2009 Recommendations

I recently moved from the East Bay to San Rafael and have been perusing the boards for a month or two looking for midwife recommendations. Some midwives are listed as serving Marin, but upon contact will say they prefer not to come. I understand the traffic concerns and stresses with coming over the bridge. That said, I still don't have a very good sense of what my options are over here for a home-birth. I'd love to hear any recommendations or experiences with midwives who serve this area. Thank you!! Zoe

For a home birth: 
Circle of Life Midwifery Center
17 Valley Rd
Fairfax, CA 94930
(415) 721-7693

For a hospital birth:
Women's Health Services (County of Marin)
3260 Kerner Blvd
San Rafael, CA 94901
(415) 473-4030

Hello Mamas: I have to choose a midwife. I reviewed past posts on recommendations, and I feel so overwhelmed. Right now, I meet with Lindy Johnson, CNM. I used her services for baby #2, only to find out that she is a hospital midwife. I'm looking for someone like Lindy. Down to earth, that has a nurtured spirit. Lindy recommended Amrit Khalsa, R.N. Lindy also recommended Beah Haber, C.N.M., has anyone in the network had experience with any of these midwifes? I would like to hear your experiences and get a rough idea of how they charged you for their services. I'm also open to other recommendations or if you're a midwife hear about your services. My due date is July 2009, if all goes well over the next 5 1/2 months. I have a HMO, and I'm under Hills Physicians Group. My HMO doesn't cover a home birth. Lindy said I can see her as long as I wish before transferring over to another midwife. My #2 birth was fast and was billed by Alta Bates for a 30 minute birth, drug free and one day postpartum stay at 11k. Having a HMO, I'm responsible of 33% of the cost. Approximately, $3,360. I have a feeling and discussed with Lindy that baby #3 might arrive in the same amount of time. I work part time and have 1 income coming into my household. I highly desire a homebirth. Can anyone recommend a midwife that works with mothers that are low income and have a desire to have a home birth? I'm also looking for a midwife who is experienced if the ''worst' case scenario were to happen and can stay came and focused in the trying times, as well as administer IV's if needed. I prefer to be emailed offline as I can keep a track of your responses and create a excel sheet of all your midwife recommendations when it comes time for me to call all your wonderful midwifes. Thank you. Really wanting a home birth in 2009. hbd

Hello, I'm considering a homebirth with Leopi Sanderson-Edmunds. The reviews in BPN are from 2006 or earlier. Anyone have recent experience with her? Anything out of the ordinary come up? If so, how did she handle it? Leopi works with Amrit Khalsa from what I understand but Amrit will be out of town during my birth. So I'm interested too if you've worked with Leopi & someone else. Thanks for your input! homebirth bound

2008 Recommendations

We are in Berkeley and looking for a homebirth midwife. We would love to hear from anyone who has experience working with Ellen Levitt. Thanks! ama

I am pregnant with my first child. My partner speaks only Spanish. Therefore, we are looking for a bilingual mid-wife who regularly practices natural, non-medicated birth. Any suggestions? - New Mommy

Cindy Haag, www.bayareahomebirth.org
Griselda Hernandez

And, Kristen Graser, fruitsoflabor2003@yahoo.com

The caveat is that they are homebirth midwives (so of course practice and advocate for natural, non-medicated births). And these three are some of the best in the bay area. I know - they were all at my two births and the upcoming one. (she just had a baby this year so not sure if she's taking clients)

Good luck! 3rd timer with midwives

my ob's office used to have two midwives, one of whom attended my daughter's birth. she has left, leaving only one part-time midwife. the practice doesn't intend to hire another midwife. i am pregnant again and really want to deliver with a midwife! does anyone know of another ob practice affiliated with brown & toland that has midwives? I would be open either to CPMC or UCSF. I delivered at CPMC and had a great experience there - everyone was very respectful of my desire to have a natural childbirth. Need a midwife!

We recently switched to bluecross blue shield from kaiser and as life-long HMO members have no idea how to go about taking advantage of the option of having a midwife this time around. We are open to giving birth at home (we are a very low risk pregnancy and live close to many hospitals) or at a birth center/hospital - as long as it is nicer and more respectful than the Oakland Kaiser! Any recommendations of specific individuals or birth centers in the area would be VERY VERY much appreciated. We live in north oakland. Feel free to email me directly. sarah

Her prenatal appointments are fun, easy going, and not rushed, and usually on time, only if previous client was late have I been delayed. My toddler-aged son was always welcome at appointments if I needed to bring him (she also took care of me for my first pregnancy).

I was going for a VBAC delivery this time, and she was fully supportive of my wishes throughout the pregnancy, labor, and the ultimate route of delivery, a 2nd c-section. She helped me and my husband feel confident in our decisions, didn't pressure us in any way, just supported us, making sure we knew the pros and cons of our decisions along the way. We felt she always kept my health and the health of my child at the forefront. Knowing how dedicated I was to a natural birth, I loved that she did not cast judgment or disappointment in me for a failed VBAC. Instead she helped us celebrate all of our hard work and the arrival of our second beautiful son just 7 weeks ago.

My husband and I both whole-heartedly recommend her. Good luck to you. Susie

This is my second pregnancy and I am positive that I do not want to be in a hospital for this birth. I had an awful experience with my first born and since then have done some research and have decided the hospital is not for me. My ideal situation would be a home birth, but I'm not sure if we'll be able to afford it, if the midwife does not take our insurance. I'm also open to a birthing center. We have a PPO, so we're not completely stuck with in network providers. Even if you do not know this kind of information but have a good recommendation for a midwife that is warm, good communicator, loves people and what she does, then I would still like to know. Many thanks for any leads you can give me!

Beah Haber, recent/current clients? I've heard wonderful things- what's your experience? anon.

I am interested in finding a midwife to perform a homebirth at the end of February. I live in Oakland. I am looking for someone who is very experienced. Recommendations are appreciated! Thank you! gretchen

I'm looking for a good homebirth midwife in southern Alameda County. Ideally, I'd like to find someone who's clear and direct, but also warm and available. Any ideas?

I just found out I'm preggo with #2. I've searched the archives and am hoping for any new-ish info on midwives with hospital privileges, specifically Lindy Johnson, Hsui-Li Chen, and Nancy Barnett-Moore (who I can't find any contact info for, so maybe she's not practicing now?). In addition I'd be happy to hear info on anyone else you love or really feel I should avoid. Thanks so much!!!! hunting for a midwife

Hi, Does anyone have any experiences you can share with Shiela Vanderveer at Comadres Midwifery? I'm looking for a homebirth midwife. Thank you! - mama-to-be

Re: East Bay Perinatal as backup for Lindy Johnson
Lindy attended my birth in November, and although I did not need emergency care, I wanted to respond that Lindy was very supportive of our desire for a natural birth, which we had. I had to push for quite a long time, and she was strong in her interaction with hospital staff in ensuring them that we were OK, that the baby was responding to labor fine, and that we did not need medical intervention. My husband mentioned that there were multiple visits by the ''people in green'' (i.e., the doctors in scrubs) who seemingly would have whisked me off for a c-section had we been open to that, but Lindy knew our wishes and helped us carry them out. In terms of East Bay Perinatal, if it's the same outfit that conducted my various ultrasounds, I was very happy with them and had a great experience with Dr. Marinoff there. Very Happy with Lindy

I'm looking for recommendations for an Midwife (certified or...?) who will support a home birth in the East Bay. I have looked at the previous postings as well as bayareahomebirth.org but wanted a more personal sense of who might be the best. I'm also unclear about what kinds of questions to ask during an interview so if there's suggestions on topics to cover, that would be helpful too. Thank you. First Time Momma

As for questions to ask, I would ask how much time they spend at visits, what their practice culture is like, what are top reasons they transfer to the hospital, what she/they consider their specialty, what is their back up plan if they are not available, etc. If you have something specific that concerns you (such as single parenthood, health issues, etc.) I would raise that issue and see their response. Ultimately, this is a very personal decision so I would trust your intuition. If you are not comfortable with someone, don't go with them. happy mama

I've had friends who have had wonderful experiences with Cindy Haag and Beah Haber. What's crucial, however, is that you feel comfortable with whomever you chose. A midwife who may be a perfect fit for one person might not be a good fit for another. It's an intimate relationship so feeling really good about them after your interview is important. Speaking with a few recent clients is also helpful.

There are lots of good and competent midwives out there however and I wish you well. best of luck

So first, my second practice was Metta Homebirth Midwifery. Amrit Khalsa, has been catching babies for years, and her partner Lior Mayor has that facility for quoting all the recent studies in obstectrical research. They are both kind and compassionate, and both have had kids, so they were incredibly helpful on all sorts of fronts. They helped me deal with my fears and feelings about the first birth, helped me have a fantastic birth and supported us when our baby had medical issues unrelated to his birth (and not foreseable or preventable).

Second, there are tons of places you can get lists of interview questions. I asked tons of questions the first time, and less the second. I did add, ''How do you feel about having family present'' and ''How do you feel about my recording the birth'' to the list. Also make sure you know what your options are if the relationship doesn't work out.

