Atlanta Area Nurse Midwives

[tori3]

--- I am reposting this in my tribe, at the suggestion of a reply to my post under "childbirth professionals." I didn't realize there was a regional posting section of this site - I'm new! Thanks. ---

Hi all,

I'm 15 weeks pregnant and have heard great things about this site. Forgive me for a first post that is so long and rambling....

I'd like to do a hospital birth but with a nurse midwife and doula. I picked a medical practice in Atlanta that offers nurse midwives, Obstetrics & Gynecology of Atlanta, at the recommendation of a friend who recently had her first child with them (with an MD). So far I have been a little underwhelmed by them. I also discovered that they do their deliveries at Northside Hospital, which has a 36% C-section rate!

This practice does create a birthing plan with you, and they have pamphlets in the office for hypnobirthing (which I'd also like to do) and they said I can have a doula. So it *seems* like they should be a good group to be with, but the high C-section rate at Nothside bothers me.

Finally, the practice and Northside are actually quite convenient/greener, too, since I won't have to drive very far to get to my monthly appointments.

Does anybody have any experience with natural births in Atlanta hospitals? I would appreciate any insight or thoughts about this. I can definitely switch practices this early in my pregnancy, but wanted to get some others' input before doing so blindly.

Thanks!
Tori
NE Atlanta

[gratefulmama2isaac]

The best practice for natural birth in a hospital is isisobgyn.com. There are two midwives in that practice - Kay Johnson and Margaret Strickhouser, and one o.b. However, if you are a midwife patient, you only see them.
They deliver at North Fulton Regional hospital, which is the only hospital in Atlanta that does water births.
From what I hear, second-best is Judith Cox, who works with a mixed (CNM and o.b) practice out of Piedmont hospital.
But I would recommend Isis first, always.
Some women have good, unmedicated births at Northside, but - indeed - it has that high c-section rate. However, Piedmont's is also high. The most important thing is what the c/s rate (and other interventios) is for the group you're thinking of joining.
FWIW, I have not heard good things about the midwives at Northside.
I would recommend interviewing before you make a switch; get a feel for the practice, and see who you feel good about.
Good luck!

[wrzos]

While it is possible to have a natural birth at any of the atlanta hospitals - NFR is your best bet for a natural birthing friendly place to be. The PP is correct in that you'd be best served by making sure you are comfortable with the practice you choose, regardless of whether that is a MD or CNM or DEM (homebirth).

I also highly recommend a doula for all first-time mothers - I and many other have used Labor of Love, but there are LOTS of other lovely doulas available in the ATL area. Some even on this board!

Northside is not known for being overly natural birth friendly, but it can and has been done. A lot will depend on your independent situation, how determined you are, what support you have in place and your relationship with your practitioner. Good luck with whatever you do!

[lafemmedesfemmes]

i second the rec for kay johnson. one of my best friends had a fantastic drug-free birth with her when she was still working at northside, almost seven () years ago. and yeah, our experience at northside didn't speak highly of their commitment to natural birthing, but kay was an awesome advocate for us.

christina

[bellydance2290]

I also HIGHLY recommend Isis. I had my baby in June with Margaret (before she was at Isis) and had a water birth at NFR. It was such a great experience and Margaret was the best!! I wouldn't dream of going to anyone else. I have also heard great things about the OB that she now works with.
I would be very hesitant to birth anywhere in Atlanta besides NFR, especially Northside.

[CathToria]

I had my 1st 2 at Northside. For my 3rd, I knew that I wanted my 1st unmedicated, low intervention birth, so I chose Margaret, NFR, and a doula. I wanted to do everythign that I could to set the stage for a different birth experience. I also wanted a hospital and a practice where natural birth was more "normal", so that my requests would not be met with resistance, shock and lack of support. I was glad that I did, as I did get the birth that I planned for.

[GirlOutOfNY]

I had a natural unmedicated birth with OBGYn of Atlanta, Mitra and Kelly were present. I was pretty determined to have a natural birth and it worked out for us. YOu have to decide what is going to work out for you.

[zjandosmom]

another vote for Margaret and Kay. In my opinion they are the only true midwives in Atlanta (in a hospital setting)....too many medwives around here! Congratulations and good luck1

[mirako]

i had homebirths and kay attended my first one b/c my lay midwife was out of town (of course this would happen to me )...she is so calm and just really lets you give birth w/o all the FEAR!!!! imo birth is so natural and 99% of it is psychological...that's why i feel it is soooo important to feel good about your situation....i.e. who is going to be there...your midwife, and others...and the environment that you give birth in....i've visited NFR when a friend was there and it is so quiet and warm and small...and i can't say enough good things about water birth....it is so great to be able to take all the pressure off during labor....good luck w/ your decision

[LROM]

How about Doulas?

