Birthing options near Scranton Pa.

[harli]

Hi everyone,
I was told you Mama's over here are very helpful so I came and joined the forum and hope you can help me

Not too long ago I had an absolutely horrific experience at Moses Taylor Hospital. I will probably post the story when I have more time but it involved the doctor lying to me about my health to get me to okay an unnecessary procedure, that he promptly did without following proper pain management protocols immediately after I gave birth to my dd. I now have ptsd to thank for it and rape victim type symptoms.

Needless to say I need to find a new doc. I plan on having more kids in the near future and would like to find a new doc now before I get preg. I know birthing options are scarce in this area. I'm about 30 min's from MTH and 30 min's from Wayne Memorial and about 45 mins. from Geisinger. I won't go to MTH unless that's my only option. I know it's not their fault that my doc was incredibly dishonest but I also wasn't thrilled with their hospitals guidelines (ex I wasn't allowed to hold my dd for 45 min's or so after birth irregardless of apgar scores of 9 and 10. She needed to get warm by the light not her Mama's arms. and other things like that. ) or the fact that their nurse lied about the "procedure" that the doc did in my records.

So what are my options.....I would prefer a homebirth but would rather utilize my insurance company first. These are my options for CNM's

Elaine Richards-Hercher , CNM

Shelley Rosenberg , CNM

Patricia Ann Konzman , CNM

I've got Geisinger Ins and have OB/GYN options but I WILL NOT ever step foot in a Physician's Health Alliance practice again.

Any recommendations from the list of CNM's, or any good OB/GYN's in the area? How about homebirthing midwives that come to this area? And if there is a homebirthing midwife is there an OB/GYN that is friendly to midwives to act as a backup?

I'm so sorry that this post is so long but not knowing my birthing options out there is keeping me up at night along with other problems from the PTSD. I think if I know there are some good options out there I might start to be able to heal from this.

Thanks Mama's

[earthymato2]

i'm so sorry you had such a bad experience at moses taylor.... there are definitely some other birthing options in the area. i'm in honesdale and planning a homebirth in may with an incredible midwife- i'd be happy to give you her contact info. i also noticed pat konzman (cnm) on your list... i'm not very familiar with her specifically, but there is another cnm in that practice (women's health of nepa i believe it's called) who i have heard really great things about. her first name is sheila but i can't seem to remember her last name at the moment. i hope that is helpful to you.

[earthymato2]

i also forgot to mention... some homebirth midwives do accept insurance (mine does, but you get reimbursed after the birth) so it's always good to check!

[Therese's Mommy]

I had my second down at GWV and it is not mom/baby friendly AT ALL!! I wouldn't go there. Had my first at MTH with PHA and that is precisely why I had my second at GWV. Had my third in my bedroom With a great hb mw, Jen. She is on here periodically, but here is her website My Birth by Design. Her fee is totally reasonable, we paid out of pocket. We have great insurance and had we had a hospital birth everything (and I mean everything, from start to 6wk pp check up) would have cost us a grand total of $10, but the money for the hb was totally worth it.

I am sorry you had such an awful and painful experience. It is sad. I have a friend that just had a VBA2C at MTH and after about 24 hours of labor and 3 hours of pushing the only thing the doctor could say when my friend pushed her baby out was, "this baby stinks". Not the memory that a mama deserves after having a baby.

[paquerette]

I'm so sorry that you had such a bad experience. I had a similar issue there 5 years ago. A year and a half ago I had my second baby at home.

One thing to keep in mind is that even if you use a CNM for your prenatal care, they will still be bound by whatever rules and regulations the doctors who oversee them and the hospitals at which they work impose. And they may or may not guarantee to be there when you do give birth. You may still end up with whatever ob is there.

What are your plans for your personal healing right now? It might be a good idea to heal from this experience before planning for the next baby.

[harli]

Originally Posted by earthymato2

i'm so sorry you had such a bad experience at moses taylor.... there are definitely some other birthing options in the area. i'm in honesdale and planning a homebirth in may with an incredible midwife- i'd be happy to give you her contact info. i also noticed pat konzman (cnm) on your list... i'm not very familiar with her specifically, but there is another cnm in that practice (women's health of nepa i believe it's called) who i have heard really great things about. her first name is sheila but i can't seem to remember her last name at the moment. i hope that is helpful to you.