Otherwise here are some questions for you to ask yourself as you are making a decision. In some ways this is more like dating than picking a service provider-it's a very emotional relationship and the quality of your birth can depend on that relationship.

Do you like the way this person answers your questions? How do they take follow ups? Do you feel like you are treated respectfully? Do you feel like you could raise issues/have differences of opinion with the person and it would be okay?

If you hire a team, make sure you understand how they work, do they split up the care evenly? Who will be present at your birth? How do they handle post-natal care?

Also if you do hire a team, make sure you feel comfortable with anyone of the individuals being your midwife as a solo. Done it twice

They are also phenominal after birth- Amrit provided incredible lactation support and alternatives that our pediatrician hadn't even thought of. Even if you end up transferring to a hospital, having Amrit and Lior as guides through the process is priceless. Jaime

I used Judy Luce for my home birth in September and can highly recommend her. The prenatal visits were long and relaxed, as much about getting to know one another as anything. Judy was very straightforward and practical, and always had good suggestions when problems arose (though they were few). I always appreciated her trust in a mother's instinct and in the body's ability to take care of itself, and that was a quality that really came through in the birth. She was calm and reassuring through more than five hours of pushing, and in the end did an amazing job of helping out a baby that was not in the best of positions. With a less confident and experienced midwife I might not have been able to stay at home for the whole birth. Afterward, she came over much more often than she was obligated to, and really helped both me and my husband tap into our parenting instincts. Feel free to email me if you want to talk more about my experience with her. Julian

If you are thinking about having a homebirth, I would highly recommend Beah Haber. She attended the birth of our daughter in November and provided exceptional prenatal and postpartum care in addition to labor and delivery. You can view her website at www.berkeleymidwife.com or contact her at (925) 449-7666 or beah[at]aol.com. She has 30 years of midwifery experience, including a number of years as a labor and delivery nurse. Michele

2007 Recommendations

Beah Haber used to run the Birth Home in Pleasanton; now she's concentrating on her private practice, Motherwell Midwifery. And she's fabulous, as is the other midwife in the practice, Michelle Edgar. They're a great team; they're as lovely as can be, and incredibly skilled. Many of their clients are midwives, which says something! Call them at (925) 449-7666. katy

Judy Luce was our midwife and we enjoyed working with her. She has over 30 years experience with homebirth. Judy is not only competent, but an interesting and kind person. She is part of the Bay Area Homebirth Collective (http://www.bayareahomebirth.org/), which is a good resource. Judy's number is 510-428-1419. Happy Birthing

I used Cindy Haag in Berkeley & could not have been happier. Cindy gave me excellent, excellent prenatal care. I saw an OB the whole time too--so that I could get any bloodwork/ultrasounds paid for--which turned out to be good, since my daughter was still breech at 27 weeks and I had to have a version--but my prenatal care with Cindy was much more involved than that with my very good OB--and Cindy didn't miss a thing--and in fact sent me for tests that my OB didn't necessarily realize I needed. She was so respectful of my decision making, and was so knowledgeable and helpful in giving me and my partner information and then supporting whatever decision we made. When we interviewed midwives, we chose Cindy because she seemed the least judgmental and the one who would be the most respectful of our choices (like seeing an OB simultaneously, since my partner was less excited about homebirth than I was) and she was exactly like that throughout the care she gave us. She made sure we were aware of all the information, then respected all of our decisions--though gave us guidance where we need it.

I will tell you that I ended up having to go to Alta Bates for the birth--my labor hadn't started 2 days after my water broke despite all efforts including castor oil and then I saw meconium --but Cindy monitored me very, very closely for those two days, then went to the hospital with me--and I ended up having a wonderful, mostly intervention free birth (the lowest bit of pitocin to finally get the labor started, then no further interventions) there completely thanks to Cindy. She helped me make a number of decisions when we were in the hospital, helped me through my labor and advocated for me/my decisions with the hospital staff. I would use her again in a heartbeat.

BTW, I also second the recommendation for Michelle Edgar (who works with Beah Haber--Michelle is a friend of ours so she and Cindy agreed that she could be our assistant midwife even though Cindy normally works with someone else & Michelle normally works with Beah). Michelle is wonderfully supportive and knowledgeable, and I felt very lucky that she was there for me during the birth. Though I didn't actually use Beah, I do know that Michelle raves about her. another big cindy fan

I'd tell you lots of great things about Cindy Haag as a Berkeley midwife, but I'm sure other people will write in so I won't have to. You can also check the archives for more glowing recommendations about her--she is very well loved and respected. 510-704-8366. Big Cindy Fan

I am looking for a really great female OBGYN and/or Midwife in San Francisco. Also I am interested in knowing what people think about which hospital is the best to deliver in there. Thanks

I know many people on this list have given Lindy Johnson good reviews but as I tell people of my and my husband's experience with Lindy, I find more and more people who say, ''I also had a bad experience but I thought it was just me because the BPN reviews are so positive.'' Lindy Johnson was my midwife in January 2007. Despite my concerns that my baby was breech, on the basis of a sloppy vaginal exam (where she herself admitted she didn't actually feel my babies head), she maintained that my baby was head down and never suggested an ultrasound even as my pregnancy became more and more uncomfortable (because my baby was breech!). After laboring at home, I arrived at Alta Bates at 91/2 cm and my baby was breech. I ended up with an emergency C-section. Rather than explain to us what would happen in the operating room, something we were unprepared for, she was embarrassed that she had missed the breech and kept apologizing so that we felt like we had to take care of her since she was so frazzled she was unable to do her job which was to take care of us and our baby. Lindy's embarrassment led her even to give attitude to the doctors and made the whole experience even more traumatizing than it had to be. The same in the operating room. After apologizing repeatedly for missing the breech during the C-section, during my stay at hospital, she denied all responsibility. Rather than addressing my feelings of loss and hurt after the C-section, she wondered why I seemed ''more upset than most moms who have a C-section.'' When we finally told her we no longer wanted to see her, her only concern was her money, and absolutely oblivious to the emotional damage she caused despite my attempts to tell her in letters. Her only response to my appeal to her to help me heal is that ''she provided me with professional services.''

Hi out there, In response to the freak bad experience with Lindy Johnson: I have used Lindy Johnson for my second and third child's birth and I LOVE her. The reason she has so many positive posts on this network is because she is has excellent medical skills, personal skills, and she SHOWS UP when you need her. In the unmedicated, unmedicalized births of my last two children at Alta Bates she assisted me with words, wisdom, and skills that made my births exactly the way I had envisioned them. I can not imagine having a better midwife. I am so sorry for the person who had Lndy make a mistaken call during her pregnancy but her expertise is still in my opinion out of this world and I can not recommend her highly enough. Anyone please feel free to contact me to talk more at lenghth about Lindy. Ann

I just wanted to let you know that I had an unpleasant experience with Jeri Zukowski just 4 years ago. Since then she has been removed from my school's authorized prenatal care providers. Her office was on Dwight Way at the time. I think she had too many clients and did not provide the prenatal care I expected.

Our initial consultation was wonderful. My female friend and I met with her in her office for an initial consultation, she was well-receptive to my desires, positive, friendly and overall seemed a good match. However later in my pregnancy her attitude changed. It is unclear if it was due to my husband attending visits with me but she was not as friendly and open as she previously was. At the initial visit she informed me of my co-payment (20%) and she wanted me to pay the entire amount upfront. As a graduate student $600 is alot of money to payout at one time so I informed her that I could pay in installments. I also remembered that there are contractual agreements between providers and insurance companies established. Keeping this in mind I knew that her $3000 fee may not be the allowable amount and my portion would be determined based on the allowable amount and I was right. The first payment was cheaper than she quoted me. I paid her my 20% but then during a later visit (maybe 2 or 3 visits later) she inquired if I paid her. I informed her that I did and then she requested that I call my insurance company to inquire about them paying her. That was not my responsibility and I felt like as a graduate student and mother of 1 with another on the way that I have enough responsibility besides tracking down a payment that she can conduct in one phone call. Later I was eligible for another type of insurance and this was no longer an issue. But she did inquire again several months into my pregnancy.

It was anticipated that I would deliver early however closer to my due date it appeared as if this was not to occur. It was 2 weeks past my due date and Jeri informed me that she may need to induce me. Since I wanted to endure a natural childbirth this troubled me. I called Jeri and she decided it would be a good idea to tell me that my baby could die if she did not induce. She told me how even after fetal monitoring my fetus could experience a depletion of amniotic fluid hours after and could die. So my response was what is the point of sending me for fetal monitoring if such a thing could happen. Ironically I spoke with another mom who utilized Jeri Zuckowski's services a few months prior to me informed me that her water bag broke and Jeri told her that she should go into labor soon. A day and a half later no contractions, no signs of labor, Jeri still told her she would be fine. So why would she tell me my baby could die and put me in distress. Anyway at the end of the conversation I asked about natural methods to accelerate labor e.g. castor oil and licorice. She told me that castor oil is better taken on an empty stomach, which was a lie. Since I was distraught I sought the advice of a friend of a friend who was a midwife in Berkeley but relocated to Chicago. My friend's friend informed me that it was fine to take the castor oil, she provided the appropriate dosage and relieved me of my distress, distress my own midwife caused me to suffer. I went into labor later that evening and Jeri did not believe I was in labor although I experienced this once before. The reason I decided to utilize Jeri's services was because she told me about visiting her patients at their home to check if they're in labor if they called. Well not my experience. She told my husband to perform these back massages, running a bath, etc. These were good ideas but I WAS IN LABOR!! She told my husband to check me, which I was totally uncomfortable with.!