What recommendations do you have for doulas in Atlanta? Someone here mentioned Labor of Love, but are there any particular doulas that are fantastic there? What other doula practices do you guys highly recommend?

[Verity]

Originally Posted by lafemmedesfemmes

i second the rec for kay johnson. one of my best friends had a fantastic drug-free birth with her when she was still working at northside, almost seven () years ago. and yeah, our experience at northside didn't speak highly of their commitment to natural birthing, but kay was an awesome advocate for us.

I had a wonderful drug-free birth with Kay 14 (!) years ago at Dekalb Medical Center.

My second and third babies were born at Northside with two different CNM practices. (Kay was one of the midwives in the practice I used with my third baby, but another midwife was on call when I gave birth.) I was a bit concerned about their high epidural and c-section rates, but the nurses were very supportive of my decision to give birth without drugs.

I opted against North Fulton because it was a little farther away from my home than Northside. My plan was to labor at home as long as possible, and North Fulton didn't fit as well into that plan. Another issue was North Fulton's medicinal smell. That was a huge turnoff for me because it brought up all sorts of negative emotions about my mother's final stay in a hospital.

I think the most important factor in having a low-intervention hospital birth is to have a CNM who understands your priorities and will advocate for you. Between my CNMs and my husband, who both advocated for me, I never felt the need for a doula.

[Isarma]

Stay away from Northside! They have the highest c-section rate in Atlanta.

[HomeBirthMommy]

Originally Posted by Isarma

Stay away from Northside! They have the highest c-section rate in Atlanta.

Yes, and a horrible breastfeeding policy along with it. :

[doulanichole]

Actually, Piedmont's rate is higher. Though most are pretty bad now. Local area hospital cesarean section rates as of 2007:

Dekalb Medical-N. Decatur 36.3%
Dekalb Medical-Hillandale 30.0%
Emory Crawford Long 32.8%
Gwinnett Medical Center 30.8%
Henry Medical Center 32.9%
North Fulton Regional 22.8%
Northside Hospital 38.3%
Northside-Cherokee 27.2%
Piedmont Hospital 39.6%
Rockdale Medical Center 31.1%
Wellstar Cobb Hospital 35.3%
Wellstar Kennestone Hospital 32.1%

[wrzos]

OMG!!!!! Those numbers are shocking! Not totally unexpected, but to see it all laid out like that....:

[doulanichole]

Just awful, huh?

[Verity]

Originally Posted by HomeBirthMommy

Yes, and a horrible breastfeeding policy along with it. :

What do you mean?

I have no idea how Northside would have been without a good CNM and for someone giving birth for the first time, but I had great experiences there.

I still think that having a low-intervention birth depends more on your choice of caregiver than your choice of hospital. Also, I found the staff at Northside extremely supportive. The nurses had nothing but good things to say to me when I gave birth to my second child without drugs, and I received terrific support and encouragement from the nurse who saw me through a tough transition phase with my third baby.

[HomeBirthMommy]

My SIL was a post-partum nurse there until about 6 months ago. Their policy is that any baby under 7 lbs (I think-might be 6) and over 8 lbs should get formula. She had to tell this to new mothers, but would always add on, "of course it's your decision to make". She actually got in trouble for saying that last part.
***Disclaimer-I may be off on the exact pounds, but it is something that I would consider normal baby weights. I remember thinking that all of mine (all over 8 lbs) would have all been given formula there. :***

[BensMom]

I had a c/s with my middle child at Northside. I was shocked at teh formula pushing. I was an experienced BFer so I was able to ignore them. But I heard no less than 3 moms being told their babies needed formula *in the c/s recovery room!* These are hours old babies. When they took my own baby from my arms to put her in the rolling cart to move us to postpartum, she cried (naturally). The nurse yelled to me as we were being rolled away, "she sounds hungry, you might want to consider a bottle soon." In the hall while I was watching my DD have her PKU before we left, I heard a nurse tell a dad their baby needed formula because the moms milk hadnt come in yet. I was told by the Ped that she might need formula "in case she gets jaundice" and this was a guy recommended here at MDC!

I have had two doula clients who were pressured into FFing - one because babys blood sugar was low and they kept the baby in the nursery for 3-4 hrs right after birth til the sugar came up.

I tell everyone I know that yes, you can have a good birth experience at NS if you assemble the right team and go in ready to fight. But their postpartume policies are absolutely horrid!

[Isarma]

Originally Posted by Verity

What do you mean?

They also push formula supplementation at 7% loss of weight, rather than the normal 10%. I was shocked when informed of this by a nurse who works there.

Plus, they have pretty regular policies requiring the baby to be away from their mother, daily, for significant periods of time.

While I agree that you don't have to consent, that this is their standard and is presented to most as non-negotiable is part of the problem.

I've also heard countless stories of the LCs pushing formula. They deserve their horrible reputation. I'm glad you had a good experience there, but most women do not and the place of birth certainly does matter.