UC San Diego’s Nurse Midwifery Service

I chose UCSD to utilize the midwives and the birth center. I love the idea of a birth center within a hospital; it helped to ease any concerns that I had. I was induced at 42 weeks with my daughter, and felt so cared for. I had to utilize the labor and delivery floor instead of the birth center due to the induction, but still received care from the midwives. My nurses were phenomenal. I had a grievance with one, and when the other nurses found out about it she was not allowed back in my room. I received care from two midwives, but Jennifer Hirsch ended up delivering my daughter and she has such a peaceful and calming presence.

I had a fantastic birth experience at UCSD’s birth center. This is a perfect option for those that want a minimal intervention approach with the peace of mind that there are life saving options and surgeons very close by. For me I knew I wanted the reassurance of having a birth center within a hospital. We arrived at the hospital at 8:45am and my little one was born by noon. We went into labor on a busy day but they made room for us on the birth center floor. Our nurse even moved furniture out of the room to fit a tub inside our small room (there was a large room available but a post on the bed had been broken and my labor was progressing too quickly to fix the post and accommodate me in that room.) While it was a bummer that I couldn’t use the huge room with the broken bed post, due to liability reasons, the nurse took the initiative & personally made it her mission to fit a laboring tub in my room which normally is not outfitted with a laboring tub.
Since we went into labor on a busy day, when we called the birth center they instructed us to go to L&D. Upon arrival I asked them to check me & monitor the baby’s progress. I was 5 cm. By 10:15 am they had made room for me in the birth center. By 11 am I sensed that things were moving quickly. I made one lap around the birth center floor and knew I had to be close to transition because walking was not really what I wanted to be doing. I felt a wave of nausea and suggested that it might be transition so I mentioned it to the nurse who asked me if I would like the midwife to check me. I agreed since my water hadn’t broken and I wanted to know. 9 cm! We were all shocked. The staff hurried up filling the tub and checked to see if my volunteer doulas were close by. I settled into the tub, the doulas arrived and my wonderful midwife Linda Cooper suggested that if I liked I could just stand up and birth the baby in the tub. I was delighted to learn that that was an option because I wasn’t crazy about the idea of walking to the bed all wet and cold with a baby about to crown. I was in the tub maybe 45 minutes.
The midwife told me that since I was going to attempt birthing standing up that I could push through my contractions if I felt the need to. When I felt a very strong contraction I felt my water pop while in the tub. I instructed them that my water had broken and they helped me to my feet. Next contraction baby’s head was out and by the next contraction she was born!!! Giving birth standing up was such an amazing and empowering experience. The nurse, midwife, volunteer doula and doula trainee were all so encouraging & nurturing. If I have any more children I wouldn’t hesitate to return to UCSD for care.

So here it goes Ladies & Gentlemen, I had my son at UCSD on 3÷9÷2104 & it has taken me over 18 months to write a review. The best gift I am given was a healthy son but his birth has been played over & over in my head and I too became another statistic of a woman who so wanted a natural birth at their birth center and ended up in c-​section. What a drama they created! To make a long story short, I felt completely abandoned in my birth. The most amazing person was the volunteer doula & she was a volunteer! The midwives were good in the beginning when I was in the birth center but as soon as they transferred me to L&D, the whole birth went bad, my mid-​wife was nowhere to be found and I was alone with a bad attitude nurse who just assumed be done with her shift, meanwhile I was in my 20^th hour of labor and was about to give birth. They said I needed an emergency c-​section and then got me on the table and said oh, no it is not an emergency after all. I said well, I can feel the baby down there, can I push? and they said oh no let’s do the c-​section since you are already here. I should have pushed my baby out anyway, that was such BS! Then, the aftercare I received was horrendous with all of their «students». The doctors would come in my room and not really even talk to me and just speak to their interns about me. I could not believe my experience! Not to mention that my son was whisked away into the NICU right after birth, where they pumped him with antibiotics «in case» he had a blood infection which he turns out he did not. Meanwhile, while he was in NICU, I was four floors above him and because I am a natural mama & was committed to breastfeeding him every two hours, I got in my wheelchair and rolled down there, walking a few steps, sitting down, and walking some more all by myself after the c section. While I was going through this entire experience I kept feeling like it didn’t seem like I was in modern times at a modern facility, it was so chaotic and mis-​managed. I wouldn’t recommend this «birth center» to anyone. I am glad that people have had good experiences at UCSD but I think the main thing about it is that it is unreliable and you don’t know what experience you are in for. I wouldn’t wish my experience on anyone. And like I mentioned in the beginning, thank goodness for my beautiful, bright, baby boy!

