Midwives San Diego

[jennb7391]

Hi all :)

Does anyone know of or have had any experiences (good or bad) with midwives in the San Diego area? I am currently looking to choose a midwife and would love some feedback! Thank you :)

[Tamera]

The most popular choices seem to be Birth Roots, Best Start Birth Center, and the midwives at UCSD. I did a tour of Best Start and decided it wasn't the best fit for me, I saw the midwives at UCSD from about 16 weeks until now, and I'm ultimately going to have a homebirth with the midwives from Birth Roots (they also have a birth center). UCSD was an okay experience for me, I liked most of the midwives. The reason I'm switching so late (I'm 35 weeks) is because we lost our insurance and homebirth is a lot cheaper than paying the whole hospital bill out of pocket.

I forgot to add that I usually saw Beth at UCSD but Jennifer was my favorite. Beth seemed to be a little too eager to do a lot of tests that I felt were unnecessary. I connected better with Jennifer.

[jennb7391]

Thank you Tamera!

[ZoeyZoo]

I used Brooke Ray and really had a good experience with her but my birth was pretty straight forward. She was recommended to me by someone who had a more difficult experience than mine and she seemed to handle it well. She used to work for UCSD and does some work on the side with Best Start. PM me if you want more details.

[tifpaul]

Brooke Ray also attended my home births.  I recommend her without reservations.

[montessorimama1]

I don't know if you already chose a midwife, but I'm currently with Vickii Gervais, and she is amazing!!  She has two decades of experience and is extremely low-key and matter-of-fact about birth.  She only does home births, and she is an acupuncturist too, so she has a thorough understanding of the human body.  The appointments have been peaceful and she spends tons of time answering my questions, and she has never pushed tests and procedures on me, unlike other midwives I interviewed, who seemed ultrasound and test-happy.

I interviewed with Brooke but she just seemed a little "spacy" for me...

Good luck!!

[jennb7391]

I have met with Vickii and she is awesome!  My boyfriend is having reservations about a home birth because he is worried something will go wrong and we will get to the hospital too late. So trying to figure out if I go to UCSD birth center so he is a little more comfortable or go with the at home midwife. Thanks for your response :)

[montessorimama1]

If it helps, I would recommend that you ask Vickii for references and invite your boyfriend to talk to them about their experiences.  Has he spoken with Vickii himself?  I wish you the best of luck with your pregnancy and midwife search!!  :)

[jennb7391]

Actually I just emailed her to see if she would speak with him.. thanks for your help! :)  Vickii is definitely great.. if my BF is comfortable i'll definitely be going with her if she is available :)