After 3 more calls she finally said ''if you want you can go to the hospital.'' Well once I arrived at the hospital I barely had time for the nurse to check my baby's heartrate. AS soon as I got there I was 7cm and by the time I walked down the hall (5 minutes later) my contractions were so close together that they feared I would deliver in the hallway if I attempted to walk to my prepared delivery room. So they decided to place me in the first available room. By the time I arrived in the room I was 9cm and ready to deliver. I went to the bathroom and next thing you know Jeri is running in the room trying to prep for delivery. Nurses were running to get the delivery kit and prep the room. She delivered my son and that was it.

To make it worse. I contacted her about my follow-up visit and she informed me that I could come a week earlier. When I arrived for the visit she wanted me to complete an evaluation form and never did my check-up. I had my bookbag, my son, his carrier and his bag (fully loaded). She did not hold my son, did not help me to the waiting room, in fact she told me to put him in the bouncer and make 2 trips. What? I ran from school to her office for a check-up visit just to complete an evaluation form?

SHE NEVER SAW ME AGAIN!!

Sorry for any misspelled words. Disappointed with Jeri

I highly recommend Maura Daly, she attended both of my home births. She has extensive clinical and homebirth experiance. She is in the East Bay, but I know she did a birth recently in S.F. Maura Daly www.nestmidwifery.com (551) 804-1215 tell her Racha sent you.

I am looking for a midwifery practice in Berkeley that is supported by an OB/GYN practice or an OB/Gyn practice that uses midwives for non-problematic deliveries. I would like to see/meet the doctoras and midwifes for pre-natal care and then deliver in a hospital (Alta Bates, probably) with a midwife and little medical intervention unless absolutely necessary--in this case, I would like to be familiar with the doctors in the practice. Any suggestions welcome. Thanks, Lisa

Re: Recommendations for midwives
I just would like to give you a feedback on a mid-wife Jeri Zukowski, baesd on what we went through with her, and she is not the one if you are thinking of using a midwife as your mental support.

My husband and I were recomended Jeri Zukowski by her business partner Lindy Johnson, since Lindy was all booked. Jeri started out very positive and supportive which made both of us feel like we finally found the right person, who seemed to understand our perspective on medical care. However,the nightmare started when my water broke in the morning at 6am, my husband kept paging her numeraous times to a new number(which was a ''wrong'' number JERI left on our answering machine two days prior to my due), he also left many messages at her home and no luck. Then he called Alta Bates, they were also given the same wrong pager number. It was 5 o'clock in that evening when we were finally able to get a hold of her. I also found out that she was not a big on the idea of water birth or birth plans in general,she completely ignored our Birth Plan and didn't explain us why. (The alta bates nurces are more sensitive). We wanted to deliver naturally as possible and we believed that's whate her philosophy was all about as she proclaims on her web. 30 hours after my water had broken and yet we haven't seen her, in the meantime my contractions weren't getting strong enough for her, and instead of coming to see me in my bed and explaining the situation face to face, she calls the nurses station on the phone over and over. She spoke to me very impatiently with lots of sighs, threatened me with having c-section if I don't start pitocine. (which made me hopeless and very discouraged, and it was just very unprofessional way to adress and handle the situation)

I highly recommend Beah Haber. She's wonderful: compassionate, supportive, experienced, and very skilled. She is a nurse-midwife who has attended homebirths in the Bay Area for many years. I am also a nurse-midwife and I felt very comfortable letting Beah take the reins with both of my pregnancies and deliveries. She was fantastic! Her practice is called Motherwell Midwifery and she has prenatal offices in both Pleasanton and Oakland. Her # is 925-449-7666. Best to you! A very happy homebirther

Re: Midwife Recommendations for Blue Shield HMO

I think Jeri has gotten a bum rap. I too have heard nefarious reports of negative experiences with her in the past, but not once have I heard a first-hand (or 2nd or 3rd hand) report of anything worse than running late with appointments or paperwork (typical for any medical practice). Jeri was my midwife about a year ago now, and we had a great relationship throughout the pregnancy and a beautiful birth. She is very committed and enthusiastic about what she does. Go meet her, and see for yourself, the first consultation is free. I suggest you go in with an open mind, because if you go in with the negative attitude towards her that crept through your original post and are just waiting for her not to meet your expectations--I'm sure you won't be disappointed. Give her a fair try. Will definitely go back to Jeri for #2

Re: Midwife Recommendations for Blue Shield HMO
We absolutely adored our midwives who assisted us with a homebirth in May. The birth and the post-natal care were exceptional. The practice is called Awakenings Birth Services: http://www.awakeningsbirthservices.com/ Susie

Re: Midwife Recommendations for Blue Shield HMO

Hsiu-Li Cheng is a phenomenal midwife and human being. The only negative is that she does not always attend births at night but has the OB generalist at Alta Bates manage the birth when she can't be there. However, ABMC now has 24 hr house midwife coverage, so if she is not there, you could request the excellent staff midwife. They're all great. --former ABMC L&D RN

Hsui-Li's office is much more like a conventional medical office, and the waits for prenatal visits were sometimes long, and the visits themselves were shorter (of course, I had far fewer questions as a second-time mom). But the atmosphere was warm: they always had a smile and a lollipop for my then-toddler, and were happy to hold a stethoscope to her tummy to listen to ''her baby''. As my due date approached, Hsui-Li was very calm and encouraging, and during my labor she was just a wonderful presence, keeping everyone calm during a very fast labor. I would recommend her without hesitation.

Of course, this is all very individual, and my information isn't recent (my daughters are now 8 and 5), and I would encourage you to meet with both and go with your instincts. Best of luck to you. anon

2006 Recommendations

I am considering swapping from a doctor to a midwife and I was recommended Jeri Zukowski through my insurance. Has anyone had Jeri assist with their birth and if so was it a good experience? I am finding it really hard to get any information about her. Thanks -Jinners

When she called a doctor in (she wanted him to determine if I could push the baby out myself), I glimpsed the possibility of another type of birth and wished that he could stay - he was calm, confident in me, and ratcheted down the anxiety several notches. His calm energy was a huge contrast to Jeri's anxious energy. Jeri also used threats rather than encouragement - saying things like: ''if you don't push the baby out in 20 minutes I'm going to use forceps.'' She acted as if I weren't trying hard enough and I spent much of the labor feeling guilty and scared.

Right before my son was born (while I was in labor) she strongly hinted that he he was a girl, and she knew I badly wanted a girl. I was prepared for either one, but then I thought I was having a girl so it was hard to then find out he was a boy.

I came in for a post-partum visit, and had the baby blues. I was crying and talking to her about it all, and she said ''you have a high-needs baby.'' This scared me to death, so I kept saying ''are you sure? How do you know?'' And she spoke at length about how easy her own daughter had been, and how different from my son. (She was completely wrong - he turned out to be extremely mellow - although even if she had been right I don't feel this is a very comforting thing to say to a new mom with the baby blues.) When I left I was even more depressed and anxious. She did not respond to this at all - it was as if she did not notice how bad I felt, or the effect she was having on me. I will never forget this - she just turned her back and didn't say goodbye.

Although it's possible your personal style will mesh with hers better than mine did, I strongly recommend you find someone else Anonymous

My husband and I just had our first baby, a boy, this past July and Jeri was our midwife. We interviewed her at the very beginning of my pregnancy, we were FULL of concerns that the birth and pregnancy not be over-medicalized, which is why we sought a midwife. My husband can be a bit weary and even confrontational when it comes to authority figures trying to ''force'' things we don't want on us, and so we were also looking for someone who could put him at ease. The first meeting with Jeri went so well, with both of us feeling very confident in her expertise, her philosophy and her very happy demeanor. When it came to my husband she was completely disarming in the most genuine way. It was an easy decision to go with her for the pregnancy and delivery.

At the beginning we were teetering on whether or not to have a homebirth or deliver at Alta Bates, Jeri was great because she offered both options, and you didn't need to decide 'til the 6th month. Early on we decided on a hospital birth, based on Jeri's description of what the experience would be like, but at the last minute (after the hospital tour), around the 8th month, we wanted to explore the possibility of a home birth, at that point, it was a little bit late due to the need for Jeri to schedule back-ups, as well as we were not prepared for the extra costs associated with a home birth since our insurance wouldn't cover it. Jeri made us feel very comfortable with the idea of a hospital birth and assured us that we could TRUST what she was saying.

My labor went very well, Jeri was very supportive of our desire for a natural birth, and because the baby was doing fine, encouraged us through 4+ hours. I'm positive that we were ''allowed'' to push longer than the standard 2h ''time limit'' because of Jeri's very good relatioship with the OB/labor and delivery staff at Alta Bates. Throughout the pushing either Jeri or the l&d nurses were actively trying to turn the posterior baby- lots of work for them as well as for me. Jeri was very encouraging the whole time!

