looking for (north) austin area midwives...

[passthemanna]

Hi- DH and I are TTC we live north of Austin & are looking for a midwife for a homebirth. so far we've met April Bullock & have appointments to meet Michelle Fitzerald and Mary Barnett. Does anyone have experience with any of these midwives? Thanks

[*MamaJen*]

April Bullock was my backup midwife, and I really liked her. I didn't have a ton of interaction with her since she was just there to back up my primary midwife at the birth, but she's got a good reputation and a lot of experience. I also really like Illysa Foster.
My midwife was Natalie Lake. I'd recommend her in a heartbeat but her office is pretty south.

[bicyclingbethany]

All 3 of those midwives have excellent reputations, but they all have very different styles.

I used April and LOVED her. I really like how she has a strong knowledge of natural and alternative medicines, but does not hesitate to use Western medicine when needed. She is also big on nutrition and makes sure you eat well. She was very competent at the birth; very calm and gentle and hands-off, but went into action immediately when it was necessary. Her apprentice Jayme is also wonderful.

[PoppyMama]

April was my midwife and I was very happy.

[passthemanna]

thanks everyone...i have appointments to interview the other mws but so far april is the only mw i've met- so at least if i get pg before i get to meet them i already feel pretty confident about april!

[rachdoll]

Lisa Kestler is my mw - love her! She's in Georgetown. LMK if you want any info on her. :-)

[onlygirls]

I have a friend who used April and loved her.

I used Mary Barnett and know 3 other families that had her deliver their babies. Mary used to work in the hospitals before MW's were kicked out, so she is not as crunchy/laid back as some MW's. She harped on me about weight gain, was persistent about STD testing, to name a few things that bugged the hell out of me.

Looking back, I could have interviewed more MW's to try to find one with a personality that jived better. The pregnancy was unplanned, I had an IUD at the time, it was complicated. So I went with someone who had a lot of experience and it turned out just fine.

Good luck with your search!

[passthemanna]

Originally Posted by onlygirls

I have a friend who used April and loved her.

I used Mary Barnett and know 3 other families that had her deliver their babies. Mary used to work in the hospitals before MW's were kicked out, so she is not as crunchy/laid back as some MW's. She harped on me about weight gain, was persistent about STD testing, to name a few things that bugged the hell out of me.

Looking back, I could have interviewed more MW's to try to find one with a personality that jived better. The pregnancy was unplanned, I had an IUD at the time, it was complicated. So I went with someone who had a lot of experience and it turned out just fine.

Good luck with your search!

so were you and the other families happy with mary? i met her today. i'm still undecided...
i got a + hpt on mother's day- so i guess i'd better figure it out!

[onlygirls]

Congrats on your BFP!!

I know 2 families that liked her and both used her for more than one birth. One family had their youngest child 5 years ago and mom is now a surrogate. They are going to use Mary again for their homebirth.

One family did not have great things to say. It was funny at the time. (I have a strange sense of humor) Our husbands were working together, we were talking about home birth. She said how their birth went and then I asked who her MW was and when she said Mary, I almost choked on my salad.

Mary has a ton of experience with birth and home birth. I wanted someone who could deal with an emergency (even though I believe that home birth is safer than hospital birth). I already had 2 children and I was confident that I could do this and it would not be a big deal.

I don't want to list all the little things that irritated me (I thought of more from my previous post). In general I am hard to please. I will admit it. Go with YOUR gut. If you are not sure now, you will not like her when you are in labor or 30 weeks pregnant and hormones are going crazy. Or maybe that is just me.

Feel free to PM me if you want more details.

[teachermom]

I love april. she is really sweet and talented.
mary is very experienced. most people either really like her or really do not. she is different. a good midwife but not the personality for everyone.
I am not sure if lisa is practicing right now. she recently had a baby.

you might also check out melanie henderson @ 331.8121 she is very laid back but safe. she is off of 183.

[passthemanna]

I called Melanie Henderson, I'm waiting for a call back. Before my BFP I was thought it might take a while to conceive because I'm still nursing...now I'm nervous that by the time I figure out which midwife I'd like to hire she'll be all booked up!

[Georgetown HB Mom]

Originally Posted by passthemanna

I called Melanie Henderson, I'm waiting for a call back. Before my BFP I was thought it might take a while to conceive because I'm still nursing...now I'm nervous that by the time I figure out which midwife I'd like to hire she'll be all booked up!

I am going to send you a PM about Melanie.

Lisa

[kc939]

I am using Michelle Fitzgerald for my first child. I met with Patty Sprinkle and Mary Barnett too, and then another one that I met but didn't care for and don't remember her name anyway. I liked the other two, but I just felt like Michelle was right, as soon as I met her.
So far all my prenatals are good and she focuses a lot on nutrition, like someone else said about their midwife.
I also really like the two women who work with her just as much, so its kinda like three warm women for the price of one. I really kinda miss them when I haven't had an appt in a while, and I know I would never feel that way about a doctors office or hospital.