I’m not even sure where to begin with this review. I guess I should start by saying this is strictly on the prenatal care and not on the birth center itself– we risked out (as it seems a good portion of patients do). On that note, here we go–
The care we had was NOT minimally evasive as they claim (and as one might assume going to a midwife). To top it off, I’m convinced the midwife we had stressed me into early labor as my son was born at 37 weeks and just a couple days after the midwife had harshly delivered some incorrect information to us regarding our baby. The details of our experience are listed below. Know that if you want a natural birth, most hospitals here are supportive of that and you can go anywhere. If you want a birth center experience, I recommend going to best start or any other freestanding birth center. Just don’t assume that you will be getting the birth center experience here.
The Details:
1– the midwife we saw ordered every test under the sun… even tests we already had done with our previous team… even re-​checked my blood type (we were told because sometimes the tests they get from other hospitals are inaccurate… which I guess could be true, but for as long as I can remember and every time I donate, I’m the same A+ blood type… but whatever).
2– she told us that our baby was too big for the birth center and that I should consider eating a high protein diet and then later told me that I wasn’t gaining enough weight and needed to go on a high protein diet (uhh what?!) how our baby went from being in the 93^rd percentile in size to being in the 67^th just a couple weeks later, I’ll never know. But I fordamnsure am not going on a diet while I’m pregnant– I make healthy dietary decisions thank you very much!
3– the cake topper– after having to do another 20wk anatomy scan, they «suspected» a mild heart defect in our son’s heart. This resulted in a whole mess of ultrasounds (which I didn’t attest to for the most part because I wanted peace of mind that the baby was okay!) however, the most recent one done at 36 weeks we were told from the specialist that there was a mild coarctation of the aorta, but that it was also difficult to confirm because of how far along I was. As though that wasn’t unsettling enough, we saw the midwife two days later who told me that our baby was going to need to be transferred to children’s for surgery once he’s born and that we need to discuss with the specialist asap. She also mentioned that she was surprised the specialist we saw didn’t say anything to us about it. Needless to say, I left feeling completely stressed out– went home and cried for a straight 10 hours. I called the specialist the following day to clarify the info given to us, their medical director returned my call really quickly and calmly explained that she misspoke and that surgery was not a sure thing for us and we would have to wait until the baby was born to know for sure. I went into labor about 2 days later. I can’t say for sure if this is a direct cause of our meeting with the midwife, but it would seem so. Either case– she shouldn’t have presented such a serious and unsettling information without knowing for sure. In the best interest of the baby and mother, she should have been as optimistic as possible. Thank God despite our early delivery and the suspicions on the ultrasounds our baby is healthy and did not require surgery.
The labor and deliver experience was overall a positive one and the staff overall was very helpful and kind. However, even after clarifying with the medical director, the midwife came into my room hours after i delivered and was still talking about the heart surgery and transfer to children’s.
We had midwife Rebecca and considering we had a positive labor and delivery experience with midwife Karen and postpartum visit with midwife Jasmine (?), I believe you will be a-​okay if you don’t have Rebecca. But I won’t be taking any chances with our next baby.
Also, hope you have really excellent insurance. We are up to our noses in hospital bills, but that’s for another review.

I know a couple of women who have had positive experiences with the UCSD Midwives, but I didn’t. And that makes me so sad bc I really wanted them to be the answer!
First, let me say – I’m sure their care is fine, medically speaking. Every person in the system that I expressed my concerns to (nurses’ assistants, midwives, office staff, etc.) seemed to really believe they were giving me the best care.
But I chose MIDWIVES and not doctors, on purpose. I wanted care providers who would be minimally interventionist and not order excessive testing, ultrasounds, or appointments. In the end, I was with the UCSD Midwives for 38 weeks of my pregnancy, during which time they ordered to me to have 5+ ultrasounds (I talked them down to 5); they told me I had gestational pre-​diabetes (bc of my first-​trimester A1C test that was .1 higher than their cut-​off) and then wrote GDM on my chart so that at EVERY appt I went to for four months the new care provider asked me how my diabetes was going and I had to repeat my whole story (I didn’t even have diabetes! – I took their diabetes class, tested my blood sugars four times a day, and wrote down everything I ate, just like they asked me to, and after a month they told me my sugars were fine and I didn’t have to track it anymore); they ordered me to have twice-​weekly non-​stress tests during the last month of pregnancy (I talked them down to once a week); they ordered a second-​trimester blood test during my first trimester, so I had to go into the lab on another day to take it again and correct their error; the triage nurse told me to go to labor and delivery immediately when I called in saying I had diarrhea and vomiting (like the rest of my family), and then after three hours with an IV at the hospital, the midwife told me she would never have told me to come in to the hospital with the symptoms I described; after an ultrasound just to check my baby to be sure her kidneys were fine (on a previous one, one had been minimally enlarged), they casually informed me that my previously 50^th percentile sized child was now in the 99^th percentile, so I couldn’t deliver at the birth center (so I insisted they recheck, which they did at yet another ultrasound, and the perinatologist confirmed that (a) my baby was not overly big, and (b) the midwife had misstated the birth center size protocols); and etc.
You can see my list of grievances is long and dumb. And I’m sure most of these interventions are well within medically accepted standards. But they’re not midwifey; they’re not even standard OB-​GYN procedure (or so say both of the care providers I saw at the two other places I tried when, at 38 weeks, I decided I was more excited to try someone else than stay with UCSD).
The point is – I’m sure their care is very safe. I’ll bet each midwife is slightly different and that some are more risk-​averse than others. But in all, my care was definitely more RESEARCH HOSPITAL than midwifey, and that’s not what I wanted. I wish I’d left sooner.