We patiently tried lots of creative positions and strategies that Jeri recommended. In the end I needed lots of interventions including pitocin, and eventually an epidural and c-section, needless to say this IS NOT what we had wanted, however, because we trusted Jeri to guide us through the delivery, because she knew what we wanted and had prepared for, we knew she was not rushing us or offering us un-necessary interventions just to get out the door. She stood by our side all through the cesarean delivery and shared in our joy at the sight of our new son. I have no doubt that mine was a necessary c, and I'm thankful it was an option.

The postpartum care was also great, a nice home-visit for me and the baby- again, only positive experiences to talk about. The only negative might be that some of her clients were late sometimes (out of her control), and she still tried to accomodate them, which in turn made people like me who arrived on time have to wait a little longer. All my prenatal visits were great though, never seemed rushed. All my paperwork was filled out when I needed it.

After reading some of the other posts, it sounds like there may have been a lack of trust which led to a less than satisfying experience with Jeri. If you are clear with what you are expecting when you go and talk with her, and you match up on philososphies, I really don't think you will be disapppointed, Jeri's integrity is just too high to let anyone down

We love Jeri

Re: OB/GYN for VBAC in East Bay area
I recommend Hsiu-li Cheng (pronounced Sho-lee). She's a nurse practitioner midwife, trained at Stanford and in England, and she has an amazing wealth of experience and knowledge. She is very warm and real, and very committed to VBAC. I was determined to have a VBAC and she was very encouraging. At the end of my pregnancy I consulted with some other folks just as a back-up in case Hsiu-li was tied up in an emergency that was happening, and none of them were at all encouraging about the VBAC. During the labor she was great, and she involved my husband, and she knew lots of ways to get my baby out quicker. And, my child was born posterior, with her head bent to the side - no easy thing - and it was almost painless. (Specifically, she doesn't just wait for the baby to come out, she sticks her hand in and moves the baby around. It's uncomfortable, but it was very helpful and necessary. We would have been waiting around for a long time without her manual interventions.) I know that the painless part is unusual, especially for a posterior delivery, but anyone who has delivered with Hsiu-li becomes a fan. She works out of Summit, so you'd deliver there. anon

Hello all, I'm a first time mom and just pregnant, looking for a homebirth midwife for the east bay. I know they can be a little hard to track down, so I wondered if anyone had a great experience lately and what made it so great. I'm a doula and know the basics about birth and also have strong opinions about doing it naturally and at home. I'm looking for someone pretty grounded, not flaky. Thanks guys first time mom

Re: OB or CNM who provides concurrent care?
Jeri Zukoski, CNM, was willing to give me parallel care through about week 30 of my pregnancy. She prescribed a genetic screening bloodtest and one ultrasound for me. She told me that she would send me a letter indicating that she was not my back-up for labor if I had to transfer to the hospital for liability reasons, but she never ended up sending that letter. I'm not sure she was thrilled about providing those services, but she didn't turn me away. BTW, she used to do home births but my understanding is that she is very reluctant to take them on at this point and that she is quick to transfer to the hospital if she agrees, so I would NOT use her as a primary CNM for a homebirth (I worked with someone else for my actual birth) anon

Hi, I am pregnant with my second child and I want to give birth at Alta Bates with a midwife. I delivered my first baby at home with midwife Beah Haber, but I now have a Blue Cross plan that will not cover homebirth due to the network restrictions. All of the advice that I see on the website is quite old and I am wondering if anyone has recently used a midwife at Alta Bates and what insurance coverage issues came up and who you used. I need help as soon as possible! Thanks! Jessica

Re: finding a midwife for hospital delivery
We can't recommend Jeri Zukoski in Berkeley highly enough. We have been very very happy with the care she has provided us. She has excellent experience, and an even more outstanding attitude and enthusiasm for her work. She does home births or Alta Bates hospital births
We love Jeri

Re: finding a midwife for hospital delivery
Lindy Johnson (who has admitting privileges at Alta Bates) is fantastic. She helped me deliver both my boys (2003, 2005). I think I have posted to the list before, but couldn't find recent recs in the archives. Everyone I know who has birthed with Lindy has fabulous things to say about her. Her office is at Shattuck & Dwight, 644-0104
Anita

Re: Female ObGyn for a VBAC and OBYGN supportive of VBAC in SF?
Congratulations on pursuing a VBAC. I recently had a VBAC with a midwifery practice at St. Luke's -- Homestyle Midwifery. They are a separate practice backed up by OBs at the Women's Health Center there. The hospital overall has a very low cesarean rate (around 13%), which is a good sign. Homestyle Midwifery is really a unique and amazing practice. They provide wonderful emotional and physical support (long prenatal visits, a 36 week team meeting with all the midwives, your partner and doula, prenatal group meetings, a postpartum home visit, labor tub, birthing stool, and more). They will also not use unnecessary interventions which are routine in so many practices. This approach was so refreshing after my previous experiences, and I really think their philosophy will give you a wonderful chance of VBAC. Best of luck with your VBAC journey. It really is worth it. Homestyle Midwifery: (415) 643-3378, homestylemw[at]yahoo.com, www.homestylemidwifery.com Julie M

I am extremely grateful to my midwife, Jeri Zukoski and felt compelled to write a recommendation for her. I gave birth a little over two weeks ago to a healthy baby boy. I had an all natural childbirth and my son Max came out wide eyed and alert, and latched on within 10 minutes of being born. I owe much of my wonderful birth experience to Jeri. My son had two ''malpositions'': he was asynclitic(his head tilted so he rammed against my pelvic bone) and posterior (facing forward vs. towards my back). These two positions created a very, very painful and intense back labor throughout the whole labor. I was stuck at 4 centimeters because of Max not being in the right position. At this point, many caregivers would have gone to a caesarian. Jeri had the knowledge, experience and will to turn the baby. She reached inside me and for thirty minutes turned my baby during contractions. I dilated from 4 centimeters to 7 quickly and went on to have my baby vaginally. The doula was in awe of my midwife and said very few doctors/midwives could have done what she did. In addition, throughout this whole process, Jeri had my complete trust: I respected her and she always provided me with choices during the labor and encouraged me to make informed decisions throughout. The two of us worked together as a team. She radiates calmness and serenity and has a huge reservoir of experience to draw from. I just can't stop singing her praises! On top of all of this, she clearly loves her work and deeply cares about her clients and their newborns. I highly recommend her. She has her own private practice but delivers at Alta Bates and also does home births. Her number is (510) 530-3374. very happy new mom

I am considering using Homestyle Midwifery, but have heard mixed reviews about St. Luke's hospital. This is causing me some concern and making me wonder if I shouldn't go with one of the other hospitals. Anyone with recommendations or experience with Homestyle? Thanks, Mary

As for St. Lukes, the hospital overall has a very low cesarean rate (around 13%), which is a good sign. The building is older, and I have to admit the administrative side is a bit messed up (I sent in pre-registration, but I still needed to register when I was in labor; I got several bills that should have been sent to my insurance, etc.).

However, I feel those inconveniences were worth the experience I had. Homestyle Midwifery is really a unique and amazing practice. They provide wonderful emotional and physical support (long prenatal visits, a 36 week team meeting with all the midwives, your partner and doula, prenatal group meetings, a postpartum home visit, labor tub, birthing stool, and more). They will also not use unnecessary interventions which are routine in so many practices. Homestyle Midwifery: (415) 643-3378, homestylemw[at]yahoo.com, www.homestylemidwifery.com

Best of luck, Julie M.

My partner and I just had an amazing experience with our midwives Yeshi Neumann and Cynthia Banks, for the birth of our 3 month old daughter, and for our pre- and post-natal care. We wanted to share our review of their excellent midwivery practice at St. Luke's in SF.

Homestyle Midwifery has created a truly unique home-in- philosophy but hospital-based-in-location approach to pre/post natal care and childbirth. We were thrilled to find such a balanced and perfect fit for our needs as an expectant couple.