Thanks that is very helpful and I would LOVE to get the name of your midwife.

Originally Posted by earthymato2

i also forgot to mention... some homebirth midwives do accept insurance (mine does, but you get reimbursed after the birth) so it's always good to check!

I checked with my insurance. They said they WILL NOT reimburse but I was told when I visited the lactation consultant that my ins. would pay I just need to submit the receipt to them. I never did try that I lost the receipt but I have a feeling the customer service rep I got in touch with my not have known what she was talking about. I think she was just trying to discourage me from going to someone not on their approved provider list.

Originally Posted by Therese's Mommy

I had my second down at GWV and it is not mom/baby friendly AT ALL!! I wouldn't go there. Had my first at MTH with PHA and that is precisely why I had my second at GWV. Had my third in my bedroom With a great hb mw, Jen. She is on here periodically, but here is her website My Birth by Design. Her fee is totally reasonable, we paid out of pocket. We have great insurance and had we had a hospital birth everything (and I mean everything, from start to 6wk pp check up) would have cost us a grand total of $10, but the money for the hb was totally worth it.

I am sorry you had such an awful and painful experience. It is sad. I have a friend that just had a VBA2C at MTH and after about 24 hours of labor and 3 hours of pushing the only thing the doctor could say when my friend pushed her baby out was, "this baby stinks". Not the memory that a mama deserves after having a baby.

I did come across Jen's name and have it on file thanks . I must admit that you have my curiosity perked. What type of experience did you have at Moses and what was wrong with GWV? I was actually leaning towards going to them because I just found out a friend of mine's girlfriend (who's very nice) works for the OB practice up there. Why is GWV so unbaby friendly? Feel free to Pm me.

Originally Posted by paquerette

I'm so sorry that you had such a bad experience. I had a similar issue there 5 years ago. A year and a half ago I had my second baby at home.

One thing to keep in mind is that even if you use a CNM for your prenatal care, they will still be bound by whatever rules and regulations the doctors who oversee them and the hospitals at which they work impose. And they may or may not guarantee to be there when you do give birth. You may still end up with whatever ob is there.

What are your plans for your personal healing right now? It might be a good idea to heal from this experience before planning for the next baby.

Good point about the CNM care.

As for what I'm doing right now.....I'm seeing a great therapist and will be heading out to the police next week to see about pressing assault charges per the advice of legal counsel(which WILL make me feel better). And no worries I know having a baby at the moment is not a good idea but we have always wanted 3 or 4 so will be moving on with that hopefully in the next year or two. Looking for a new care provider is part of the healing process per counseling. I just need to know that there are people out there who I can trust should a new pregnancy happen.

[Therese's Mommy]

Originally Posted by harli

I did come across Jen's name and have it on file thanks . I must admit that you have my curiosity perked. What type of experience did you have at Moses and what was wrong with GWV? I was actually leaning towards going to them because I just found out a friend of mine's girlfriend (who's very nice) works for the OB practice up there. Why is GWV so unbaby friendly? Feel free to Pm me.

I had my first at MTH. I was with the PHA OBs. I was induced for a silly reason and didn't have the guts to question them. I was lucky to come out with a vag birth, but had an epidural, which I was hoping to avoid. The OB that caught my first told me at my 26th week appointment that I would probably have a section because I was short (I am just under 4'11"). Right before I was about to push he came in and said "well honey, remember I said that you will probably have a section, but I am going to let you try and push for a little while...blah, blah, blah". Anyway, when I was pg with my second, we found out she had a 2 vessel cord. OB want to push my due date up a week from 6/1 to 5/24 because of an u/s at 11 weeks that showed her measuring "big". Also told me he would only let me go to 41 weeks. I was sure of dates as I was charting. He was very condescending and refused to listen. Dh said, that's it we're leaving the practice and that is why I ended up at GWV with my second. She was born on 6/15 by induction.