I delivered my first child at UCSD birthing center last week and had the BEST experience i could have asked for.
I had a all natural birth with no drugs. For a first time mom I had no idea what I was getting myself into. lol. I was so fortunate to have the staff as UCSD there to assist me.
I asked for a Doula support person. I not only got 1 but 2! The doula on call had a trainee. More hands the better I saw it! Carlyl was my doula (also my hospital tour guide, and new born class instructor) she was AMAZING. Her energy and knowledge on dealing with a laboring woman is impressive. She was training Amber, who was just as fabulous. They helped me breath through the contractions, talked me through the tough parts, and relaxed me the whole way. I LOVE THESE WOMEN. Not to mention how much my fiancé appreciated their help as well.
My midwife was Beth Tempee she did a great job in delivery. She also had a intern with her during my delivery. Once again more helping hands the better!
After giving birth to my baby boy :) Maybe it was the endorphins but I was moving around the room having guests feeling great.
The next 48hrs all my gratitude goes to the nursing staff. I have never been admitted to a hospital before so I don’t have much to compare to but baby and I felt to attended, and cared for. Nurse Mari, Emily, Stephanie, and Cherlyn, THANK YOU! You guys made my postpartum care very comfortable and enjoyable. You guys taught me how to breastfeed, made sure baby and i were both healthy, had great knowledge, attitudes and humor.
Both my fiancé and I left very impressed and recommend UCSD to every pregnant woman wanting a personal labor with great staff.

Just came home with our third daughter. All were born at UCSD in hillcrest. Our oldest was delivered in the labor and delivery because she came at 35 weeks and 5 days. Our 2^nd and 3^rd were born in the birthing center at 40 weeks 2 days and 41 weeks respectively…
All the midwives that we’ve seen for pre natal care and each one we have come across during our stay in the birthing center have been amazing– Beth Timpe, Karen, Christine, and Jennifer Hirsch especially.
I was able to labor in the pool for both most recent deliveries and give birth without unecessary or unwanted medical intervention. The care given post birth is amazing and every nurse we came into contact with was very courteous, friendly and helpful!
Thank you :-)
I would definitely recommend this birthing center!

My fiancée just had a successful first time vaginal birth at UCSD Hillcrest after being admitted with gestational hypertension at 39 weeks, and, given our overwhelmingly positive experience, I felt compelled to right this review. As anyone who has experienced a pregnancy will agree with, there are many «grey» decisions on interventions at every step in the process. Taken in isolation, each intervention has some medical basis but, in what seems to be a major shortcoming in our health care system, the sum of these interventions often leads to a end point that is not in the best interest of mom and baby. What the midwives at UCSD did was navigate a path that still fell within the confines of what was safe but included a number of key decisions during my financee’s labor that led her to avoid a C-​section and give birth naturally in a room with me, her mom, and my mom — a true gift for all of us. I’m convinced that if we had been at any other hospital, the outcome would have been different. So instead of spending the next few days (including Christmas) in the hospital recovering from major abdominal surgery, my financee is walking around, holding our new baby and getting ready to pack up to go home. Thanks again to everyone on the UCSD team — you’re amazing.

12 days ago I had a successful VBAC at UCSD Hillcrest. For whatever reason on that particular night the hospital was packed with women giving birth. I was afraid they wouldn’t even have a room for me. The midwife on that night was Beth Timpe and I am so glad she was the one who delivered my baby. Even though she was slammed with patients, she still took her time to review my birth plan and answer any questions that I had. When complications arose in my labor, we discussed together what the next step would be. She always stopped talking during my contractions and waited patiently to continue our conversation. I never once felt rushed or that things were out of my control. Beth Timpe helped me through a labor that could have easily ended in a repeat c-​section under the care of someone else and she safely delivered my little boy.
The rest of the staff was very friendly and helpful. If I decide to have another child, I will definitely deliver there again.