From the beginning of our care, Cynthia and Yeshi provided holistic, nurturing, knowledgeable, responsive and loving care that set the stage for our daughter's magical and peaceful birth. They always spent as long with us in person or on the phone as we needed, and provided a vast array and combination of western and “alternative” approaches to health and well-being from the earliest days through her second month in the world. They transformed a regular old hospital room into the most intimate, peaceful and warm environment to labor in and welcome our baby. When we met with medical complications after her birth, Cynthia was skilled and calm and allowed the magic of the experience to continue throughout the necessary procedures. For that, we are endlessly grateful. Having trust in your provider is one of the most critical components of preparing to give birth, and we never could have imagined just how deep that trust would become and how much it would inform our birth experience. The combination of home, group, and office-based visits was integral to this development. And it doesn’t just stop with the birth – having such immediate and personalized care in those first weeks after the birth was invaluable. They responded to our endless questions as new parents with specific and reassuring recommendations. Cynthia and Yeshi inspire the utmost confidence with their wisdom, expertise, and philosophical approach to the profound life transitions of pregnancy and birth. They are as passionate about their work as they are skilled at it; as knowledgeable as they are driven by their holistic philosophy; and as committed to a broader vision of community building – and its relevance for childbirth and raising healthy communities – as they are to their attentive individual care and relationship-building. In fact, we will continue to go to their monthly open-houses for babies to see them and to spend time with those other families with whom we have made strong connections through Homestyle. We can’t thank Cynthia and Yeshi enough for everything they did for us. This experience will be with us always, and has started our daughter's life off on such a profoundly perfect note. You can contact Yeshi and Cynthia at Homestyle at 415.643.3378. Sonja

We used Jeri for the birth of our first child about 4 months ago. I am so happy we had her- I am convinced I would have had a C-Section had she not been my midwife. Our daughter was posterior and tilted so she was hitting my pelvis. Very long story short when things got sketchy towards the end she knew what to do to help us have a very successful vaginal birth with no tearing;) I admittedly had my doubts about her during our prenatal visits. She seemed very scattered and didn't always seem to be 100% with me. As a matter of fact during my labor she wasn't actually there for very long at all. From what I hear that is pretty common though. What mattered to me in the end though is that in the delivery room she was very present and saved me from a very painful C-Section delivering my very healthy and happy baby and when all is said and done that was my main concern. Good luck! I would go back to Jeri again...

Hi - I'm looking for recommendations about Leopi Sanderson-Edmunds for a homebirth. The one in archives is very positive, but I'd love to have a little more feedback since she's apparently quite new to the area. thanks, Katherine

2005 Recommendations

i've been seeing jeri zukoski, and i feel pretty comfortable with her, but i'd really like to do a homebirth (which medi-cal won't cover) and can't afford her rates.

I'm moving to the East Bay (Alameda for the time being) in Jan '06, and am currently 22 weeks pregnant. I'm looking for a good midwife or ob--any recommendations are helpful, but I'm wondering in particular if anyone knows anything about the clinic at 2258 Santa Clara Ave, Alameda. It's super close to where I'll be living, and seems to have a number of o.b.s and midwives, but obviously I don't know anything about them. Any thoughts would be most welcome. thanks! Jakki

Re: OB/GYN and midwife ''touchy-feely''
I switched to Jeri Zukoski (510) 530-3374, a Certified Nurse Midwife, from an OB/GYN towards the end of my pregnancy. She was great! I wished I switched to her sooner... she was so helpful with nutritional information for pregnant women! She was really caring and not only about my physical health but how I was doing emotionally. She made sure I was well prepared with help around the house after birth, etc.

And one of the biggest differences I noticed right away was that she was on time for appts and never rushed me. At the OB/GYN's office, I felt like I was a ''widget'' that they just couldn't process fast enough and rush out of the examination room!

When I went into labor, Jeri was on the phone with us (me, my husband and our doula) constantly and met us at Alta Bates a couple of hours before my son was born. From what I hear, some OB/GYNs show up for the last few minutes. Jeri has backup OBs at AB if she needs them.

I contacted Jeri and she made sure that I had coverage with her under my medical plan (Blue Cross HMO). I paid normal office co-pays with her. Nothing extra out of pocket!

I'd highly suggest checking out birth doulas too. We had Virginia Duplessis whom I can't recommend enough! Jeri and Virginia is my dream birth team!

Good luck to you! Susan

Re: OB/GYN and midwife ''touchy-feely''
Lindy Johnson is a midwife who has admitting privileges at Alta Bates. Prenatal appointments are at her office at Shattuck and Dwight. She is a skilled and warm practitioner. She was the best combination for me (who wanted a caring practitioner) and my husband (who wanted a hospital-based birth). Lindy delivered both my sons, and one nurse who took care of me said that Lindy delivered her child 7 years ago. Another nurse said that all the nurses are always clamoring to work with Lindy. Her # is 644-0104. (Her official name is Linda Johnson.) You can look at the old testimonials on the BPN websites. I had my boys in '03 and '05. Good luck! Lindy fan

My OB was great before I got pregnant but after 4 months of prenatal care I have decided I want a midwife in the delivery room (hope I'm not too late to change!). I have two women in mind and hope I can get feedback on them. The first is Greta Cohn who I know little about except that she is recommended by someone close. The second is Deborah Coleman. Again I know little about her, but have personal recommendation. There are a few comments in the archives about Deborah but not enough to go on. Any feeback about them would be really helpful. Thank you in advance for your time! Sarah

For example, when I was diagnosed with placenta previa (which often resolves itself further along in the pregnancy), she told me all in one breath (on the telephone)- ''we don't know yet how bad it is (I still had to get a further ultrasound), but if it is bad (full versus partial) and does not resolve itself you will have to get a c-section.'' I burst into tears and later got angry because she gave me the worst case scenario without even having all the facts. And she did it with no emotion or compassion- very clinical. That really bothered me because I needed a lot of hand holding. So... I think it really depends on your own temperment and how you click with her when you interview her- which you absolutely should do,IMHO. anon

I am pregnant and looking for a nurse midwife. I've read some wonderful recommendations for Nancy Barnett-Moore and would love to contact her. The only number I can find (510-832-2229) doesn't seem to be in order any more. Does anyone know her current contact information? Thank you for your help! Kristen

I just discovered today that my insurance which is Blue Cross will reimburse a ''preferred'' licensed midwife for home birth services and delivery. Can anyone recommend such a midwife? If not, did you have a home birth and were you able to get reimbursement of any kind? I would be very greatful for any information. Thank you. Liesl

Anyway, her name is Lis Worcester and her number is 415/255-7028. She’s in San Francisco, but has no problem working with folks in the East Bay (we live in Oakland). We had such wonderful experience with her! Our first daughter was born at the birth center in SF and that’s where we met Lis. She was working there at the time and was our primary prenatal care provider. We developed a close relationship with her and then when I was pregnant again 3 years later she was licensed to do homebirths. We worked out a financial plan so that we could have the homebirth we wanted. She worked with us from the beginning of the pregnancy and we had such a great homebirth – exactly how I wanted it. I had two pretty different births and Lis was exactly the right match for me both times. The first time around I felt like I needed a lot of help and reassurance – and I got it. The second time I felt so much more capable and didn’t need much help – and Lis really let me do things my way.

I could go on and on. I would be happy to talk with you more, if you’re interested. I just wanted you to know about the options. I hope this has been helpful. I realize that I didn’t really answer your initial question. I hope you have a wonderful homebirth! I highly recommend it - however it happens. Brooke

I'm looking for a Homebirth midwife recommendations. I saw great recommendations for Cindy Haag and Beah Haber on the website and am looking for info. on Sarah Pontell and Abigael Reagan. Others, too! Thanks. Looking early

I'm currently looking for a homebirth midwife in San Francisco and was wondering if anyone has any recommendations. The midwives that have been highly recommended on this site are mostly in the east bay and don't service SF. I have heard of Abigail Reagan, Maria Iorillo and Liz Worchester that work in the area and would love to hear some feedback along with any other names and experiences of homebirth midwives who service SF. Thanks in advance. Tracy

2004 Recommendations

I am currently interviewing midwives for an upcoming home birth and am wondering if anyone has experience (good or bad) with Awakenings Birth Services (Dana Fox, Deborah Simone and Juli Tilsner) or Nova Midwifery (Mason Cornelius and Beth Graham). I haven't found anything about either practice on the website. Many thanks anon

I also recommend interviewing several midwives to see how you feel with each of them. There are many excellent homebirth midwives in this area, but ultimately it's about finding a match for what you are looking for and finding someone you trust and feel comfortable with. I did some initial phone interviews and then a few in-person interviews. After meeting some midwives it was clear that Cindy was the ideal midwife for me and my partner.

Please feel free to e-mail me if you have any additional questions about working with Cindy Haag. Congratulations on your pregnancy and good luck in your homebirth midwife search! Catherine

I have just moved to the bay area and have since found out that I am pregnant. My husband and I had been volunteering for the past year in Haiti and returned in March. We were not expecting to be pregnant and here I am happy, delighted and due in Nov. As a result we are currently insured under Medi-cal for the pregnancy until one of us finds a job. I have begun to see midwife Nancy Barnett-Moore and have been comfortable so far. I see the Berkeley parents network recommends her with all good comments. Can anyone with fairly recent first-hand experience with Nancy give me some advice/recommendations?

While the prenatal care was excellent, Nancy's strengths really came forward when my labor began. My baby came 4 weeks early, and Nancy was calm and reassuring throughout my hours of laboring at home. While I labored at home, Nancy showed the perfect balance of sound medical advice and consideration for our wishes. When we finally went to the hospital, Nancy met us in the triage area, and examined and admitted us right away. Nancy was well respected by all of the hospital staff, and was comfortable and at ease in the medical environment.

