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NatesCupcake47
member
Using a Midwife at Woodwinds...
NatesCupcake47
member
I am pretty sure I'm switching from Allina to Healtheast (I want to use a midwife and my Allina clinic doesn't offer one) and just wondering about anybody else's experience using a midwife at Woodwinds and/or using Healtheast clinics.
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Using a Midwife at Woodwinds...
I was Lauree#### and I also posted on the Nest/Mpls board about Healtheast clinics a month or so ago...
Thanks!
Yeah, I wanted to switch names because a few months ago someone IRL came across my nest account and it was just weird (my nest user name is the same as my main email- which def wasn't a good idea). I feel a lot more free to post now that I have a more anonymous name :-)
I delivered at Woodwinds, almost 1 year ago!! (EEK) I saw the midwives since my first appointment and loved them. I had 1 -2 regular midwives I saw, but tried to see everyone at least once. They only thing I was bummed with was there is no guarantee that "your" Midwife will deliver, BUT same goes for an OB, you just never know! The staff at Woodwinds ROCK I mean ROCK my socks off. I didn't want to leave. I labored for over 72 hours, it was long and draining, and went through quite a few shifts, so I saw a lot of them!
I was able to follow what my body wanted changing positions when I wanted and that was fine. I tried going in the bath (originally wanted a water birth) but after minutes in there it wasn't working so I was transferred back to my bed. What I am trying to say I loved it! The day we were leaving I was able to get an acupuncture treatment as well as "healing hands" massage. It was such a perfect day, happened to be my 30th birthday too 
Feel free to read my full birth story in my never updated blog.
I delivered at Woodwinds last summer, and used the HealthEast midwives my whole pregnancy, and the whole experience was great. I would look forward to using the midwives and delivering at Woodwinds again if we have any other babies. The only reason I would switch is if for some reason I had a higher risk pregnancy or thought the baby was more at risk and should be born at a hospital with a NICU. I saw one midwife for most of my prenatal visits, but also saw a few of the others. The midwife who delivered my son was one I had never seen for a visit before, but I thought she was also good, and didn't really mind that I hadn't seen her before. The midwife I saw for most of my prenatal appointments took the time to come visit me in my hospital room after delivery, which was really nice.
I also had a minor, non-urgent but very uncomfortable complication from delivery that required a return trip to the hospital the day after I was discharged. I ended up having to wait several hours until I was able to get in to have it corrected, so the midwives let me lounge on the futon in their NST room with my family for several hours while I waited. I appreciated that very much. They have a number you can call where you can always reach a midwife any time 24/7 if you have questions during your pregnancy or postpartum.
The only downside I had to using the midwives is that they don't have an ultrasound machine in their offices, so you will have to have your 20 week ultrasound done in a hospital radiology facility instead of a clinic. With my health insurance last year, that meant that I had to pay for the whole thing out of pocket since it counted against my deductible, whereas if I would have had the ultrasound done in a clinic, it would have been a $20 copay. My employer has now changed our insurance plans to deductible only, so this will be moot for any possible future pregnancies - and insurance plans vary so wildly, so this may not be an issue for others either.
Oh, and HealthEast has become our one-stop shop for everything. My son's pediatrician is there, my husband has gone for chiropractic care and physical therapy there, and I went in for my prenatal care and delivery. I can't think of any bad experiences we've had with them so far.