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Minnesota Babies
In search of alternative & complementary health care systems & practitioners who support a v
HI! I've not yet posted anything on here. I've only lived in MN.
since the last few months of 2005. I've not found many people who I can
ask for suggestions/recommendations. I've read some of the others
members' posts & responses yet haven't found any yet that relate to
the particular preferences I'm in search of. I've found many websites
yet don't am not able to network with the people who've left posts
about their experiences on them. I'm hoping someone here can help me.
Also, has anyone else used the website: www.momslikeme.com. If so, can
u please share if u have found it a useful resource/on-line community.
Thanks in advance! I greatly appreciate it! 
I'm interested in using an women's health & birth center yet I might also consider using an OB/GYN clinic that has midwives
&/or doulas (either within their practice or from private hire). It
would be preferred that they support a vegetarian & natural
remedies lifestyle. I believe I might switch to using Woodwinds once I
am actively trying to TTC. So far, I've only used Allina health care
systems which I do like yet I want to use Woodwinds Hospital because I
like how they use the most
integrative &
complimentary alternative health care of any of the T.C. health care
systems that I've researched. Plus, they also use a shared electronic
information system. I know that they refer most
clients searching for an OB/GYN to The Comprehensive Health Care for
Women &/or their Health East Woodbury clinic. I would like to have
a home water birth
I have seen 2 different OB/GYNS so far & have not yet found one I prefer to use exclusively. I am satisfied currently using Dr. Kristen J. Becker, N.D. (who can perform some GYN. procedures & is also a doula) as my primary care physician whenever possible for things not covered by insurance. I also currently use Dr. Clemma J. Nash, M.D. who's specializes in women's health, supports alternative complementary health care & is also a GYN.
Also, any recommendations for a future Ped. Dr. who has a similar mind frame as me?
I hope my post can also help others. Take care!This discussion has been closed.
Re: In search of alternative & complementary health care systems & practitioners who support a v
At 30 weeks I switched from Allina (LOVE Dr. Ozel though I don't think she's your philosophical/lifestyle type) and was actually really disappointed in most of the midwives at Woodwinds. One was fantastic and the rest left me cold.
Our delivery experience was actually worse than at United, for a number of reasons. My husband felt like he was treated as an unnecessary part of the room when I gave birth, whereas at United he was a very important player. We both found that sad that a bunch of midwives seemed to somehow be all into the woman but not her partner....
I remember having it VERY clear that I was going for another natural delivery, after having already experienced a natural delivery. But the FIRST question i was asked at Woodwinds was what type of pain relief I was expecting? Wha??? A midwife actually told me the drug use is higher at Woodwinds than St. Joe's (where you end up if there are no beds at Woodwinds.)
But my biggest problem with Woodwinds was their horrid medical neglect. I went through a lot more hell than I needed to or would have experienced if I went to United. I did talk with them, and TAUGHT them a few things, and I do trust they will do better... but still. Basic medicine 101 is you NEVER release a woman with a resting heart rate double her normal rate....I had heart damage. Pregnancy-related, rare, but still. Had I not felt symptoms I could have keeled over dead at home. Every midwife was alarmed at my heart rate and yet nothing happened and I was let off with a clean bill of health.
I have used Moms Like Me but I find it really hard to move around the site & find information like what you are looking for.
Good luck on your quest to find that right person to help you bring your baby into this world.
Sorry I can't be more help
if you want a home birth, look into the childbirth collective. But you're not going to find a midwife within a health care network that does home births.
I also don't know of any clinics that have doulas on staff, but you can also find a doula through the childbirth collective.
There are 3 birth centers in the Twin Cities (one is open now, 2 are coming). The one on Grand Ave (health foundations) is open. There is going to be one in St Louis Park (MorningStar) and there is one opening across the street from Abott-Northwestern in Minneapolis.
I can't really comment on the natural remedies lifestyle...
But I was treated very well as a vegetarian expectant mother/nursing mother at an Allina clinic and at United Hospital.
I wouldn't recommend my OB. But most of the OBs in the practice were very open about that and were supportive of a vegetarian lifestyle.
Not sure about peds. DS is a meat eater.
@Elizabeth D.