I could not be more thrilled with the quality of care I received from the UCSD Midwives during my pregnancy and labor/​delivery! I had the pleasure of meeting several of the midwives during my care. Some personalities meshed better with us than others, naturally, but each of the CNMs were professional and knowledgeable. I felt informed, relaxed and confident after each appointment. My baby girl was born (overdue) on 9−6−14 after a very long active labor. I ended up being admitted to L&D for low amniotic fluid after a routine nst on 9 – 5, but I had a midwife during the entire ordeal. In fact, my active labor lasted three Midwife shifts and I never once meet an OB! Linda Cooper was the CNM that was finally able to catch — she was such an incredible coach and she had some amazing techniques for stretching during the push that preventing tearing. I had twins naturally three years ago, much smaller than their new baby sister, and it took WEEKS for my parts to feel as normal as they do right now. Thrilled! 5 stars, hands down, for the incredible Birthing Center Midwives and Nurses at UCSD Medical Center.

I delivered my baby with the UCSD midwives in the birth center 4 weeks ago, and I was extremely happy with the care I received. My husband and I moved to San diego when I was 31 weeks pregnant so I had to switch caregivers at the end of my pregnancy, and I LOVED my previous OB, so I was skeptical about the midwives and the birth center. And I have to say, my first impression at my first visit wasn’t fantastic — the offices feel hospital like, I didn’t click immediately with the midwife doing the visit, etc. However, over the course of the next 10 weeks (my son was 9 days late, UGH) the care I received from the midwives completely changed my opinion.
Pros: I felt like the midwives took the time, both during my prenatal visits and on the phone with me if I called with a question, to address all my concerns and explain everything to me. I had minor complications during my pregnancy, and they quickly identified the issue, explained the care options and possible consequences, and followed up with me to ensure I was comfortable with what was going on. I was happy that they referred me to a specialist as needed, but continued to provide me with the regular prenatal care/​appointments. I was VERY happy with my delivery experience. I had a very intense, painful delivery, but I felt like the midwives went above and beyond to try to help me manage my pain naturally. They encouraged me to use the shower and tub, which I did, and (contrary to some other reviews on here) when it was time for me to get out of the tub for delivery, they allowed me to wait until I felt comfortable enough to move to the bed — there was no forcing or rushing. (Their website states they do not allow water births, so I had anticipated moving to the bed eventually). The actual pushing was a little traumatic because the midwives saw meconium in the amniotic fluid, then lost his heart beat as he was crowning. They informed me that if he didn’t come out soon, they would have to transfer me to labor and delivery, so I pushed HARD, but he wasn’t coming out. Eventually the midwife decided to perform an episiotomy, and frankly I’m glad she did, because as soon as she snipped I felt him come out. I did not tear anywhere else. The midwife in charge had told me during pushing (even though I was VERY out of it) that they were going to have to cut the cord immediately and care for my son, and I gave my consent. Due to the meconium and heartbeat scare, they had a pediatrician in the room ready to check him as soon as he came out, and they let me hold him for a brief time before he had to go to the NICU. All in all, he ended up fine, but I was happy with how the midwives handled each stage — even though I was extremely focused on the contractions, they told me what they were doing each step of the way, and they tried hard to get him out without any medical intervention before performing the episiotomy. I had no issues healing from the episiotomy, and I’m glad the midwife in charge acted quickly in an effort to ensure my son was safe. Post birth — also excellent care. We had a steady (but not annoying) stream of midwives, RNs, pediatricians, lactation consultants, etc., come in our room to make sure we were comfortable, my son was doing well, our questions were answered, etc. At night we were left alone to sleep (or try to, with an infant in the room!) Everyone was polite, caring, personal, and professional. I felt very much at home — the room was also nice — spacious with a queen sized bed and a bathroom that was shared with one other woman (I never saw her).
Cons: the overall hospital feel to everything… because you ARE in a hospital. For my husband, this was a good thing, as he was more comfortable knowing the baby and I were close to medical help if an emergency arose. For me, it was an initial con, because I wanted a more homey feel, but honestly since my son had to go to the NICU at the last minute it ended up being a good thing. Another con is that the facility has a dated feel. it’s not all shiny and new.
That being said, overall I had a great experience at the birth center and with the midwives and the care I received there, and will definitely go back for my next kid.

I had my baby girl in June and I had an amazing experience with the Midwives! All of my visits throughout the pregnancy were quick and easy, and they always took time to answer any questions, and give helpful tips when I asked. I mainly saw one of three midwives– Christine Cortes, Jennifer Hirsch, or Pam ward. And I loved each and every one of them.
The birth experience was unforgettable, and it was with Christine Cortes. She was so amazing and comforting, and she made my experience a beautiful one. She allowed me to listen to my body, and do whatever felt right and helped guide me through it all. She made the experience as natural and painless as possible.
The rooms were spacious and comfortable, and the nursing staff was phenomenal. The midwives were friendly, knowledgable, and so caring. I would not have changed a single thing. And I would recommend ucsd midwives to any friend of mine who wanted to have a natural birth.