The prenatal care I received with the practice down at GWV (the one that has Daniel and Cassagnol) was great. Most of the OBs were good in the office and the office staff (reception, nurses) were beyond excellent. I was looking forward to a great L&D experience. Alas, it was not to be. The OB that was on (Valenta) was completely rude to me. I was told to get there at 7AM for my induction and he didn't come down to check me and start the pit until 3PM! I was there all day wasting my time. The pit was started at 4. When I was only 5cm at 9 he told me I had another hour and then it was a section for me. My baby and I were doing great. I was managing the cxns even though the evil nurse had the pit up super high. At 9:30 I told him I wanted an epi. I didn't want it (or need it) but dh and labor support thought it would buy me some time. When OB found out I wanted the epi he was actually nice to me for a second (guess I finally came to my senses). While we waited for the anesthiologist (sp) to come back to the hospital I dilated the rest of the way and pushed my baby out. She was born just before 11PM. After that it was a constant fight to keep dd out of the nursery. They do not encourage rooming in. I needed to get permission from the hospitalists beforehand in order to room in. The nurses were not helpful. My labor nurse was evil. It was a very bad experience. I would never go back there.

I feel like I gave the 2 hospitals in the area a try and each failed. I will be homebirthing from now on unless the mw feels a need to transport.

[jenmc]

I don't know what town you are in, but if a drive it not a problem for you, you might want to check out www.hackettstownmidwives.com in Hackettstown NJ. They deliver at Hackettstown Regional Medical Center and have an office in Hackettstown NJ and another in Columbia NJ (exit 4 off of Rt 80). The Columbia office only has Tuesday hours.

[phantesi]

Thanks for this thread! I had a dissatisfying experience with PHA OBs as well, and ended up with a cesarean. I had no problem with MTH, other than the nurse pushing for an epi. We are trying for #2 so this thread is very helpful.

My friend had her first child at Geisinger WV in Dec '08 and she hated it. She was forced into a second cesarean a few weeks ago and requested that it be at Wilkes Barre General instead. I wish we had better options in the area. I've been looking in the Allentown area, as they seem to have slightly better options.

[knitted_in_the_wom]

Wow!

For what it is worth...I know that someone won a suit against a Dr. in the Lehigh Valley area (St. Luke's Bethlehem) for what I assume from reading the media reports was an episiotomy cut without consent/need. This would have been at least 12 years ago...but it sounds like you might have good legal counsel? That legal counsel should be able to find the case records, and that could help to support your case. Please, please, PLEASE let us know what happens with your filing. Actually, consider contacting the folks at EmPoWeReD Birth--a non-profit in PA too to let them know about this (search on Facebook, or e-mail [e-mail])

Unfortunately, the environment you are birthing in just isn't great. High c-section rates are just the tip of the iceberg (33% at MTH, 42% at GWH http://tinyurl.com/2008-PA-Cesarean-Rate)--in 2004 one of the hospitals in Wilkes-Barre actually got a court order that would have allowed them to perform a cesarean on a woman against her consent! And the really infuriating thing was that she had a history of multiple vaginal births, no cesareans, and she went on to have a safe vaginal birth at another hospital, not knowing about the court order the other hospital had obtained. UUUGGGGHHH!!!!

Jen F. caught my most recent baby. She really is an excellent midwife. Her prices are very reasonable, and she does have an OB that she has a working relationship with if you need higher level consultation.

Hugs!

[Richie'sMama]

Shelly Rosenberg

is a fabulous midwife, but, alas, I don't think she's practicing anymore.

[LaneyCardinal]

Birthing Options in NEPA

What's the good word on WB Gen Hosp? Also PHA is a NIGHTMARE in Scranton. Stay away. Rude, don't return phone calls when you are miscarrying, can never speak to a doc only nurses. Trying to find a good OBGYN in the WB area... any ideas? Sounds like we'll be staying away from Geisinger and definitely staying away from MTH.. what about CMC or Mercy? Please advise. Also with First Priority Ins... anyone have any experience with HMO and what they cover as far as midwives, etc?

[paquerette]

As of last year, Moses is the only hospital in Scranton still catching babies.

