Seeking a "Natural Birth Friendly" OB GYN in Fort Worth

Some people do it at home with just there husband to deliver the baby there have been big baby's over 10lb., baby's that came butt first, small ones under 6lb., and up to 5 days of labor, one women delivered her own baby I think #9, and there were no problems. Some good books to read my fave Spiritual Midwifery by Ina May Gaskin and Special Delivery by Rahima Baldwin Dancy.
Brightest Blessings

YES! Dr. Julia Flowers at Baylor Grapevine. She is an absolute gem & was completely on board with me, my doula & hubby. Even after a 46!!!! hour labor, she never once mentioned C-section to me. The baby was fine & so she let me work through it all- completely natural. She even helped out doing perineal massage to help me keep from tearing. I don't think my 1st OB even knew what it was, and probably would have balked at the use of a doula, too. If you need one of those, by the way, I'd check out Kathy O'Brien. If you're interested in a local birth center, check out http://gentlebeginningsbc.com/- it's in Hurst.

Best of luck to you! D.

Another vote for doula Kathy O'Brien. And I delivered my second baby at Birth and Women's Center in Dallas with a midwife (covered by insurance) but would consider the Hurst birth center for a subsequent birth.

I don't know of an ob, but just to let you know that a lot of midwives let you pay out their fees over the course of your care. Also, some midwives will give a discount if you let their student handle your care. This is done under the direct supervision of the midwife of course. This is what we did. My midwife was Molly Germash. She was my midwife for my first baby too. YOu can contact her at www.heartsdesiremidwifery.com. She has opened her own birth center up near Weatherford now, but she used to be based out of Family Birth Services in GRand Prairie. (Family Birth Services is another, closer place to check where the midwives are awesome and you will probably find more than one who is willing to work with you on the finances.) She gave us a 1000.00 discount making our total 2000.00. That is for prenatal, delivery, and postpartum care. She will really, really work with you on payments. It might be worth talking with her about it. She is super friendly and loves to talk. It will be the best money you've ever spent in your life! Good luck!

I used a midwife and none of it was covered by insurance. The Midwife was great about making a payment plan We paid at each prenatal visit and our total cost was about $1500.00 so it was manageable. They understand that if insurance doesn't pay it is a large expense. He name is Molly Germash. You can find her (or any other midwife at www.texasmidwives.com. Good luck.

Greetings B.:

http://gentlebeginningsbc.com/index.htm
There's the link to the birth center one of the other posters mentioned..I couldn't get their link to take me there, so I'm reposting it for you if you were interested in it!
Also, I'm sure you have already checked into this since you mentioned that it would be cheaper to go with the in-network provider, but when my husband and I decided to use a midwife and birth center for our daughter's birth this past November, we had to speak with people "higher up" in our insurance company before they agreed to cover the cost. It ended up being much cheaper for us than going to a hospital or using an OB/GYN after we talked to the insurance several times - part of our issue though was that we couldn't find any midwife that was covered in the Ft. Worth area under our insurance, which the insurance agreed was in violation of our rights to be able to choose to use a midwife. So, we were then able to select any within a 50 mile radius and they covered it.
Here's the birth center I went to: http://www.birthcenter.net/fees.asp
That link takes you to their page discussing the costs with using them. Their insurance lady is AWESOME at working with your insurance and getting things paid for!!! It's in Dallas, and we live in North Richland Hills, so it was about a 45 minute drive, but sooo worth it!
Good luck :-)
J.

Hi. My sister used a mid-wife in the hospital for her first child. They are under the care of a ob. He was my ob for 2 children and will be my sisters 3rd child using him or his mid-wife staff. It was covered the same as far as insurance because they are "under his umbrella". My sister and I both have been extremely happy with him. His name is Douglass Decker. He offices out of Richland Hills and Fort Worth. He is very good about letting the mother have whatever she wants. His personality is kind of different, but everything that was important to me and I wanted he did. He didn't just say he would then when it came time for delivery start changing things. He kept his word. Hope this helps!

**** i am adding this after reading your responses **** dr. decker as mentioned above by rhonda w is the ob i was talking about that oversees the midwives that i used - i saw him a couple of times and he was great also - i have two very low rish pregnancies thank god so i didn't see him much - anyway like she said, he is covered under most insurance plans as he is a practicing ob with midwives - best of luck and let us know who you end up going with ******* there is a clinic of 4 or 5 mid wives that practice out of harris methodist hospital in downtown fort worth - i used them for both of my children (11 & 3) and would never go anywhere else - they are absolutely amazing - all of them - very kind and understanding especially when you are a first time mom which is a scary experience - they are also cheaper than most ob's and usually covered by most insurance companies because they are a clinic with a ob that practices with them for high risk cases - i think it is called north texas women's clinic - it is right next to harris methodist hospital so anyone is their birthing department would know them - if you are interested then e-mail me and i will dig through my baby stuff and find out their office name and number

Just curious, what is you're reasoning for delaying cord clamping? Do you have any evidence to say that delaying the cord clamping has any benefits, what does it do for the baby.

H.

I also recommend www.gentlebeginningsbc.com.

Hi B.,

I am currently seeing Ann Crowell (midwife) in Hurst. Though I don't know of someone in FW who is naturally oriented (doesn't mean they don't exist), I bet you could find a referral through Gene Sala (Inana Birthing Center, Denton), Ann Crowell (Gentle Beginnigs, Hurst) or one of several other midwifery centers in DFW. They all have back-up doctors for emergencies. I imagine one of them can give you the 'inside scoop' on an OB who would be willing to accomodate your needs.

My second recommendation would be to also look at the hospitals & their policies. Sometimes you can work backwards. That is to say, find a hospital with progressive policies and then look through the OBs who deliver there. 12 years ago, I delivered my son at a major hospital in San Antonio. Even back then, they allowed a bunch of family (grandmothers, SIL, husband, etc.) in the room during the delivery & I was able to get up & walk around quite a bit during labor. They also accomodated my request to room-in with my baby 99% of the time & they agreed not to give him sugar water. Had I known as much as I do now about natural childbirth, I would have pushed for more. I had an opportuntiy early on to tour the facilities and ask extensive questions about their policies. Any good hospital should be willing to do that for you.

One last thing: Have you checked out the midwive's clinic that delivers at Harris Methodist? Since they work so closely with doctors & the hospital there, I'm wondering if your insurance might bill them differently. It's worth a try anyway.

Hope all works out for you & kudos for going after what you believe is best for your baby!

B.

You may also want to consider looking for an affordable doula. My 1st was born in Dallas and while our MD was very agreeable to our natural plans, the nursing staff was not! It was a horrible experience! With my 2nd we used a midwife at a birth center in Cleburne and we had a doula, it was wonderful! I know it was expensive and isurance was all of no help, but they worked with us on payments. A good doula is what I would highly recommend if you feel a hospital birth is necessary.