VBAC in South Shore MA?

[Windsong79]

Hi! My dh and I are ttc #2. I ended up having an emergency c-section with #1 at Morton Hospital in Taunton. Morton doesn't allow vbacs. What are my options?? I've heard good things about South Shore midwifery, but they are now affiliated with Jordon (and as far as I know Jordon banned vbacs). Do I even have an option w/o traveling to Providence or Boston? How frustrating. DH would not be ok with home birth.

It really infuriates me that hospitals can ban vbacs. What the heck!?!

[jessjgh1]

Jordan IS allowing VBACS and South Shore Midwifery is supporting them.  I would start with them if they are close to you and see under what terms they have been able to negotiate, what policies might be restrictive- and what ones they have more leeway on.  This is all new to Jordan- but is not new to SSM, so hopefully they were able to get good terms from the beginning.

There is only one midwifery practice (now) that works with South Shore Hospital- SSWH  (South Shore Women's Health Center) and this is a large group.  I know there has been some turnover, too.  There may be a few midwives there that are really recommended (also Mary from Pilgrim Shores is now there, I believe).  

I'm sure there are others who will be interested in this new development so keep us posted!   

Jessica 

[rbarrett]

I delivered with South Shore Midwifery but at South Shore.  As PP mentioned, they now are at Jordan Hospital.  I had a WONDERFUL experience with them.  I heard that other moms needed to have continuous monitoring but I said I wanted intermittent and it was never an issue.  The hospital totally respected my birth plan, all the nurses were great.  SSM now delivers at Jordan and I can only say my son (who was a preemie) was transferred from Tufts to their Special Care nursery 2 years ago and although it isn't a fancy birthing ward, the staff is great.  My only gripe is according to Agnes (head midwife at SSM) to VBAC at Jordan they are requiring 2 saline locks.  Maybe that is negotiable.  South Shore Hospital is still allowing VBACs, but you'd have to go to another practice.  

[corrieoseal]

I love Jordan and would go back there in a heartbeat, even though I didn't end up getting my vbac. The nurses were extremely supportive of vbac patients. (They still weren't back in place when I had DS in April but I had a wonderful nurse who tried to advise me as best she could on what to say to the doctor to get the birth experience I wanted.) Now that South Shore Midwifery is there, I would imagine the atmosphere is extremely vbac friendly. Either way, the nurses were incredible. So supportive of everything I wanted post-birth and as attentive as I needed them to be. The only thing I didn't like was the strange experience I had in the O.R. with my anesthesiologist. Someone asked if I was circumcising as they were stitching me up and I said "no" and the anesthesiologist (who had been a bit  lacking in bedside manner to begin with) went on a rant about the biblical history of circumcision and made me feel that my choice was wrong. I thought it was strange and unprofessional and too vulnerable to stop the lecture (as I was on the operating table being cleaned up after major surgery.) Luckily, I never saw him again and, as I said, every other person at Jordan was exceptional in my experience.