Regarding the Midwifery Program (Maybe there are a few good apples, but the program and administration of it is a rotting barrel of institutional misconduct.)
Informed consent is discouraged. When you ask for more information, they inform you of what will happen to you only in the most limited, perfunctory, demanding way. When you ask for more information about policy, they refuse to give any details. The standard policy seems to be «Do what we say, or else!»
Safe and supportive? No. In fact the environment of intimidation through threats, gaslighting, and escalating aggression are enough to drive you from the program, which is exactly their intent. Unfortunately, as pregnancy progresses this gets worse. If you are far along in your pregnancy and/​or financially limited in your care options, the choices for alternative care are effectively long gone requiring extremes of mental and financial scrambling to find a reasonable alternative.
Progressive? Not really. Saying you are better than the other options around is not saying much. You’d think as a learning institution they would also be open to learning more, but that is not the case.
Their strategy? Ignore, redirect, discourage, threaten, escalate intimidation. If you don’t leave on your own (or can’t), they promise the full range of institutional horrors to «correct» your inquisitive mind.
It is shameful. Even given the opportunity to correct situations and improve communication through the We Listen program, the stalling, CYA tactics and outright attacks on emotionally vulnerable pregnant women are a clear violation of the promise to «first, do no harm».

I can’t say enough about the UCSD team of midwives & nurses, especially Erica Vu. I am SOOO happy I chose to go through this pregnancy with them. This was my second child.
I had regular OB/​GYN care and delivered my first at a hospital (in Murrieta), and that was an absolute nightmare. The nurse forced me to take drugs I didn’t need (Mag for slightly elevated blood pressure) but didn’t wait on lab results which confirmed I didn’t need them (I did NOT have Pre-​E). That snowballed into more and more unnecessary intervention and drugs for which the side effects made me even more miserable. My nice OB turned mean to me while I was in labor because I had a question. Otherwise no one ever talked to me. The nurses and doctors did what suited them, without even so much as meeting me much less talking to me about options. The on-​call doc who finally delivered my first son vacuumed him out without asking or getting permission from me. He confirmed I didn’t need the original drugs. Because they rushed the pushing stage, my perineum tore horribly, 3^rd degree, which was miserable. The drugs and rushed pushing stage didn’t give my son time to get the fluid out of his lungs and he had to go to a NICU (2 hrs away) for 3 days. I didn’t see my baby for over 24 hrs. We’re self-​employed with high deductible insurance and this cost us $ 20k between the hospital, ambulance ride to the NICU and the minimum 3 day NICU stay. I was traumatized by that experience. I knew it didn’t have to be like that so when I found out I was pregnant again I sought out a better approach and better care.
The midwives at UCSD were absolutely the best that I could have asked for. Every appt was thorough and even though I often met a different midwife, every single one was patient, listened to my history and assured me it would be different this time around. I was emotional every time I told my story. Finally one of the midwives helped me come to terms with it, she told me I had Post Traumatic Stress from my first delivery. Ahhh, yes, that’s it. I did, exactly. Naturally I had a lot of anxiety as my due date approached. I was stressed about a slightly elevated BP reading (which I sometimes had (White Coat Syndrome!)) but they let me rest a few minutes and took it again. I went into labor at 3am. After dropping my son off at pre-​school at 7am, we finally got to the birthing center at 8am. To my surprise, the most amazing midwife who I’d seen a lot in the last few weeks, Erica Vu, was still at the birth center. (Her shift ended at 7 but she was still there because they had a busy night — 7 deliveries!). She offered to check me, which I was only 4 cm at 8am, but ctx 2.5 min apart. My BP was fine! She helped me get moved into a room and my contractions became very intense. Beth was the midwife working the day shift and took very good care of me. Beth could tell I was progressing quickly and stayed with me. By 9am I was unable to stand up so they suggested I stay on the bed for my own safety. The nurse got the birthing ball for me to lay forward on. By 9:45am I was in intense pain and doing everything I could to cope with the contractions. I barely knew who was in the room since I was so focussed on just making it through each ctx. To my surprise, Erica was still there! She stayed, hours past her shift, to help me because she knew my situation and wanted to help me through it. She assisted Beth and guided me through the hardest thing I’ve ever done. I said I felt a lot more pressure and needed to be checked, I was at 8 cm already. Next thing I know, Erica told me if i felt like pushing I could. I was confused and blurted out «Am I 10?» and she said «YES!». Thank god because oh man did I feel like pushing, my ENTIRE body wanted to push! They helped me lay on my side and get more leverage. The pain was so intense, Erica talked me through every breath, every push. She and Beth oiled and massaged my perineum to prevent tearing and patiently helped me get through the ring of fire and absolute wild ride of the final stages of natural birth. I couldn’t believe them that in just 10 minutes they told me «she’s right there — you’re almost done!» but it was true! Right when I thought I just couldn’t do it any more and said «help me!», the baby crowned and I felt the head come out. In the next breath and push I felt each shoulder come out and her body. She was immediately placed on my chest and I held her while they waited for the placenta. I was able to hold her the entire first couple hours. No one whisked her away for any reason. My perineum didn’t tear. I had a slight labia tear but it was no big deal. She was born at 10:10am, just a bit more than 2 hours after we arrived.
I did it. I couldn’t believe I did it, ALL NATURAL! There’s no way I could have done it without the fabulous and oh-​so supportive midwives and nurses. What an amazing experience. Thank you UCSD & Erica Vu!

