Military Families
PCS to Ft Lewis
So we are currently in Natick, MA and we are about to take a 49 HOUR drive to PCS to Ft. Lewis, WA! AAaaahh! I will be 18 weeks when we begin this drive. So I am really inerested in trying to go natural this time around and I am super interested in The Birthing Inn in Tacoma. They offer a military discount but I'm wondering if I can get Tricare to cover the entire thing. (Birth Center, Midwife, etc...). I am totally open to ANY advice!
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Re: PCS to Ft Lewis
To be completely honest, I have not heard too many good things about the Birthing Inn. I am from the Tacoma area and know people who have had their babies there, some had fine experiences, but others were not so lucky. I have heard that some of the midwives are very pushy and that if there are any complications, some of the midwives want to try to have you naturally work through them and it doesn't always work out. They don't like to rely on doctors all too much. One woman I know, had complications and was in obvious need of medical attention and the baby ended up passing away because they would not take her to the hospital and it was too late when they finally agreed to take her. The baby had gone into distress and was unable to be saved due to the amount of time that had lapsed. Others had asked to be taken to the hospital and were denied until they practically walked out. I would really look into all of the midwives very thoroughly before choosing to have your baby there. I am not sure who she had her care with there... I wish I knew the name so I could tell you who to avoid. The hospitals around the area are very accommodating and are open to different birthing methods. I would definitely do a lot of research first....
Sorry that is so long, I just don't want anything like that to happen to anyone else.
Madigan (on Ft Lewis) almost always refuses to release anyone to private care if you are on prime. They have "first right of refusal" and they are serious about it.
I have chosen to go Tricare standard because my husband is stationed with a small detachment about 40 miles north of Ft Lewis. It's a real pain to drive all that way w/a two year old for appointments. DH is currently in Iraq so it's not like he can watch the kiddo!
HOWEVER, one of the other wives in our unit is on Tricare prime & she is delighted with the care she's getting at Madigan. She has a midwife and is planning a water birth there. She has nothing but good things to say. I would encourage you to check it out before you switch to tricare standard to save yourself the money!
I have no experience with the Birthing Inn, but I do know that like a PP said, you would most likely have to switch to Standard and pay some out of pocket.
We PCS'd in February of last year and I delivered DD at Madigan in May. I had a really good experience there and even though I wasn't able to be assigned a "Team" at the OB/GYN Clinic, I was really happy with the care I received there as well. There are midwives at the clinic and you can request to be assigned to a midwife team. Good luck with your drive up here and I hope that the rest of your pregnancy and delivery go smoothly, wherever you should deliver!
I too had a good experience at Madigsn, everyone was great and made sure I was comfortable. I decided to stay with family medicine and bypass the OB clinic all together. If we have another while we are here I will do the same.
But I must say I'm jealous that you're in MA right now.