Which Midwife for a VBAC?
Parent Q&A
Archived Q&A and Reviews
Oct 2008
RE: Midwife for second baby
I just had a successful second pregnancy with Jeri Zukoski, CNM. She takes most insurance, all but Kaiser I believe.
Her prenatal appointments are fun, easy going, and not rushed, and usually on time, only if previous client was late have I been delayed. My toddler-aged son was always welcome at appointments if I needed to bring him (she also took care of me for my first pregnancy).
I was going for a VBAC delivery this time, and she was fully supportive of my wishes throughout the pregnancy, labor, and the ultimate route of delivery, a 2nd c-section. She helped me and my husband feel confident in our decisions, didn't pressure us in any way, just supported us, making sure we knew the pros and cons of our decisions along the way. We felt she always kept my health and the health of my child at the forefront. Knowing how dedicated I was to a natural birth, I loved that she did not cast judgment or disappointment in me for a failed VBAC. Instead she helped us celebrate all of our hard work and the arrival of our second beautiful son just 7 weeks ago.
My husband and I both whole-heartedly recommend her. Good luck to you. Susie
Oct 2006
Re: OB/GYN for VBAC in East Bay area
I recommend Hsiu-li Cheng (pronounced Sho-lee). She's a nurse practitioner midwife, trained at Stanford and in England, and she has an amazing wealth of experience and knowledge. She is very warm and real, and very committed to VBAC. I was determined to have a VBAC and she was very encouraging. At the end of my pregnancy I consulted with some other folks just as a back-up in case Hsiu-li was tied up in an emergency that was happening, and none of them were at all encouraging about the VBAC. During the labor she was great, and she involved my husband, and she knew lots of ways to get my baby out quicker. And, my child was born posterior, with her head bent to the side - no easy thing - and it was almost painless. (Specifically, she doesn't just wait for the baby to come out, she sticks her hand in and moves the baby around. It's uncomfortable, but it was very helpful and necessary. We would have been waiting around for a long time without her manual interventions.) I know that the painless part is unusual, especially for a posterior delivery, but anyone who has delivered with Hsiu-li becomes a fan. She works out of Summit, so you'd deliver there. anon
June 2006
Re: Female ObGyn for a VBAC and OBYGN supportive of VBAC in SF?
Congratulations on pursuing a VBAC. I recently had a VBAC with a midwifery practice at St. Luke's -- Homestyle Midwifery. They are a separate practice backed up by OBs at the Women's Health Center there. The hospital overall has a very low cesarean rate (around 13%), which is a good sign. Homestyle Midwifery is really a unique and amazing practice. They provide wonderful emotional and physical support (long prenatal visits, a 36 week team meeting with all the midwives, your partner and doula, prenatal group meetings, a postpartum home visit, labor tub, birthing stool, and more). They will also not use unnecessary interventions which are routine in so many practices. This approach was so refreshing after my previous experiences, and I really think their philosophy will give you a wonderful chance of VBAC. Best of luck with your VBAC journey. It really is worth it. Homestyle Midwifery: (415) 643-3378, homestylemw[at]yahoo.com, www.homestylemidwifery.com Julie M
May 2003
Re: ObGyn for a VBAC
I used and felt very happy with Hsiu-Li Cheng for my VBAC at Summit in 2000. She is a Certified Nurse Midwife and not a doctor, but I'd have to say that my medical care was very similar to what I experienced with my previous OB/GYN. What was better was that she listened to my concerns about having another C-section and helped me do everything possible to have a vaginal birth. Feel free to e-mail me if you have more questions. Also check out the numerous posts about Hsiu-Li in the Parent's network archives. Susan
Dec 2002
Nancy Barnett-Moore delivered two of my three children and I recommend her highly. After having a medically questionable c/s with my first child (in Seattle) I was determined to find a midwife to help me attempt a VBAC. I spoke with several midwives and decided to go with Nancy. She's a wonderful caregiver- warm and nurturing, knowledgable and medically astute. I always felt like I was well cared for. In many ways I feel like she combines the sensitivity and knowledge of a midwife with the medical security sometimes given by an OB. With her help I had a wonderfully uneventful vaginal birth in 1999. When I became pregnant again there was no question that we wanted Nancy to be our midwife again.
Nancy is great during prenatal appointments, but she truly shines during labor and birth. I remember walking into the hospital in active labor and being greeted by Nancy and getting the sense that I was seeing her at her professional best. In my case I wanted to avoid the hospital system as much as possible and it felt like she created an insulating bubble around us that was comforting and secure. I have no doubt that if my births had been more complicated she would have been a strong advocate for me while insuring that I received excellent care. I feel fortunate to have had Nancy as my caregiver. Gayle
Golden Oak Midwives takes on VBAC patients and delivers at Alta Bates. They're great and could tell me in advance which practice of doctors would do a second c-section if necessary, though I think the specific doctor would be based on who was on call at the time. https://www.gomidwives.com/
Hi there,
I had a successful VBAC at Alta Bates with Grace Bender as my doula. She has since become a midwife and is very well connected with the OBs at Alta Bates. We loved having Grace with us for our second birth, and Alta Bates was very supportive of my VBAC plans. Grace's website is https://gracefulbelly.com/
Have you considered Pacifica Family Maternity Center?
They're fantastic and the birth center is a block from Alta Bates! Their team is quite comprehensive and includes folks with experience supporting folks in birthing at home, in the hospital and at the birth center.
My daughter was born nearly 3 years ago at Alta Bates, and at that time I believe there were only 3 local midwives with delivery privileges there: Ellie Griffinger and Gwen Haynes (who now share a practice: gomidwives.com) and Lindy Johnson. Not sure that’s still the case.
Yes! Lindy Johnson - she is wonderful and has a practice in Berkeley. I delivered my baby years ago at Alta Bates. It was a VBAC situation too.