I labored for 5 more hours at the hospital, and was able to deliver my baby without any pain medication. At several times during the labor, I truly questioned whether I would be able to weather the pain. Nancy never tried to give me false confidence; at one point I remember her saying, ?you still have at least two hours of pushing. This is not going to be easy, but you are so strong, and I know you can do it.? Nancy gave me realistic information about the progression of my labor (and never sugar coating it), while encouraging me to stay strong and remember what kind of a birth I wanted. (This is not to say that she was overly dogmatic either! She was respectful of our wishes, but never seemed to be pushing us in any direction.) There were a few small complications during the delivery, which Nancy handled gracefully and professionally. These would probably have resulted in medical interventions, if not for Nancy. I never doubted her competence, and felt fortunate to be in the hands of such a compassionate and talented midwife. Nancy is a wonderful person and an incredibly skilled practitioner. I have only positive memories of my son?s birth, and I feel blessed that Nancy was with us. Good luck with your pregnancy and birth! Karen

2003 Recommendations

Well, I've just spoken to someone at Hill's Physicians Medical Group and she told that they do indeed cover homebirth (all of it!). I can hardly believe it. Anyway, I've got a list of 6 names of midwives in the Hill's Group and I'd like to get some recommendations. I've seen the archives and see that Hsiu Li, Lindy Johnson and Nancy Barnett Moore all come highly recommended. I'd like a little more input on Deborah Coleman and Laura Hooper (and it would be even better if you used them for homebirth!). Also, if anyone has any experience with Hill's Physicians/Blue Shield coverage of homebirth, I'd love to hear about it (I keep thinking I have been misinformed). Thank you so much.

We are going through our other insurance coverage, which is a PPO, so that we can have a homebirth that insurance will pay for. Our most EXCELLENT midwife is Cindy Haag, of the Bay Area Homebirth Collective and Tres Lunas Midwifery. She is very knowledgeable, is a L.M. and a C.P.M., and is very personable. The BAHC also offers childbirth classes geared for homebirths, among other services. Every midwife of the BAHC (a few other names: Jen Bauman, Kristin Graser) is really great - you should call them, as they do homebirths in the East Bay and in SF: (415) 273 5185 OR http://www.wisewomanchildbirth.com/bahc.html Good luck!! anon

I'm hoping to become pregnant soon (my first time) and want to get a handle on the birth options way ahead of time. I'm very interested in homebirth. My questions are about insurance & who in the East Bay does homebirth. I've been all through archives and have the names of the Midwives that could be covered by my insurance (Blue Shield HMO) if I switched to the Hill Physcians group. Do the CNMs in Berkeley (often cited on this site, Jeri, Nancy, & Lindy) do homebirth? Has anybody switched primary physcians to do this?

Any information/experiences would be helpful. I've searched the web and tried writing several places for information, but it's all a little vague, so I thought I'd try posting.

Thanks so much! wanna be mama

On July 10, 2004, Birthways in Oakland will be holding a free information night on ''Homebirth Information and Birthing Options''. It's at 6:30pm. You should call them to see if there is room for you to attend. Their address is: 466 Santa Clara Ave., 3rd Flr and their number is: 510.869.2797.

I think it's great that you are preparing so early! I read up on my options and did interviews with midwives and doulas one year prior to TTC (AND started taking prenatal vitamins!), and now I don't feel like it's all a mystery to me (although a good majority of it still is).

Good luck! anonymous

By the way, I found the midwives listings in the archives on this site to be pretty out of date--I've seen lots of references to midwives in the past year in the newsletters, none of whom are in the archives. Happy With My Homebirth

Jeri advocates for moms to be proactive and to be aware of all their options. We had a natural childbirth with no interventions and I think a lot of it was because we had prepared as well as we could (Ellen Klima's Bradley class was terrific).

Jeri also does home births but it would be out of pocket, we couldn't afford it at the time but we had the best of all worlds. Contact me for more info if you like, I think that as a first-time mom, you need to learn as much as you can and I'd love to discuss options with you. Good luck! Monica

1) Nurse-midwife in a hospital setting
2) Nurse midwife in a birth center setting
3) Nurse-midwife at home
4) Direct entry/lay/licensed midwife at home

There are only two other nurse midwives or groups of nurse midwives in the East Bay doing homebirths that I know of: 1) Jeri Zukowski, and 2) another group whose name I can't remember, but one of the CNM's is named Erin.

If you want a licensed (non-nurse) midwife for a homebirth, Amrit Khalsa would be a great choice.

For hospital midwifery, Lindy Johnson or Hsiu-Li (pronounced Show-Lee) Cheng are wonderful.

Insurance coverage for homebirth is a whole other issue. Some midwives take insurance, but usually you have to pay up front and get reimbursed yourself from the insurance comapny. Most midwives have either a sliding scale and/or payment plans to make it possible for those who choose to go outside their insurance to pay. Good luck! Emily

In parallel with being under the care of a midwife, my approach has been to get traditional prenatal care through an obstetrician, and have my insurance pay for the latter (after all, you will not know until your baby is born whether the emergence of some problem or other will result in your needing to be hospitalized, receive expensive diagnostic tests, or treatments, or even give birth in the hospital). I believe that around 30% of first-time mothers who attempt homebirth end up being transferred to a medical facility. You will have to lie to almost any East Bay obstetrician about your intention to deliver at home, or he or she will refuse to take you as a patient. It can get pretty unpleasant if your pregnancy goes past your delivery date when the induction harassment can get intense. UCSF is more tolerant of this approach, and I recommend them.

The lack of insurance coverage for homebirth meant that I paid most or all of the midwifery bill out of my own pocket. Sometimes, it was our entire savings. We are a family that has experienced periods of real financial exigency. Nonetheless, these payments, which seemed huge at the time, were the best money we ever spent. I am always astonished by the difference between my/our feelings about the births of our children, and those of my friends about those of their children who were hospital born. The births were some of the high points of my life, and gave me a new strength and belief in myself. They were a wonderful foundation for my relationship with my babies, and my husband. So many of my friends felt abused and violated (at worst) and disappointed or full of wishes that things had gone differently (at best) with their hospital births. In my view, a homebirth is a ''luxury'' worth paying for out of your own pocket.

To my knowledge, Lindy hasn't done homebirths in many years. It's a pity: she did one of mine, and I can't speak highly enough about her. The reason she gave me for ceasing to attend homebirths was that insurance companies forced her to choose between home and hospital deliveries - they would not allow her to do both.

One of my midwives was Amrit Khalsa. I highly recommend her. She does have patients whose home births are covered by insurance. Perhaps it would be worth consulting with her, especially if you are not yet pregnant and can still change insurers, to find out how to get a homebirth covered. If you do plan to do this, call soon. She's in high demand. Homebirth zealot

Re: ObGyn for a VBAC
I used and felt very happy with Hsiu-Li Cheng for my VBAC at Summit in 2000. She is a Certified Nurse Midwife and not a doctor, but I'd have to say that my medical care was very similar to what I experienced with my previous OB/GYN. What was better was that she listened to my concerns about having another C-section and helped me do everything possible to have a vaginal birth. Feel free to e-mail me if you have more questions. Also check out the numerous posts about Hsiu-Li in the Parent's network archives. Susan

You should know, however, that if you are looking for a midwife because you would like someone to assist with labor, Hsiu Li is not your answer. She operates more like a traditional Ob-Gyn in that she comes to the delivery room when the nurses at Summit (she does not work at Alta Bates) tell her the patient is ready to push. She is more than happy to work with a labor coach if you choose to hire one - or with any friends or family who you may have with you for your delivery. But she is definitely not a doula. And my last suggestion would be to meet some midwives for yourself. I interviewed one who was highly recommended - but I just didn't like her at all. You need a good fit for yourself.

I recently found out I am pregnant and I really want to do a home birth this time. I've consulted the website and the info is mostly out of date and not exactly what i'm looking for. Can anyone recommend any midwives or referral websites to find one. Also, does anyone know how I can find a midwife in training that might do this for a lower fee so they can get more experience? Any recommendations about how to have a successful home birth would be greatly appreciated.

2002 and Earlier

Nancy Barnett-Moore delivered two of my three children and I recommend her highly. After having a medically questionable c/s with my first child (in Seattle) I was determined to find a midwife to help me attempt a VBAC. I spoke with several midwives and decided to go with Nancy. She's a wonderful caregiver- warm and nurturing, knowledgable and medically astute. I always felt like I was well cared for. In many ways I feel like she combines the sensitivity and knowledge of a midwife with the medical security sometimes given by an OB. With her help I had a wonderfully uneventful vaginal birth in 1999. When I became pregnant again there was no question that we wanted Nancy to be our midwife again.

Nancy is great during prenatal appointments, but she truly shines during labor and birth. I remember walking into the hospital in active labor and being greeted by Nancy and getting the sense that I was seeing her at her professional best. In my case I wanted to avoid the hospital system as much as possible and it felt like she created an insulating bubble around us that was comforting and secure. I have no doubt that if my births had been more complicated she would have been a strong advocate for me while insuring that I received excellent care. I feel fortunate to have had Nancy as my caregiver. Gayle

Hi - I'm looking for experiences with Laura Hooper as a midwife. There's only one posting in the archives and it's a bit dated. Any more recent experiences? Thanks very much!

