If it's during the day, there's lots to do and places to walk around in the med ctr. The headache w/the med ctr is parking.

[fcres]

I saw Dr. McGuirk, he was very nice and informative. He said all the docs in that practice are into VBAC and the hospital is also very good about it. So I won't have to worry about the back up Dr. But he wants to first see my c/s report to know how the incision was made before deciding if we can go the VBAC route. So I have to wait until next appnt in 3weeks. I had those medical records at home, I should I have taken it along with me. Now when I'm reading it I realize I had very little amniotic fluid and a low lying placenta last time. Hopefully he won't see those as a problem this time around. The staffs are also very nice but the waiting time was really bad. No wonder they have such a huge waiting area.

[linziimae20]

i just delivered in sep , dr reed was doing vbacs has of july 2009because i was going to vbaC WITH KAREN till she left , try shelby hampton at 1st choice ob in woodlands she was going to vbaced me in sept but i went with jackie griggs great vbac at bay area birth center , dr ronen in katy also does vbacs, at memorial city delivered my friend sat

[Sk8ermaiden]

It was in September that she quit doing them. She had a case where a mom was in labor not progressing and refusing a repeat for something like 36 hours. Since she was a VBAC and Dr. Reed had no backup, she had to stay in the hospital the entire time. I believe what I heard after the fact was that she still believes in VBAC, but she can't do it by herself.

I do not remember if she finished out the women who were planning VBACs with her or if she stopped cold turkey. I do know we had some moms at 20 weeks who had to find new care.

We lost Dr. Johnson and Dr. Reed in the same month. It was a pretty crappy month for ICAN. I *believe* they both still will do VBACs if you have had one already.