The Midwives at Mt Auburn Hospital

I’ve had a long time to consider writing a review of my experience with the midwives (birthed my son in January 2014). Mainly because it was my first birth and a lot of inexperience on my part could have come into play, but now that I have seen a couple of other reviews on here that share my sentiments, I have to chime in. I’m not going to name names here but I think that it’s time to talk in a way that may be helpful for first time moms looking for a trusting relationship with a midwife practice.
I thought that my overall prenatal visits were fine. Nothing special, but more attention was paid than with my previous obgyn. It was Labor and Delivery that was where I learned about how disengaged the midwives are with your birth. The first midwife that was on duty was never in the room. She tried to check me, but I couldn’t lie back because of the pain, so it never happened until after I broke down for an epidural. Once the epidural was there, the heart rate dropped on my baby, nurses and some OB, whom I had never met, rushed in. Checked me, and said I was 9 centimeters. Someone then stuck me in the arm with a mystery substance and the OB was running around yelling that I was going to need a C-​section.
It wasn’t until I suggested changing positions to being on all fours that my baby’s heart rate went down. I then learned that the shot was something to SLOW MY LABOR. After that it was 6 hours before I could start pushing. 6 hours at almost fully dilated. I went on to push for 5 HOURS. No breaks. Pushing every minute. The extended labor made it so that my new baby needed to have 3 days worth of two kinds of antibiotics administered. One antibiotic that is known to cause deafness (I didn’t find this out until he failed his initial hearing test). What followed were months of colic because all of his good gut bacteria were destroyed in the first few days of life and a year and a half of follow up hearing tests (luckily he did not go deaf). But can you imagine if he had? All because someone in a heated moment made a very poor decision.
Now, some people would blame the hospital. I’m not sure where to place the blame. But I ended up laboring through 3 midwife shifts and 2 nurse shifts all because my midwife was nowhere to be found when I needed her the most. This experience left me rattled and paranoid about what to do about my next birthing experience. One thing is for sure, I will hire a doula because my trust for midwives and obgyns is forever scarred.
People talk about how Mt. Auburn and the midwives are so amazing. That was not my experience at all. The first nurse that I had was inexperienced and rude to the point of yelling at me and the midwives acted more like the disengaged doctors that I had been trying to avoid. I give them two stars because I didn’t get a c-​section, but really, is that how low the bar is for excellence?

After reading several positive reviews on Unilocal and attending the ‘Meet the midwives’ session my husband and I decided to go for a midwife at Mt. Auburn for my prenatal care. I was in my second trimester when I switched for another Cambridge hospital to Mt. Auburn midwives. My first midwife was Leila Foreman. I found her pleasant in the first meeting but she seemed preoccupied. That happened during my second meeting as well. I gave her a call one morning to discuss some symptoms. She felt i was getting paranoid for no reason and snapped at me. She said she had to rush in for a delivery and i should stop worrying. That almost left me in tears. After five minutes Leila called back and apologized. I appreciated that but i was clear that i didn’t want her as my midwife. I then switched to the Arlington centre and consulted Megan MaCinness. She was professional and cordial.
The worst part about my experience was during delivery (January 25^th 2014). When i was in the labor room i felt the nurses were indifferent and rude. I was ok with that and didn’t really bother till the nurses became extremely rude and unprofessional when my heart rate had shot up abnormally and I had started sweating. One of the nurses, Elizabeth, was very rude and demanded that I tell what was happening to me. While its understandable that the staff would want to know about the patient’s condition but Elizabeth was very rude and bossy. She refused to give me any ice cubes etc when I requested her. I was shocked at her attitude. The midwife at that time was Adrienne and she was quiet. I begged the staff to get me water or ice cubes as I was feeling parched and suffocated. Elizabeth continued to be nasty and was very dominating.
When I was ready to push I requested Adrienne, the midwife, if Elizabeth could be replaced with another nurse. Adrienne went out of the labor room and discussed the matter with the nurses. She came back and we were ready to push when a nurse named Maria walked in and shouted at me. She said if I keep asking for a change of nurses I won’t have anyone to help me push. My husband, my mom and I were shocked. Adrienne was there but didn’t say anything. My husband then spoke with her and got another nurse. I felt I was at the mercy of these bullying nurses. Even the pushing experience was not good. The overall experience wasn’t good at all.
The head of Mt. Auburn midwifery practice, Margi Coggins, knows about my case as I had given her a detailed account of my experience. I am writing this review with the hope that no mamma goes through a similar experience. I hope that Margi and her team have taken the necessary steps to avoid such instances in future. Unfortunately I don’t recommend Mt. Auburn to any of my pregnant friends or other women I know in Cambridge. I feel MAMAH is overhyped.