I have an eleven month old baby who was born at home under the guidance of Deborah Counsell. She was the best pregnancy care I have had and seen given, and I have experience with several as I used to be an administrator at the Marin Birth Center (MBC). She is a direct entry midwife, among the first group to be licensed in the state, and her experience is vast - thousands of births. I originally opted for the Birth Home in Pleasanton but I became unhappy with them in my 36th week and decided to have a home birth. Thankfully, I found Deborah and she gracefully stepped in. We had a very long labor, and thanks to Deborah and the decision to home birth, everything was mellow and un-rushed. I probably would have ended up with a c-section because OB's tend to want to hurry things along. Also, my baby's hand was obstructing her descent, so Deborah and me do some exercises to get the little one to move it. She did, and an hour later, she was born. The only word of caution is that Deborah is pretty bad with paperwork, so follow up with her assistants, Rene and Sue are terrific also. Good Luck, and study everything you can get your hands on regarding labor and delivery- the more you know the happier you will be and the more confident making decisions.

I am 16 weeks pregnant and have been seeing nurse-midwife Debbie Coleman since we moved here in August. Although she seems generally knowledgeable and friendly, she has been a bit rushed during the two visits we have had with her. It's not that I think she is missing anything during the check-ups, but the main reason I wanted to see a midwife was that I thought she might take a little more time to see how things are going than a doctor. I'm especially concerned that she will be rushed during the delivery. Would anyone that has worked with Debbie be willing to share their experience of pre-natal and delivery care? Thanks Anna

re using a midwife ...well if you're asking. Lindy was my midwife for my almost 4 y.o., 644-0104 is her number. As the many website testimonials say she was amazing. I loved her energy and calm reassuring presence. She was so incredibly available both pre and post natally. Some examples are: when I had some breakthrough bleeding early in the second trimester I paged her and she called me right back I went in to her office and she listened for the heartbeat, within just a few hours of the bleeding I knew everything was alright. When my son was born he could not latch on and Lindy came to my home several times to help me with breastfeeding, again I would page her when the baby woke up and she came over right away to help. During the labor her presence was extremely reassuring. I had a wonderful birth experience. At the same time she is not far out medically. I had all the standard tests, monitors etc and felt like I was medically in good hands. As an aside I recently met a doctor who had two of his children with Lindy. I have never heard of a ob/gyn giving anywhere near the level of personal care she gave me. Leah

Amrit Khalsa was the midwife I choose. She was more than fabulous the entire pregnancy right through the birth. She only does homebirths so that might be an issue for some that want to do a hospital birth. She, along with her partners Erin Brown and Sarah, spent 1 to 2 hours with me each visit. We discussed everything from my fears about supporting us as a single mom which was driving my bad insomnia around month 7 to the details of the my home support team. I would glad to answer other questions. Amrit's number is 510-235-4878. Jenny

I gave birth at home three months ago (second child) with the exceptional help of Amrit Khalsa and her two apprentice midwives Sara and Erin. Amrit had been recommended to me by two women who she assisted in the last few years. Amrit and her team were all wonderful, knowledgeable, and supportive. Amrit has been assisting with delivering babies for almost 30 years (8 in hospital settings as a RN, the rest at home). The prenatal visits were all done here at home - and what a difference. We often spent over an hour talking about my pregnancy, the birth, and a host of other issues that were related, but that my last OB never seemed concerned with (nutrition, sleep, relationship with other child and spouse, etc.). When the time came to deliver (and went - I was two weeks late), she was extremely helpful and professional. Feel free to contact me if you want more information. She is in El Cerrito. Amrit - 235-4878
Jen

I delivered my baby boy last year (Aug 1998) at Summit Hospital. Hsiu-Li was my midwife, and I highly, highly recommend her. The office staff is great (I recently called to set up my annual gyn appointment and they remembered me -- after a year!) and Hsiu-Li is wonderful, too. I can tell you more about my great birth experience privately, but I just wanted to tell you that I think Hsiu-Li is a great choice. Hsiu-Li was at the hospital with us during our whole 6-hour labor (we had a doula, so Hsiu-Li would leave and come back to check and see how things were going). All the postpartum rooms at Summit are private, whereas they are limited in number at Alta Bates -- first come, first serve, I believe. My birthing room was enormous, with a Jacuzzi (two rooms have Jacuzzi baths), rocking chair, you name it. The staff at Summit was wonderful, too. Laurel

The doula we've hired is actually a midwife, in SF, but she has East Bay clients too, and is available as a doula as well. She's wonderful. Her name is Jen Bauman, and she can be reached at 415/431-5006.

I have a 10 month old daughter who Lindy Johnson delivered. I cannot praise Lindy enough. I didn't use a midwife when I had my first daughter 6 years ago and had a very hard delivery. I was determined to have a better experience this time around. I interviewed both Lindy and Jerry, but chose Lindy based on what I heard from others. My labor was fast and intense. My mom, daughter and husband were in the room. Lindy was calm, caring, loving, and professional. I had no drugs (it all went too fast) and I didn't tear. It was a wonderful experience and I honesty feel that I owe much of it to Lindy. I know my husband would say the same. Lindy was also wonderful with him, who, like me, was a bit apprehensive about going through this again after our first lengthy go-around. Jane

My midwife in 1996-97 was Robin Hale. Robin works (or at least did at the time) with Lindy Johnson, so I had one of my appointments with Lindy. I found her warm and accessible, and I would have been perfectly happy if she had turned out to be the one to be at the birth of my baby. (BTW: Robin was wonderful, but you didn't ask about her!) Dawn

Lindy Johnson is a wonderful woman, and I highly recommend her. She is kind, patient, respectful, loving and highly skilled. My son is now nearly 19 months old, and we still stop by once in a while to see her. She always answered all my questions, and helped us navigate through the whole medical system. She dealt with the insurance company, and helped make all of the needed arrangements with other caregivers. Being in her care was very empowering for me as a woman and mother. My son was breech, so I ended up having a planned cesarean, but even then, she was with me the whole time, taking pictures and advocating on my behalf. We are planning to get pregnant again soon, and I hope to be lucky enough to work with Lindy again. If you need any more information, feel free to email me. Good Luck! Michele

Even though it's been almost two years since I had my son I still think nurse-midwife Lindy Johnson walks on water. I really can't say enough good things about her care, professionalism, kindness, and expertise. You would be in the best of hands with her (literally!). Lea

Lindy was with me with 2 of my three children. (I had an OB the first time around.) I was seeing another OB whom I was extremely dissatisfied with and decided ultimately that I did not want this DR at my baby's birth, much less in charge of it! So, I attempted to change doctors although I was already 8 months pregnant at the time. I never regretted making a last minute switch but, I do wish I had found her sooner! Lindy is excellent! She always made sure that everything was fine from taking care of me personally, to dealing with the insurance, to tracking down lab reports, to being my advocate during labor and making sure the hospital staff aided rather than interfered with our plan for our child's birth. She kept things going smoothly while always leaving my husband & me "In Charge". During my visits, she answered all my questions (even the ones I didn't know enough to be asking). I cannot recommend her highly enough! As a side note, whenever I am chatting with another parent and find out they had a midwife, I ask "who?" and about half have said Lindy and every one of them has said how much they LOVE her. So, I'm not surprised at how many fabulous recommendations you have gotten already, but had to add mine too.

I have to add mine to the chorus of voices praising Lindy Johnson. On top of all that's already been said, I have to add that she was wonderfully supportive of my wanting to bring my then 2 year old daughter to several of my visits. She has dolls and toys for (soon-to-be) sibs to play with and she very lovingly and respectfully included my daughter in all our conversations, explained the baby's heartbeat to her as we listened, etc. She also was very understanding of my feelings about having this second baby come into what seemed to me the perfect family already. I'll never forget when she arrived at the hospital and asked me how the older one was as we were getting settled. I started crying (in one of those emotion-laden labor moments) and said I felt terrible for just "dumping" her at the neighbors as we rushed out the door to the hospital. She said, "and how long have you had this plan?" I said, "about 8 1/2 months" and she said, "and do these people love her?" I said, "oh, yes!" and she said, "then she knows you love her." And I stopped crying, focused on the baby that was about to arrive, and had an absolutely wonderful birth. And another note: she does annuals and routine gyn exams, paps, etc. too (or at least she was doing them then) not just pregnancy related stuff.

I can't give you any recommendations for home-birth friendly OBs, but I can describe something about my own experience with a similar situation. I saw an NP at my former OB/Gyn office to get confirmation of pregnancy and for 2 (very early) prenatal visits before I had settled on a midwife. I was committed to a home birth and didn't see any use for a doctor at all. The NP, Carolyn Hand had delivered her daughters at home and was really supportive, and even gave me recommendations of midwives to consider. But absolutely NO ONE ELSE in that office was supportive, and actually a few folks (like the woman in the accounting dept, strangely enough) were downright antagonistic or hostile. After those 2 prenatals, I just let the midwives handle all the prenatal care, which was excellent, and I opted out of all the routine testing. With several friends having delivered with mid- wives at home since then, I am yet to hear of a totally supportive MD backup for home birth.

