Need Midwife/hospital help in Princeton, NJ area

[mrsvalgal]

I am new to the area and just found out I am pregnant. There is an old thread about the Princeton Midwifery, but I am hoping for some recent info. I am actually having a really hard time getting ahold of anyone there. I don't think they accept my insurance anyway so I think they are out of the running. I am also looking at the Lawrenceville midwives and RWJ midwives. Lawrenceville midwives deliver at Capital Health @ Hopewell and the RWJ midwives deliver at RWJ Hamilton. Any input you can give would be GREATLY appreciated. It is stressing me out! :p

Val

[budwana birth]

Pam and Louise, the midwives at Midwifery Care Associates are amazing, and I also have nothing but good things to say about Capitol Health, Hopewell ESP now that it is Baby Friendly certified. Pam and Louise are well known among local birth pros as the best of the best. In fact at a local ICAN meeting, we all spent 20 minutes trying to rack our brains for a comparable alternative for a mama who was out of network with them.

[mrsvalgal]

Thank you for the input! I had read in the old thread that Pam and Louise didn't take insurance. Is that wrong? I had tried calling their office today but they only hold office hours on Tues and Thurs so I will try them again tomorrow. 

Good to hear about Capital Health. What does it mean that they are Baby Friendly certified?

[lucy_v]

"Baby-friendly" = "Launched worldwide in 1991, the Baby-Friendly^® Hospital Initiative is a joint project of the World Health Organization and UNICEF. The goal of the initiative is to recognize hospitals that provide a positive environment for breastfeeding mothers by fulfilling the rigorous standards outlined in the “Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding.”"

More info on their website: http://www.capitalhealth.org/medical-services/maternity/lactation-center/baby-friendly

Here are the midwife options in the area, as far as I'm aware:

Pam & Louise (Midwifery Care Associates, Pennington) - homebirths & Capital Health. Almost everyone I know who's went to them has been happy. The only homebirth option in the immediate area.

RWJ - I had my first here w/ the midwives.  Wouldn't recommend for a natural birth experience. 

Lawrence OB/GYN - I'm seeing the midwives here now. I love one of them so far, the others seem okay for the most part.  I have heard many great things about Capital Health though, several friends had babies there and were happy. 

Princeton Midwifery (part of Delaware Valley OB/GYN) - I know a couple of people who were happy with them and had natural births with them (at the Princeton hospital). 

budwana birth --- did you come up with a comparable alternative for P&L? Please share if you know of someone else! 

Edited by lucy_v - 2/3/13 at 10:53pm

[mrsvalgal]

Thanks Lucy. Those were the ones I was coming up with too. It is good to get some feedback about them. I have a friend who delivered with Princeton Midwifery this fall and loved the midwives. I feel like I can't even get through to talk to anybody! Really frustrating.

Thanks for the link on the baby friendly. That sounds great!! From what I could glean about Capital Health it looks like a really good place.

[mrsvalgal]

Just got off the phone with Pam and they accept my insurance!!! YAY!! I am so excited!

[budwana birth]

That's great news, mrsvalgal!  I hope you find your perfect match, whomever you choose. 

Lucy_v, in my experience, the midwives at All Women's Healthcare in Flemington are an amazing group of midwies with fabulous physicians.  They may be a bit far north for some, though.  Also, Hunterdon is also baby friendly (or working toward being official) and although their c/s rates are a little high, it is due to one particular OBGYN practice who shall not be named :)  It is a fantastic hospital for women seeking a positie, low-intervention birth experience. 

[SusanaLaLoca]

Capital Health Hopewell is a great hospital, especially if you're looking for a more natural birth. The cool thing about Pam & Louise vs the RWJ and Princeton groups, is that they are not staff. They meet you at the hospital, and they are with you until you have that baby. No shift ending, and getting the next midwife on duty, no other patients to tend to, no doctors who they have to "obey" (for lack of a better term). They have so much respect at that hospital, they come in and are left alone unless THEY ask for help. They were also instrumental in establishing "gentle c-cections" for their patients at the hospital, where they allow mom to watch as much as she wants, gets skin to skin immediately, can breastfeed in the OR, etc.

I'm using them for my VBAC this spring. I came from RWJ with my last pregnancy, and after my experience (I felt the midwives were too "medical" and not "crunchy" and natural enough for me) as well as researching their statistics, felt that their repeat c/s rates and vbac success rates just weren't impressive to me. Pam & Louise's VBAC success rate is over 90%. For me it was a no-brainer. They don't accept insurance, but will work with you to bill your insurance as an "out of network provider".

[mrsvalgal]

Thanks for the extra info! I have a consult with Pam (actually it is with Heather, the third midwife in the practice) next Thurs. I am so excited! Even though I have a consult with Lawrencville  midwives, I think I will probably stick with Pam & Louise because I already feel like they are what I am looking for. Actually, Tricare is the only insurance they take. YAY!  