The care I received from the midwives was phenomenal. Having had two babies prior to this birth, I was well versed in the care of an OB. I wanted it to be different this time, and it was. Erica Vu is by far one of the most compassionate, caring, knowledgeable, attentive health care professionals I have ever encountered. My prenatal care was exceptional, and I highly recommend her to anyone seeking the care of a CNM.
Sadly, I didn’t quite make it to the birth center the night I went into labor, which was a 45 minute process from start to finish. My baby girl was born right outside the hospital’s ER on the concrete. I was in the care of the midwives for all of my recovery and everyone I saw, including 99% of the nurses were fantastic. We were there five days due to jaundice and though the facility leaves a lot to be desired, the care of the professionals running the place is stellar.
Love my midwife. Believe in the power of my body, and this was one of the most amazing experiences of my life.

Both of my children were born at the birth center at UCSD. Having read through some of the other reviews, I am sympathetic to those situations where the office side of things was frustrating. Through my two pregancies, I dealt with that as well. BUT I wouldn’t go anywhere else.
The births of each of my babies was perfect for me. I used the birthing pool and loved the knowledgeable and caring nurses and midwives. With a private doula (Kayti Buehler– who is amazing!), my husband, and sisters, I felt completely supported in my natural births.
After each baby was born, the baby was put right into my arms for hours before doing measurements etc. I didn’t feel judged for choosing not to do some of the vaccines. And, at night, we weren’t disturbed more than once so that we could sleep and nurse.
If, and that’s a big if, we choose to have another baby, I know we’ll go to the Midwife Birth Center.

My hope is that by finally writing this review, I can overcome some of the anxiety that has been placed in my heart after my heartwrenching experience at the birth center in time to have my next baby at a real birth center that isn’t simply a bait-​and-​switch hospital masquerading as a place where women have «choices.»
The orientation painted a beautiful picture: Over twenty experienced midwives! Volunteer doulas! Nurses! With a team like this, I would have all the coaching and support I would need to have a natural birth. I was worry-​free, confident, strong, and ready! But here was what actually happened on what was hopefully just a bad couple of days for this birth center:
— I met a doctor from UCSD Labor and Delivery at a party a week before my birth. When I told him I was planning on delivering in the Birth Center, he said, «Yeah right. See you in Labor and Delivery, with all the other women who don’t make it!» I should have known that he wasn’t talking about my own strength and ability to birth my baby naturally, but what I would encounter when I entered the birth center.
— There was an extreme staff shortage the day I went into labor. The midwives were delivering for the doctors, and as a woman with a «normally progressing labor» I never saw a midwife for more than 5 minutes at a time during my 23 hour labor. While we were all assured of a large, professional, present staff at the orientation, the attitudes of the people who *were* present was one of «here we go again.» I was told several times that this short staffing problem is a persistent one. Oh, and as for those volunteer doulas, there were none.
— With no midwife to pay attention long enough to notice that my contractions were «coupling,» even though I kept calling them «aftershocks,» my hope was that the nurse who was with me periodically would have alerted someone to guide me to move in ways that would help the baby move and my labor progress. I couldn’t communicate with my nurse because she didn’t speak English or Spanish well enough to understand what I was asking for. To this day, I’m still not sure what language she did speak. I appreciated her applying pressure to my back to help with the pain, but I needed her to sound the alarm to the midwives that I needed more help, and that didn’t happen.
— I was transferred so many times, I can hardly remember how many rooms I stayed in. I believe it was six.
— After 18 hours of labor, and no midwives in sight except for a few minutes at a time to to a vaginal exam and run off again, a midwife told me I had to receive Pitosin. When I was finally transferred to L&D to receive pitosin and an epidural, the nurse there was wonderful! Once I was hooked up to the monitoring machines, she immediately noticed that my contractions were coupling and told me what to do. The coupling was immediately relieved. I would have loved this kind of coaching 6 hours earlier!
— Two midwives attended me when I was pushing. I was grateful for their presence, and they made those three hours more than bearable. After my birth, I asked that the midwife not pull on the umbilical cord to birth my placenta, but she told me «I have to» and did it anyway.
— My baby was taken from me almost immediately. I had a 100 degree fever, so there was a fear that she could have an infection. I was warned that «she could die» if we didn’t give her antibiotics by a gum-​chewing NICU nurse, (You can’t chew gum and serve french fries in the state of California, but you can you attend to medically fragile newborns!) My husband went with her but when he began to question the process of «blowing out» six of her tiny veins in attempts to hook her up to the IV that would deliver the stream of antibiotics, one of the nurses said, «Get that guy out of here» and he was removed. We had to stay in the hospital for three days waiting for the cultures to come back on whether or not she actually had this «infection.» She didn’t.
— When I chose not to give my baby the Hep B vaccine, I was met with absolute disgust. I was treated like a second rate mother who was putting her child in grave danger.
— The lactation consultant insisted I give my baby formula before my milk even came in. She didn’t notice her extreme tongue tie, which caused her inability to latch and total loss of my milk supply. Later, I paid big money for a wonderful lactation consultant who helped me to overcome these unnecessary obstacles.
— I tried to discuss my labor and delivery concerns with every midwife I met during my postpartum care, but each one acted very uncomfortable and brushed off my experience as irrelevant due to the final outcome of a beautiful, healthy baby.
In summary, my labor experience might as well have been at home with no attendants, help, or coaching from professionals. I felt very alone and scared, which most certainly contributed to my failure to progress. My compliments to the nurses at the Labor and Delivery department. They were phenomenal!