WOW! I'm so sorry that u had a less than desirable experience at Woodwinds. I'm so grateful u chose to share your experience with me! Your experience opened another perspective that I didn't think would be an issue. It's also very important to me that my live-in boyfriend (& hopefully husband by time of active conception, pregnancy, & birth) would treated as respectfully with support when needed & be involved in the decision making process as much as possible, too!
@Payne2B2008
HI! Thanks so much for your reply! I've had similar experience using Moms like Me. I'm glad to have found that this forum/network was quick to reply! Best of health to you & your family!
@MrsGo4Hockeychick
HI! Thanks for your reply! I already looked at that website for those resources. There are so many health care professionals to choose from! That's why I was hoping for a more personal experience, suggestion, &/or recommendation.
I've previously spoke by phone with Amy Johnson-Glass, N.D, & mid-wife, (& owner &/or director of The Health Foundations around May 2009. I did like our communications. We already toured it & liked what we saw & heard from Amy & the staff that was there. However, perhaps due to the not knowing the area & the amount of traffic the day we toured, I'm still a little reserved & undecided. Plus, I know the area near Abbott North Western Hospital (A.N.W.) really well. We intend to tour Morning Star sometime this year probably around Oct./Sept. prior to the newest birth center opening in MPLS. in Sept. We like the fact that Morning Star already has experience running it's 1st women's health & birth center in WI. It is on the way to when we visit our families, too. I'm not saying the other midwives aren't as experienced, I'm just saying in relation to my knowledge of them in a free standing facility.
@preg_amy
Thanks for your reply! I'm glad to hear that!
I've heard quite a few ladies mention United Hosp. I'll have to research if part of Allina or Health East Health Care Systems.
If u don't mind, would u care to share any vegetarian books that u might have enjoyed reading while TTC, PG, & BFing. I am familiar with the titles & reviews from the websites yet again am looking for a local's experience/recommendation. TIA!
HI! Thanks ladies for the warm welcome & help!
Sorry, I don't know how to respond to the individual replies as well. I'm still learning the abbreviations & slang. I'm unsure if I'm able to cross-post in different boards. I was thinking maybe I should re-post in health & wellness board. I didn't see it earlier. I know I should have read all the rules first before posting yet I was eager to find out some quick info.
I'd be grateful if anyone can give directions how others are able to respond to a specific part of a certain posting. I only know how to u can cut, copy, & paste certain sentences then reply in a different font underneath. TIA!
I go to a great ob/gyn clinic, Partners OB/GYN in They don't have any midwives or doulas that I'm aware of that work with them, but with their philosophy I'm sure they would be willing to work with a doula (or maybe have a suggestionfor one). I have a c/s with my DS (a breech baby who just would not turn) and they are very pro-VBAC. Their main hospital is St. Johns, but they do also use Woodwinds sometimes.
From what I've read, there are 3 or 4 new birth centers opening in the next year or so that might be a great option.
If you would like a home water birth, you probably won't be able to find someone who will do this within most hospital systems although you may want to look into it as a back-up plan.
I'm going to have a home water birth and am using Erin Kaspar-Frett, who has a private practice out of Wisconsin. I interviewed a few midwives who do home births and they all seemed nice and open to natural remedies. I'm not vegetarian, but I don't think that would be an issue with midwives who do home births.
In my search, I didn't find any midwives or doctors, who worked in hospitals, who do home births. I believe there is only one birth center in the metro area, and I'm not sure if they do home births.
I interviewed midwives that I found on this site: https://www.minnesotabirth.com/pregnancy-and-birth/224-mn-homebirth-midwives
Good Luck!
We too wanted as little of a medical approach to this experience as possible. We're doing a home birth with a midwife - Jeanne Bazille - and love her. Her number is 651-770-9494. Our birth doula is Linda Post. She's amazing, and happens to also be a massage therapist too -- bonus! Her number is 952-239-2869. Childbirth Collective is an excellent resource, and there's one in St. Paul and one in South Minneapolis/Edina. Oh! And as you're TTC, I used Jennifer Winer, acupuncturist, for support in that area. Her number is 763-205-3086. Good luck!
Oh! As a side note, we found that our health insurance would cover Jeanne out of network, at 60%, which ends up being less than what we would have to spend in network for a hospital birth. Plus, there weren't the co-pays for all the prenatal visits, tests, etc.