If you have chosen to go with MAMA I sincerely hope you have a good experience. I really hope no one remotely goes through what I did at Mt.Auburn. Goodluck !

I went to the information meeting to «Meet The Mt. Auburn Midwives.» The women were welcoming, informative and happy to meet their audience. Thank you for your information and support. I will pass the information off to friends.
Denise Patnod

They are getting way too popular and so they take more patients than they have room for.
They do have to divert women in labor to different hospitals.
When we called that I was in labor and going in, they didn’t say they were full! We got there and told me to go to where my regular appts are, not to the delivery. They made me go to St. Elizabeth to give birth!!! And nobody even sent a letter of apology. Do not plan to deliver at Mt. Auburn!!!

i just delivered my son with the Midwives on May 17^th! I had a challenging labor and delivery experience that likely would have ended with a c-​section at other area hospitals. I considered myself extremely lucky that I delivered with the midwives because I was able to have the vaginal delivery I wanted (I ended up needing forceps). Leila, the midwife I saw through my pregnancy was able to attend my birth, which was really nice. She and all the midwives were so thoughtful. heating up food for me afterwards so I could finally eat, visiting me every day just to talk and see how I’m adjusting, even calling me after I came home, not to mention encouraging me every step of the way with my labor. L&D was nicely equipped and the postpartum floor was great as well. They also made a point of making sure I got a breast pump before I left which has single-​handedly saved my sanity. I am so happy to be a patient at this practice.

I found Dr. Amy McGaraghan on Unilocal and she had 5 stars. i made an appointment to see her and saw a midwife, Megan, first. She asked if I wanted an OB/​GYN doc or if I wanted to see the midwives. Seeing as my pregnancy wasn’t high risk, I figured I would stay with the midwives.
During my pregnancy, I saw several of the midwives at the Arlington office and they were all great. They were very thorough about checking into any health issues that could affect the pregnancy or delivery. They also have a great bedside manner. I mostly saw Megan and she is so knowledgeable and calm. Jeannie, the nurse at the Arlington office is awesome, too. I actually miss seeing her all the time!
When I delivered, there was a bit of confusion because it all happened so fast that the midwife on duty at the hospital (who saw me that morning and observed that I was having no contractions or signs of labor) was taken a bit by surprise. They handled the fast and furious labor so well and I felt that if anything had gone wrong, they would have been on top of it.
My favorite thing about the midwives is their progressive attitude about pregnancy, delivery and baby care. They didn’t push drugs on me and I did natural childbirth (which is tough to stick to once you feel how painful it is). Many of my friends who have delivered at other hospitals have been encouraged to use pain management drugs. I think it’s a tough choice to do natural childbirth and if you want to do it, you need support, which the midwives at Mt. Auburn definitely provide. It’s really a personal choice and the midwives don’t push either direction.
The other thing I’ve realized since delivering is how much more informed and informative the midwives at Mt. Auburn are in contrast with other groups. My friend was at one Boston hospital for 8 months of her pregnancy and another hospital on the North Shore for the last month and her delivery and they left out a lot of important information about her pregnancy, delivery, and care for the baby when she got home. Their lactation people, docs, nurses, and midwives never mentioned that giving bottles in the first 6 weeks can interfere with breastfeeding. I thought that was strange. They also didn’t give her a sitz bath even though she told them she was uncomfortable. These are only a few omissions, but it made me realize how much valuable information and what great care I got from Mt. Auburn. Plus, the rooms at the hospital are huge with a beautiful view! I would deliver here 10 times over and recommend to any pregnant woman!
I just wanted to add that the receptionists at the Arlington office where I had my appointments were also attentive, personable, and thorough. I didn’t want to leave them out because they’re a big part of the experience.