I delivered both of my girls (in 2009 and 2011) at the birth center. I needed pain medication through IV with my first, but used the hydra-​tub with my second when I got to that 7cm-​i-​cant-​take-​it-​anymore phase and didnt need any medication at all. My water broke first with both babies, so was on the clock to get labor going. I was given all the tools and room I needed to progress my labor how I wanted. I was never pressured that I wasnt progressing fast enough, with fear of being given pitocin hanging over my head. I was given tools and techniques to help me deal with the pain — instead of the assumption that I couldnt handle the pain and would need an epidural. I was allowed to eat and drink whatever I wanted, instead of restricted with the assumption that at some point I would need anesthesia for a likely csection. And when it came time to deliver my babies, I was asked what position I was most comfortable in, instead of what position gave my provider the best view and was allowed to push when and how long my body told me to, not on the provider’s count. There were no restrictions on who I could have with me at any point in time, how many people could visit.
In response to other negative reviews, a hospital system, and each service line within it is made up of many different caregivers (staff, RNs, MDs, etc.) and there are many behind the scenes things that patients don’t often see or understand (red tape, liabilities, laws, etc.). So NO system is going to be perfect, I doubt someone gets care with XXX hospital system and has never had an issue with anything, ever (billing, wait times, scheduling errors, admin mistakes, a caregiver who came across the wrong way or you didnt agree with their calls — they have bad days and communication flaws just as anyone does). I think its a national problem caused by politics of money and healthcare, as well as the conventional western medicine beliefs.
Sooo, all that being said, its about matching the right system for your needs. And as far as birth choices in the greater San Diego area for delivering your child, UCSD’s Nurse/​Midwife Program and the Birth Center is the way to go, period. Simply put, UCSD gives you the best chance to have a normal, healthy, informed delivery where you are the one who ultimately makes the final choice after being presented with the expert’s advice and the options available given your situation.
I am 31 years old and have many friends who have gone through over 15 deliveries collectively between all of us. And I can honestly say that a majority of them were disappointing or upsetting in some way, shape or form for almost all of them. And all of them stem from the care provider having an end goal (delivery of the baby) and making the calls on how it is done based on their standards and/​or limitations of the facility and staffing, INSTEAD of a mother based system where the end result (delivery of baby) is assumed, and the the focus is the mother’s experience and her making informed decisions about how she wants the process to occur. This is really important to take note of.
Ill wait for my appointments twice as long and deal with an occasional billing issue or scheduling error a million times over, if it means getting the care and birth experience I want, that I simply CANT GET anywhere else. And that is one where the process is in MY control, but if something goes wrong, I have all of the life saving facilities right there if I need them. And I have supportive staff there to guide me with their expertise in making that decision, but ultimately its still my decision!
This is what I got with the midwives at UCSD and I would go back to them and recommend them a million times over to anyone who wants to have control over their birth and how the labor goes down.