Are you set on a hospital birth? We have fabulous homebirth midwives around.

Is First Priority part of Blue Cross? I have BCBS PPO and they paid for my homebirth.

[harli]

paquerette would you mind listing some of the homebirth midwives that are around here? I've come up with a two names but I would appreciate a few more. Plus I have a dear friend who is about to start TTC and is in the WB area. She definitely does not want to deliver in WB or Scranton and is thinking of a homebirth. I also think the information would be nice to have in this thread as a reference.

What's the good word on WB Gen Hosp? Also PHA is a NIGHTMARE in Scranton. Stay away. Rude, don't return phone calls when you are miscarrying, can never speak to a doc only nurses. Trying to find a good OBGYN in the WB area... any ideas? Sounds like we'll be staying away from Geisinger and definitely staying away from MTH.. what about CMC or Mercy? Please advise. Also with First Priority Ins... anyone have any experience with HMO and what they cover as far as midwives, etc?

I hate to say this but I haven't heard any "good" word on WB General only horror stories, including from people who work in their L&D unit. I would steer clear if I were you.

Funny I've had the same experiences with PHA. When I first came back to the area I was at the PHA that Dr. Bigus works for. I had a miscarriage, couldn't get them to call me back, barely convinced them to give me an appt at 7 weeks after the miss. (they couldn't fit me in though so made me wait to 10 weeks after). Once I finally did get in they really didn't do anything other then get VERY uncomfortable when I told them the reason I wasn't seen earlier was because I couldn't get them to call me back and because two nurses insisted I didn't really need to be seen. Then a few months later I received a letter from them where they were saying they were so sorry to hear about my recent miss and if I was still trying to conceive that I should enter their research study. They also called me to see if I would take part. I find it funny how the only time they paid any attention to me was when they needed something from me. That is why I switched to the other PHA office which turned out to be no different if not worse.

[phantesi]

I have been in touch with the homebirth midwives Jennifer McFarland and Lisa Robertson (she's out of lower NY) recently. I'm planning a VBAC and have had enough of my OB. I haven't heard anything good about any OBs and I'm not really interested in the hospitals either so I feel homebirth is my only option. WB General is crap, so is Geisinger, so is Moses Taylor. There are midwives in Honesdale for the Wayne Memorial Health System if your insurance covers them. Dr. Brian Wilcox was also recommended to me by a friend, but as I said I'm just not into the hospital thing. There is another midwife, Jessica Lawlor (or something along those lines) out of NJ but I'm not sure if she travels this far.

[paquerette]

The ones I am sure do this area are Jen McFarland and Jessica Lawlor. Possibly Valley Midwives would or the ones from Binghamton (not sure who that would be).

[paquerette]

I meant to put some links in that last post, whoops.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nepabirth/ is our local birth group. We're trying to start having meetings again!

There's a larger group for Eastern PA, Empowered Birth, and they have regular meetings in the Lehigh Valley area. I think they just have the Facebook though. http://www.facebook.com/EmpoweredBirth.PA

http://www.valleymidwives.com/ is Valley Midwives if you want to inquire with them.
http://www.newjerseyhomebirth.com/ is Jessica.
http://www.mybirthbydesign.com/ is Jen.

I think that was it...

[jenmidwife2b]

General is not a good hospital. They are the ones that got a court order a few years back to try and force a woman into having a section. She left the hospital, unaware of what they were doing, and went to another hospital to have her baby vaginally there. http://www.advocatesforpregnantwomen..._c-section.htm

[Brittney Stasi]

Hi I moved to Scranton a little over a year ago. I have two kids who are 2 1/2 and 11/2. I know nothing about pa laws on Home Birth or where to find a good Midwife. I need a lil help!? :) I want to start getting info now before I get pg. 

thanks so much Brit

[paquerette]

Originally Posted by Brittney Stasi 

Hi I moved to Scranton a little over a year ago. I have two kids who are 2 1/2 and 11/2. I know nothing about pa laws on Home Birth or where to find a good Midwife. I need a lil help!? :) I want to start getting info now before I get pg. 

thanks so much Brit

Hi! Check out the links in my previous post. ;)