I am forever grateful to the midwives at Mt. Auburn Hospital. Our goal was to have as intervention free, unmedicated labor as possible and I am absolutely convinced that we achieved that because of the incredible care I received throughout my pregnancy, labor and delivery. I worked with Jenn for ongoing pregnancy care and then had Laura for our delivery. I don’t know if I will ever feel so confident in a process again but I am holding tight to the memories of my son’s birth because it was an incredible experience.
If you are looking for superb, compassionate care throughout your pregnancy, labor and delivery I would absolutely recommend the Midwives at Mt. Auburn. They also run a FREE post partum support group in Arlington that was very helpful.

I cannot believe my son is entering pre-​school, and I am just writing this review. There are not enough words to describe how amazing skilled, knowledgeable, and supportive the Midwives of Mt. Auburn are.
For our regular appointments, we worked primarily with Sharon Mullen and Julia Dickinson, but we had also had appointments with others at Mt. Auburn Hospital. All of the midwives are phenomenal and I cannot recommend them highly enough. In preparation for labor, we took the hypnobirthing classes from Megan MacInnes (awesome class).
They listen to you and truly care about helping you in creating or expanding your family. They were such an important part of my son’s birth and I am so grateful to them for all they have done for my family.
Highly highly recommend.

This is the place to go if you want to be listened to, respected, and supported in your decisions about your pregnancy, labor and delivery.
I had a fantastic two person team — one midwife, Robin, and one nurse, Mary — for my delivery, and it was everything I had hoped it would be. I had a completely natural birth and never felt like I was being pushed into something I didn’t want.
I was as comfortable as can be expected and felt safe and supported the whole time.
I HIGHLY recommend the Midwives at Mt. Auburn.

I cannot say enough good things about the Midwives at Mt. Auburn! I had all my prenatal care here for my first pregnancy and have returned for my second. I was looking the natural orientation of a midwifery practice in the hospital setting. All the midwives are caring, invested and truly interested in supporting the health and wellness of each patient – and baby and partner. They always take time to talk and answer any questions and provide multiple perspectives on different topics before offering their own opinion or recommendation. I had a very long labor the first time around, with several scary moments, and I credit the midwives for my ability to make it through and to avoid interventions that I think would have been inevitable in another setting.

amazing birth experience despite 34 hours in labor (22 in the hospital). my partner and i are basically in love with jen williams. love, love, love.

My labor and delivery went smoothly on my due date in late June. Four hours after me being admitted to the hospital, I gave birth to my son naturally without drugs or medical intervention. He was 8lb 12.6oz, so don’t let the «big baby» talk discourage you from wanting a natural birth!
Sharon was the midwife who admitted me in the birthing center and checked me out in the exam room. After I settled into the jacuzzi tub, Tamara Jessiman was the on-​duty midwife. She eventually delivered my baby. She was as awesome as a midwife could be, gave me all the right support and tips when I needed them. Andrea was my L&D nurse, she was superb as well! We went home 1.5 days after being admitted and couldn’t be happier with the whole experience.
Good luck on your birth!

I should preface this review by saying what I think of pregnancy: I feel pregnancy is a natural state of the female body, for which the female body is in most cases equipped to handle the changes; I feel that pregnancy is not an illness, disability, or a condition that needs to be managed; I feel birth is an emotionally and physically intense event, but can be accomplished without interventions and anesthetics.
I was very happy to be cared for by the Midwives at Mt Auburn (MAMAs). I’ve seen Sharon Mullen for most of my appointments, and sometimes Robyn and a couple of other midwives. Julia Dickinson was the midwife at my delivery, and I am very grateful to her for sticking with me for the full 12-​hour shift and then some. All midwives are certified and highly experienced, and I am very comfortable recommending all of them. The nurses are also great (I’ve mostly seen Jackie, who is truly wonderful).
They were all very attentive to my concerns and desires for letting the pregnancy unfold naturally. They were also accommodating when I refused a common test, and helped me work with the neonatal staff to develop a contingency plan should it prove that the test would have been positive.
While I wanted as little intervention as possible, I felt very comfortable with the major hospital setting knowing that if anything went wrong all would be done to help me and the baby with utmost care and expertise.
Just like high-​heel shoes, each person should pick what fits them. Midwifery care and natural birth are not possible for everyone. But if you are looking for midwives and a non-​interventionist approach to pregnancy and birth, I highly recommend these hot MAMAs. :-)