The UCSD Midwifery program is the best of both worlds. The ability to birth naturally in the comfort of a birth center, with the comfort that medical help is one floor away if needed.
With my first child I hired private midwives to have a beautiful water birth in the comfort of my own home. After laboring for 45 hours, and pushing for 2.5hours my cervix swelled and I chose to be transferred to Mercy Hospital in Hillcrest. The nurses and doctor considered me a ‘trauma patient’ in need of a c-​section, and I calmly declined asking for an epidural, some sleep, and time to push my little girl out naturally. I had to sign paperwork declining their advice. After the epidural, and some sleep my daughter was born perfectly healthy. Mercy does not let the cord stop pulsating before it’s cut, they did not put my baby immediately on my chest, and I got hassled about declining the Hep shot and eye ointment. In the recovery room I was checked on every two hours (too much!!!), when all I wanted was to nurse, eat, and sleep.
With my second child I wanted a different birth experience.
At UCSD I was able to make appointments with the midwife I felt comfortable with. Jennifer Hirsch was my favorite. She is well educated, and very in tune with me and what I wanted for my baby. Oh, and she has a great sense of humor! It definitely helps finding the midwife that you click with for the prenatal appointments, even though you don’t know who will be on call when you go in to labor. UCSD is a hospital, and they have certain protocol to follow at prenatal appointments. They are required to give you ALL the information, and you get to choose whether you want to accept or decline certain tests. Some are required (ie gestational diabetes test) but most you have a choice. I had an uncomplicated pregnancy, so my appointments were short, sweet, and to the point. Overall I had a pleasant experience for all my office visits.
The day I knew baby was coming, I labored at home as long as I could. The midwives told me that second babies sometimes «fall out» :-) so it’s important to call when contractions are consistent and close together. I went to UCSD at 11pm, and I was 6 cm. Labor and delivery checked me in because the midwife already had 2 other deliveries. Because she was busy, they called Midwife Karen Perdion to come in for my delivery. I requested a doula from the Hearts and Hands volunteer doula program, as well as the tub to be filled for hydrotherapy. The doula arrived by midnight, and the tub was ready for me to get in to, but I never got in it. For some reason my body wanted me in a bed and not in the tub like I had planned. The team of Karen, the nurse, doula and my husband was amazing. It was a calm and supportive atmosphere, and I felt that each person was there for me, and was skilled and confident in their role. After 45min of pushing my sweet baby boy was born at 1:18am. My baby’s cord was wrapped around him four times, and Midwife Karen unwound him and placed him immediately on my chest. After he was born, I never felt rushed, and my baby didn’t leave my chest for the first 4 hours. I held him while the doc stitched me up, and he nursed and nursed, and slept in my arms. My husband and I were able to relax in the queen size bed that I labored in all day long. We moved to a smaller recovery room that evening, so that another mom could deliver in the birth center. There the labor and deliver nurse checked on my every 6 hours (perfect) to check my BP. Since baby and I were doing so well, we were discharged early, and I was happy to go home.
There is nothing that I would change about my birth experience. UCSD helped me have my ‘perfect birth’ experience. If I have another child, I will definitely go back!

PROS:
I’m one of those organic mommies who believe in an all natural childbirth. So, I was extremely excited to learn that UCSD offers hydrotherapy including water tubs and showers to help relax the body during labor.
I was previously being seen at Women’s Health Center to deliver at Mary Birch, but we switched over to UCSD just a couple of weeks ago. I had my first ultrasound w/​UCSD this past Tuesday. I was seen immediately, and the radiologist and medical student were both really nice. The front desk receptionist was also really nice even though there was some mix-​up w/​our insurance info.
Anyway, I got a call today from one of the midwives, Ashley, and she was extremely nice and informative. The reason for her phone call was to inform me about the ultrasound results. In addition, she also told me a list of classes that she would highly recommend: child birth classes at UCSD, Bradley courses, Birthing From Within, Hypnobabies, and lamaze.
I’ll be delivering in November, so I’ll update my review then. But, so far, I’ve been pleased with UCSD’s midwifery’s customer service.
CONS:
*NOTE: If you plan to see the midwives, the appointments will be in a separate building. Also, the midwives do NOT do ultrasounds. So, the midwife will have to «order» it from Radiology, so that you can schedule an appointment to have an ultrasound in the main hospital building.
*WHAT A HASSLE: I’m editing my review to give this place 3 stars. I literally spent all day calling the Midwives Dept and Radiology. Radiology keeps telling me they haven’t received the order. But, Midwives Dept tells me they put in the order and even faxed it over. THEY NEED TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO LINK THEIR SYSTEMS! When I call back, Radiology tells me oh the guy who puts the orders in system is off to lunch. Now he’s in a meeting. Seriously, I’ve been calling since 9am and it’s now 3pm. This is a complete waste of my time!
Parking: Don’t park in the lot directly across from the main hospital. It’s $ 3.00 per hour and can add up quickly. If you’re not in a rush, you should park in the structure that is west of the hospital. I think it’s $ 2.00 per hour and every additional hour is $ 1.00. I’m not exactly positive, but I’m pretty sure it’s cheaper. Also, if you’re daring you can try parking there and not pay for the parking because there doesn’t seem to be anyone manning the structure.