My husband and I are hoping to have baby number two soon. At this point, I am trying to decide on a new OB and Hospital for pregnancy/labor/delivery. I live in Coon Rapids and work in Roseville. We moved to Coon Rapids from St. Cloud this year and so my previous OB/GYN is out of the question. I loved my experience at the St. Cloud Hospital. They had large, private rooms; birth-balls; great nurses; lactation consultants; etc.
I am hoping this time around to find a midwife to carry me through my pregnancy and would like the option of water birth if at all possible.
I would like to know if any one can give me feedback on what hospitals they like or dislike and why. Also, during my first pregnancy I had to be induced because of pre-eclempsia. Will this hinder my ability to see a midwife during my pregnancy?
Hi, I also used to live in St. Cloud and I'm a 25 y/o mommy of 1, with baby #2 on the way. I delivered at Mercy Hospital in Coon Rapids. The OB/GYNs at Coon Rapids Womens Health are wonderful and my experience at Mercy was perfect! They do not give you the option of water birth though.
Hi,
I too delivered at Mercy. I found the staff friendly and really don't have any complaits about the facility.
Have you ever considered a home birth? I had my last 2 at home and it was so wonderful. It isn't for everyone as you can not have any pain meds and if your pregnancy is high risk it is out of the question. But if you want a water birth and to do things your way it is the way to go. Let me know if you would like any info on midwives that do home-births. I live in Elk River so my 'emergency' hospital was Fairview in Princeton. They have a really nice L&D unit-all private rooms and the staff seem really great. Good Luck!
Lakeview Hospital in Stillwater, MN (A bit far for you though) also does waterbirths. They also have a very small Midwife practice so your actual midwife is most of the time the person that delivers you (unlike some of the bigger practices). Just because you had preeclampsia with the first your chance of getting it with the second is only 8% if the faters of the babies are the same. Good luck on your journey and welcome to the neighborhood..... ((((HUGS))))).
R.,
I think the only two hospitals in the metro that have a water birth are St. Joseph's in downtown St. Paul (I delivered my second there - a water birth - it was amazing) and Woodwinds in Woodbury.
Here is a good resource:
http://www.minnesotabirthnetwork.com/Waterbirth.html
I used an OB with my first and a midwife (at Generations Women's Clinic in Shoreview - I highly recommend them) with my second and am using them again for my third. I much prefer the midwife experience because I wanted to have a natural birth (no meds) and the support from my midwife for that experience was far superior to that from my OB the first time around. Also, during delivery my midwife never left my side, vs. the OB that literally came in the last 10 minutes (of a 36 hour induced labor) to catch the baby.
I would call around to midwives and discuss your questions regarding your previous delivery and hear their thoughts before making a decision. My understanding is, that you would still be able to see a midwife, but you need to be low risk to have a water birth and can not have an epidural if you are in the birthing tub. I think you could be induced and still do a water birth if you were low risk.
Good luck to you!
J.
SAHM to Charlie (3) Joey (20 months) and Baby Girl due Nov. 16
R.,
I know this is highly outdated, lol, but I wanted to ask anyways...do you remember who your delivery doctor was? Or midwife at St. Cloud Hospital Woman's and Children's? We are delivering there in 3 weeks and are switching doctors, to find someone more enthusiastic about a natural childbirth...any recommendations?
I have had all three of my children at Mercy Hospital in Coon Rapids. I had all three by c-section,(first one was induced due to pre-clampsia with help syndrome) they were delivered by Dr. Lindman-Miller and Dr. Johnson. All the nurses and doctors are very nice and I have always had my own room. I would stay away from Unity Hospital in Fridley my friend had her baby there and the nurses are not friendly. She screamed during childbirth and the staff said they were going to all leave the room if she screamed again! Good luck!
A.
I had my baby at Woodwinds in Woodbury, and the midwives there are excellent. I had a really great experience there. They have really nice birthing rooms and they also have a REALLY nice room for waterbirthing if that's what you want (I didn't do it with my first one but I would consider it for the next). It is a very modern hospital and they don't ever force anything on you. My water was broke for 36 hours before I finally had my baby and they never once said anything about a C-section even after I got an infection in my amniotic sac. They just pumped in antibiotics and watched things closely, but they really WANT you to have a good experience and do what YOU want. They have lots of options too - doula support, balls, etc. The number for an appt is ###-###-#### if you are interested. Good luck! If you have any other questions about it, you can contact me too!
I had a twins pregnancy and a planned c section at Mercy. I had a wonderful experience there and found the nurses were wonderfully supportive. They taught me to tandem breast feed before I left, encouraged me to stay in the hospital an addition night (I was there 4 days), although we did go home...(I had clearance because of twins,etc.) One nurse taught us to bath our babies before we left, etc. Also at Mercy, GREAT prenatal yoga classes! I went twice a week. Look on line at the classes at the Allina web site for info. I HIGHLY recommend the yoga!
I have no idea if there are midwives at Mercy. I used the Allina Women's Clinic in Coon Rapids (right next to the hospital) and they do not have any midwives at that clinic.
I delivered both my boys at Mercy in Coon Rapids, and thought the facility was great. I see Dr. Johnson at Coon Rapids Women's Health (right across the street) and LOVE her. However, there's always the possibility that you won't get to deliver with the doctor of your choice (but rather, who's on-call). Also, they don't offer water-births. But in terms of a women's health practice, I really like them.
A friend of mine had a home-birth with a mid-wife, and had intended on a water birth. So there's always the home-birth option.
I delivered at Mercy Hosp. in Coon Rapids 4 yrs ago, and plan to deliver again there in Sept. They have all the amenaties you mentioned. When I was there 4 years ago, the hospital was undergoing some construction to improve their campus and I'm told it's way better now. I didn't think it was bad before, so I'm anxious to see the improvements.
Most of the OB doctors are in the Health Partners plans and will see patients at the Riverway Clinics or Health Partners Clinic locations. My primary is Dr. Curtis Keller. He's a GREAT OB. He delivered my 1st, my 2nd (ectopic) and will deliver my 3rd and any subsequent pregnancies as well. I've seen most of the doctors in the plan, but he's my favorite. Always smily and he makes me feel like all my worries are nothing to worry about...I like that! He also talks in basic non-medical language so I can understand what he's talking about and he doesn't dumb it down when describing something. He's hard to get with though because he's in high demand and only works 2 days a week (or something like that),...but if you call way ahead of time, you might get lucky with an appointment. :)
Hi R....
I have four children and have had the same Dr. for all and let me tell you, he is WONDERFUL! He recently opened his own clinic across from Mercy Hospital in Coon Rapids. His name is Dr. Wust and the clinic is Northern OBGYN. He use to office out of Blaine and it was really hard to get an appointment. Now, it is a breeze! Feel free to contact me for more info.
Good Luck!!
~J.