Unfortunately, I did end up transporting to a hospital because my labor wouldn't "kick into gear." I went to SF General (my midwife called in advance to say we were coming) and the midwifes (Jen Bauman's mentors, I believe) accompanied us into L & D. The nurses were mostly fantastic, and the delivering doctor just came in for the last nitty-gritty hour. I didn't get any vibe or commentary about home birth (or failed home birth in this case), from the MD or anyone else. SFGH has the lowest rate of C-section in the SF Bay Area according to my research, and I figured that was the most important issue of transporting from home (the perceived need for extreme intervention). The only problem with this arrangement was getting the billing sorted out which took a lot of phone calls because SFGH doesn't bill Health Net through Alta Bates.... The pediatricians on duty gave Simon his newborn exam, and a month later, we went to out first pediatric appointment with Lester Luz, who actually congratulated me on trying to deliver at home. Claire

I highly recommend my midwife Laura Hooper, who works in a practice with ob- gyn Ed Blumenstock, a wonderful man. Laura does well-woman check-ups as well as midwifery. Together they delivered my 11-pound, 6-ounce baby in May! They're at 365 Hawthorne Ave in Oakland near Summit Hospital, and the phone number is 893-1700. Hanana

We think our midwife, Lindy Johnson, walks on water. She works with Robin Hale, who is also lovely. They were both warm, open and relaxed during visits, with lots of time for questions. Lindy demonstrated perineal massage with us. During labor Lindy was on the phone with us at home and met us as soon as we got to the hospital. She was incredibly encouraging and positive and let me feel like I was as in control as I could be under the circumstances. I can't tell you how reassuring it was to know I would be delivered by someone I had gotten to know over the course of my pregnancy. Their number is 510-644-0104. I believe they both have priviledges at Alta Bates and Summit. We had a fine experience delivering at Alta Bates. Heather

I would like to make the highest possible recommendation for Certified Nurse Midwife Lindy Johnson (644-0104). While she does not practice in a team with OBs, her "back-up physicians" are the excellent high-risk OBs at the Alta Bates Perinatal Clinic. In order to be covered by insurance (our student health insurance is with Blue Cross & it's worked), she has to bill through the docs' office. If medical complications come up, she refers clients to the docs. Even when my pregancy became very high-risk, Lindy stuck with us as we were seen by the docs and in the end was able to handle the delivery (at Alta Bates). every woman should be so lucky to have the intimate relationship, warmth, support & wise experience of a midwife even when medical complications require high-tech assistance! Melanie

My husband and I love the care and attention we get from Hsiu--Li Cheng, CNM. Originally, we were with East Bay Family Practice, but we ended up switching. We found that our primary care physician, Audrey Heffel, was very good at general care, but the OB care at that office was lacking. We opted not to take the AFP test, for personal reasons, which caused major consternation. The nurse practitioner, Edie Silber, and Dr. Heffel told us several stories about babies being born with incurable fatal birth defects which would have been detected by the AFP. Every time I had an appointment, I had to wait considerable amounts of time, and I got the feeling they didn't even know who I was. My impression was that the office had too many patients and Dr. Heffel's patient load was overwhelming. When I was about 7 1/2 months pregnant, my husband and I became very dissatisfied with the care and we started looking elsewhere. We ended up with Hsiu-Li and are very happy. The receptionist/office manager knows us by name, and Hsiu-Li herself is very friendly. She is backed up by East Bay Perinatal, located in the Summit Medical Center. Most CNMs are backed up by OBs, I think. Hsiu-Li is very experienced and encourages natural birthing methods. Her episiotomy, pitocin use, and c-section rate is very low, which was very important to us. We have Blue Shield with Hill Physicians Medical Group and our care is covered by our HMO. She has three offices in the East Bay (Oakland Chinatown, Walnut Creek, and at East Bay Perinatal). However, she does her deliveries at Summit, not at Alta Bates. At first we were hesitant to consider Summit, but now that Alta Bates seems to be overloaded with Kasier Oakland patients, we are happy to go to Summit. All the postpartum rooms are private (you have to pay extra for private postpartum rooms at Alta Bates), and some LDRs even have jacuzzis. Good luck with the rest of your pregnancy. Laurel

On the UC parents website I'm sure you will find many recommendations for Hsiu-Li Cheng, a midwife who practices in Walnut Creek, Oakland Chinatown, and Summit Hospital. She is affiliated with East Bay perinatal medical associates, and your delivery would be at Summit Hospital in Oakland.

I switched to Hsiu-Li from an OB practice when I was 4 months pregnant with my first baby (who was born this past Feb). I simply cannot say enough complimentary things about Hsiu-Li. She is WONDERFUL, absolutely wonderful! Within 2 minutes of meeting Hsiu-Li, my husband and I knew we were with the best possible person to see us through pregnancy and labor and delivery. She always made me feel so relaxed and confident about the pregnancy and impending labor. We so looked forward to all of our visits with Hsiu-Li (which were in Chinatown, so we'd get to go out for great food afterwards). She is extremely experienced, having delivered something like 4000 babies, and uses eastern as well as western thinking in her approach to pregnancy and childbirth. As well, she is a very warm, delightful person. My delivery got a little sticky near the end (my baby had a big head!), but Hsiu-Li remained so calm, with lightning-fast, firm hands, and things ended up beautifully. She has a very low C-section rate (I think 4%), and does everything possible to avoid an episiotomy. She teaches you many relaxation techniques to help you cope with the pain and she uses acupressure (which worked for me), but she would be supportive if you wanted medication. She has back-up OBs through East Bay perinatal, but she attends almost all of her own patients (unless she's sick or away on vacation). She takes all different kinds of insurance, including Blue Cross.

I've heard Hsiu-Li described as one of the last true hospital midwives--you get the personal, attentive care of a midwife, but she also knows the ins and out of the hospital, and is extremely well-respected at Summit. The call went out "There's a Hsiu-Li patient here!" when I arrived at Summit L&D. By the way, I had a very good experience delivering at Summit. The nurses for the most part were very helpful and compassionate. Labor rooms 16 and 18 have jacuzzi tubs. Postpartum rooms are almost all private and your baby is right there with you, and your husband can stay with you.

I know several other people who have used Hsiu-Li and we all agree that she is a genius. We all had great experiences with her. I just love her; I had nary a worry in her hands. Her number is 832-2388 (by the way, she has a very sweet, helpful receptionist, Phuong). I wish you luck! Karin

About a month before my due date, we switched to a wonderful midwife who works at a hospital and has doctor (OB) backup during pregnancy and birth; she has an excellent relationship with her doctor colleagues. We loved her and her handling of my case. She took me on late in the game and felt my abdomen with her hands and was absolutely confident in her assessment that there was NOT excess fluid pressure; her doctor colleagues also examined me (hands on abdomen) and agreed with her. My worries were eliminated. From that point on, I was completely at ease (again).

Our midwife's name is Hsui-Li Cheng, pronounced Sho-Li, and she works partly on her own (private practice) with offices in Oakland and Walnut Creek but also works with East Bay Perinatal (the latter is what we did).

East Bay Perinatal's number is 653-3335; they are in Oakland at 3100 Summit (a few blocks west of 31st and Telegraph).

Hsui-Li's Walnut Creek and Oakland office number is 937-0995 (they are the same).

Hsui-Li was fabulous, really great; she is a wonderful way to go through pregnancy health visits-- she views pregnancy as a wonderful, naturally healthy event in a woman's life, one that rarely needs western medicine intervention. She also was great in letting and helping my husband take a part in the pregnancy and birth. Peggy

We loved our midwife, Nancy Barnett-Moore, who delivered our son two years ago at Alta Bates. She has a practice in Oakland near Summit hospital and is backed up by the East-Bay Perinatal group (like Lindy Johnson with whom she is very good friends). Upon first meeting Nancy I was impressed with the way she made me feel comfortable and confident about this new experience (for me -- she has had more than 20 years experience). I had a very long and drawn-out labor and delivery (I was evaluated on a Friday night with contractions 4 minutes apart but only 1cm dilated and 50% effaced--i.e. "prodromal labor"--and my son was born on Monday morning after 3hrs of pushing). My husband, who is a physician, and I are convinced that I would have had a c-section had I not been under Nancy's care. She is very adept with the latest technology and not hesitant to use it but she is also very in-tune with all the other factors (emotional, psychological, social...) that help to bring a baby into the world. Nancy's number at her clinic, The Family Birthing Center, is 832-2229. Good luck! Jeff

For a natural birth in a birth center, (in water if you wish), or your home, try Beah Haber in Pleasanton. (I interviewed Lindy Johnson who has priveleges at Alta Bates, but she is somewhat restricted by their regulations.) With Beah, you'll never even see a monitor (she uses a fetascope or doppler), and everything else can go as naturally as you please.

Beah Haber is excellent.Her back up is Dr Michael Bleeker. Beah is very experienced. I would suggest getting a doula also. Doulas from birth and bonding are not very experienced--most have less than 3 years--check with Yogalayam in Berkeley for names of many who've been around 10 years and longer--or ask each midwife you interview for recommendations. Two good books are Your Birth Your Way, ('forgotten the author), and The Birth Partner, by Penny Simpkin. Maura