Sammamish Residents and Moms to be: On the Eastside, There are Many Birth Options

If you are pregnant, or contemplating trying to have a baby soon, one of the big decisions you’ll need to make is where you want to deliver your baby. On the Eastside, the majority of moms labor and deliver at either or . Some moms also choose to deliver at the Puget Sound Birth Center.

The Birth Experience Doesn’t Always Go As You Plan

Eastside mom Diana Danforth delivered her son at Overlake on Jan. 17, 2010.  She liked her obstetrician and he delivered at Overlake, which is why she chose that hospital. She found the labor class she and her husband took there to be helpful. She said however that she is not sure if she will choose to deliver there again. She felt that while her day labor nurse was fantastic, her night labor nurse was not, and that was the toughest part of the labor for her. And in the end, she ended up delivering with another doctor, not her own obstetrician. Her advice to other moms: "I would say get to know the other people in your doctor's practice so you know who the potential others may be." Those other doctors might actually deliver the baby.

Ann-Marie Speirs delivered her daughter, Alena, on May 14, 2005. She also had to remain "flexible" in her labor and delivery. She had planned at "out of hospital birth" at the Puget Sound Birth Center but ended up transferring to Evergreen due to complications. 

You Can Make Some Good Choices No Matter Where You End Up

Speirs offers some great advice to moms pregnant with a first child. "Look into having a doula present at your birth. She was my main labor support and really helped me advocate for what I wanted. Attend parent-baby classes after your baby is born at either the Puget Sound Birth Center or Evergreen. Both are very baby friendly and were much more valuable than any classes or planning that I did for the actual birth. They really helped eased the transition into parenthood and ease any concerns that came up with my newborn - which was way more important than the actual birth. 

"Seriously consider an out of hospital birth. At each prenatal appointment, I got to spend 45 minutes with my midwife instead of 10 minutes. My appointments rotated between the midwives and they each got to know me and I got to know all of them so that when the time of the birth came around, it didn't matter which one was on call because I had met all of them. Licensed midwives in this state have certain protocols to follow and treat birth as the natural experience that it is. The care that I received from them is unparalleled with any other medical service that (I) have ever received. At no other time have I ever had any other doctor or nurse or medical professional treat me with as much respect and take as much time to listen to my concerns and be as thorough at investigating my issues. After my birth at Evergreen, I went back to my midwives at the birth center for my follow up care. I had gotten to know and trust them so well and I trusted them to do the weight checks on Alena as well as my own follow up care."

And don't despair, Speirs said, if the birth process does not go "to plan." "Advocate for what you want, but realize that there are some things out of your control and while the birth experience is something that you will remember for the rest of your life, the most important thing is a healthy baby and healthy mommy. Labor and birth only lasts a few days, you have a whole lifetime of memories and will build many memories with your new little baby that will become far more meaningful."

Three Labor And Delivery Options for Eastside Moms

• Evergreen’s Family Maternity Center in Kirkland

Evergreen’s spokeswoman Sherry Grindeland explained: "Evergreen was the first hospital in the United States to be designated 'Baby Friendly' by the World Health Organization and UNICEF in 1996. We're still considered a national leader in supporting and encouraging breast feeding."

Last year, 4,465 babies were born at Evergreen. There are 68 providers, who deliver and can give fetal medicine services. They include obstetricians, family practitioners and midwives. Evergreen offers the full spectrum of delivery services for women from natural birth to high risk care. Many moms labor, deliver and recover in the same room. Evergreen has a Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit with single-room or private care room options that allow families to "room-in." It also offers a "ante-partum" unit for high risk pregnancies which Grindeland said "feels like a luxury hotel with medical services."

Evergreen offers all new families free "birth-to-three month" classes. And it provides this to all families, Grindeland said, regardless of where the mom gave birth. "We don't care where you had your baby, you're welcome to come to our classes where we will help you through the first few months of parenthood." Evergreen also offers extensive classes on labor, delivery and newborn care as well as a special course for women suffering from post-partum depression. 

Mara Zabari, center director, said: "Our care team provides individualized, personal care. We have such a passionate and dedicated staff and doctors who provide their care with love."

Evergreen is one of only two hospitals in Washington and King County to receive the 2010/2011 HealthGrades Maternity Care Excellence Award. This means Evergreen is in the top five percent of hospitals in the nation for maternity care.

To schedule a tour of the Family Maternity Center at Evergreen, call 425-899-2000.

• Overlake's Childbirth Center in Bellevue

Overlake's spokeswoman Karen Johnson explained: "Our Childbirth Center offers outstanding maternity care in a warm, welcoming environment."

Last year 4,089 babies were delivered at Overlake. The Childbirth Center's staff includes 68 OB/GYNs, perinatologists and 15 certified nurse midwives.

Moms labor and deliver in a private suite equipped with a special birthing bed, rocking chair, jetted tub, birth ball and recliner. After the baby’s birth, Johnson said, "You'll move to a comfortable, private room equipped with a shower, hair dryer, flat screen television, wireless Internet access and a recliner for your support person." Johnson said an additional special feature for moms, who just delivered, is room service from a 12-page menu. That is available for moms and their partners whenever they wish.

Many support services are available at Overlake to moms with complications.  Johnson said: "Should you need more specialized birth care, we have two cesarean birth rooms located in the Childbirth Center. If your baby is born prematurely or develops complications after birth, our Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) is located just steps away. The NICU is staffed with specially-trained neonatal physicians and nurses who can care for your baby around the clock. And because family support is an important part of your baby's recovery, a recliner or cot is available at baby's bedside to keep you close."

Overlake offers an extensive number of childbirth preparation and early parenting classes. Johnson said: "Overlake's post-partum services are a key element of our childbirth services. Mom and baby undergo physical and psychological change at an extraordinary pace after childbirth. To support mom and baby in this transition, families who deliver at Overlake are provided post-partum follow-up care at our Women's Clinics in Bellevue or Issaquah one to three days after discharge. Mother-baby nurses specializing in post-partum care assess baby's health and mom's recovery, provide support and education, and address any questions or concerns about feeding or baby care. Nearly 90 percent of moms who deliver at Overlake take advantage of our post-partum follow-up program."

Overlake offers tours year round of the birth center. Moms and soon-to-be moms can set up an appointment by visiting the center’s website.

• Puget Sound Birth Center In Kirkland

The Puget Sound Birth Center offers a different experience of the birth process than women typically experience in a hospital center. The center's Liz Chalmers said some of the differences moms experience include: "your midwife stays with you throughout the labor – no shift changes – and it's one of only three midwives in rotation so you'll know her well. There is a strong emphasis on the support of normal labor versus the use of routine interventions. The use of physiological pain coping versus pharmacetical pain relief. There (are) fewer arbitrary time limits. It is a calm, beautiful space and waterbirth is possible."

There were 205 babies born at the center last year. There are six resident midwives on staff.

Delivering at the Puget Sound Birth Center is not an option for everyone. As like for all birth centers, there can be no deliveries there that involve "c-sections, vacuum, forceps, epidurals, narcotics, inductions using pitocin or cytotec," Chalmers said. The center is located just two blocks from Evergreen where patients are transferred in case of emergencies or often to the University of Washington for non-emergencies, which Chalmers said is the most common type of transfer.

Moms and partners who are interested in the birth center can take an online tour of the center's suites by visiting the website. People also can contact the center at 425-823-1919.

Editor's note: Evergreen spokeswoman Sherry Grindeland is a regular contributor to Bellevue Patch.