I got that same 'medical' vibe from the RWJ midwives :/ 

[dlm194]

If you have Tricare, go with Pam and Louise!  :)  I had a really great birth with them - an unmedicated VBAC.  My first birth was with a much more medicalized midwifery group (the midwife who attended my birth and declared my pelvis "too small" is no longer practicing).

Pam and Louise run a unique practice in the sense that they only attend a few births a month.  While they have doctor back ups at Capital Health, they don't practice along side of doctors.  I delivered at the old Capital Health but I thought the staff was fantastic. There were very supportive even though I had a really long labor.  While they are out of network for most insurances, they do everything with Tricare so you won't need to worry. 

My baby was actually caught by the midwifery student they had at the time (with Pam overseeing everything).  Her name was Heather so I wonder if it's the same one?  She was wonderful! 

[bigskydreams]

Pam and Louise all the way!  I had an unmedicated VBAC with them about 8 months ago, and it was a life-changing experience for me and my husband...I think we will forever gush about it!  I can't say enough good things about them.  Our insurance covered 80% so I think we paid about $1200 (?) out of pocket.  It was worth every penny.  I probably would have had a csection if it weren't for those two.  And Linda in the office is great, too :)

[mrsvalgal]

Originally Posted by dlm194 

If you have Tricare, go with Pam and Louise!  :)  I had a really great birth with them - an unmedicated VBAC.  My first birth was with a much more medicalized midwifery group (the midwife who attended my birth and declared my pelvis "too small" is no longer practicing).

Pam and Louise run a unique practice in the sense that they only attend a few births a month.  While they have doctor back ups at Capital Health, they don't practice along side of doctors.  I delivered at the old Capital Health but I thought the staff was fantastic. There were very supportive even though I had a really long labor.  While they are out of network for most insurances, they do everything with Tricare so you won't need to worry. 

My baby was actually caught by the midwifery student they had at the time (with Pam overseeing everything).  Her name was Heather so I wonder if it's the same one?  She was wonderful!   

I met with Heather last night and yes, she is the same one!! I didn't think to ask until I walked out of the consultation... what is their policy about ultrasounds and testing? Do they do u/s in the office? Do they follow a typical schedule of a dating u/s around 8-10 weeks and then another one around 20? I assume there is a lab that they send their patients to for all the testing.

I met today with a midwife at Lawrence OB/Gyn. She even recommended Pam & Louise! Although I had intended to have a hospital birth, I am toying with the idea of a home birth. I figure if I'm going to do it, this is the time :)

[aprilv]

They draw blood in the office and send you out for ultrasounds.  You can decide which ultrasounds and tests you want after talking each over, they are really supportive and flexible.  

[dlm194]

Yes, like April said, they can draw blood in the office.  Everyone there (including Linda, their office manager) can draw blood which gets picked up by a lab.  That means even the diabetes testing is done with them which is nice!  You can get u/s done at Capital Health.  I've heard a few horror stories of the price that Capital Health charges for u/s but they accept what Tricare gives them so no worries there.  I opted out of all early prenatal testing except for the initial bloodwork.  They were totally fine with that.  But you can talk to them about whatever testing you are interesting in.  At the 20 week u/s you have a consult with a perinatologist at the hospital.
 

I am so thrilled to hear that Heather is back!  I heard that she was at a Delaware birth center after her training with Pam and Louise and I actually felt a little sad because they didn't attend VBACs there and she was so awesome during my VBAC.  :)  During one of my prenatal visits, a woman was sitting there with her mother.  Turns out her mother was a midwife at the hospital  and her daughter was using Pam and Louise.  LOL!  Obviously other midwives think highly of them.  :)

[sophinikode]

Hello mamas! I'm new to this board and I see this thread is fairly recent I'm hoping you ladies may be able to help me.

I live outside of Philadelphia not far from capital health at all and we just found out were expecting baby number 3 I wasn't happy with our last birth at st Mary's hospital and am looking for other options I really like what I'm reading about capital health but my problem is I'm not sure if I can use my insurance for any of these places listed in this thread keystone health plan east. I would really like to put my best effort into a natural birth where baby isn't separated from me for long with DD2 she was gone for 6 hours due to my ill reaction to an epidural etc. if you know weather or not I can seek care in New Jersey that would be great or maybe some suggestions for the Philly area or surrounding area, but I'm not seeing any great options ! I would really like an option with a tub for use during labor. Sorry this is jumbled any advice would be appreciated !

[budwana birth]

Sophinikode,
How far are you willing to travel? Could you do Flemmington? Morristown? Would you consider a Homebirth?

[sophinikode]

Hello! I'm trying to stick with in a 30 mile radius, I've just come across Ronnie Rothman she is a CNM who delivers either at valley birth place or at the new Einstein medical center in east Norriton. I did speak to my insurance company and New Jersey is out. Are you familiar with valley or this midwife at all? Thanks for your response!

[budwana birth]

No but I am part of a network of doulas and I bet someone has. I will ask my email group if anyone has experience there.