The Midwife Center For Birth & Women's Health

There is a lot of love for the midwife center here and much of it is hard won and well deserved. Their space is beautiful and modern. Most staff are kind and professional. I appreciate their holistic, personalized approach to healthcare - (they've asked me some thoughtful, out-of-the-box questions and do take interest in the whole picture of your health) - as well as their progressive lean and focus on healthcare accessibility. I was a patient here for over a year and I can tell you that all of these things are the real deal.

The weaknesses of this practice - in my layperson opinion - are as follows:

1) Limited scope. They aren't an OB/GYN, and can't really take the place of one. As one of the nurses very snippily told me, they "don't practice medicine", sounding like I had walked into an Applebee's and asked them to operate on my foot. They practice nursing, I get that - I only expect a medical provider to, you know, help me, and not make my issue worse. Lots of folks do prefer midwives to the traditional MDs & DOs, and I can appreciate that, but their ability to diagnose and treat is much more limited than they advertise. For me, this meant visits with three different providers, a misdiagnosis, unnecessary meds, lots of invasive stuff, hundreds of dollars of unnecessary tests, and one sad patient with no answers. I wish they had recognized when something was maybe a little beyond their scope and just referred me out on the front end, saving me a whole bunch of misery.

As with most things in life, YMMV. A limited scope of practice might be okay for you! If you're the picture of health and just want to pop in for your annual or grab a birth control script, AND if you're already connected with a solid gynecologist to see for any real problems, this facility might very well meet your needs. Because - my next point:

2) Continuity of care is lacking. They suck at referrals. I was initially told that they have a select few GYNs in the community with whom they work closely and collaboratively. But when I actually needed this referral, I was sent five+ pages of basically an indecipherable, broken wall of text and told I could self-refer to "that clinic at Magee" but that I didn't really "need" to. How helpful is that?

3) Pretty unprofessional billing/recordkeeping practices - I've gotten multiple bills addressed to the wrong person for my own care and have gotten bills with handwriting and white out on them. Their EMR/portal with Maternity Neighborhood is pretty poor quality and I've seen another patient's medical records mixed in with my own! A little concerning.

Ultimately, my health concern was promptly addressed and treated at my first visit with an MD elsewhere and I don't intend on returning to this clinic. I do feel this place has a lot of potential and I respect all the positive reviews, but to me the concerns outweigh the benefits. I'd rather go to a more professional clinic with a higher capacity for service.

I delivered my son with TMC a little over a year ago and absolutely loved the entire experience. The midwives treated me ever so kindly and never seemed bothered by questions or concerns. I loved that they actually listened to me and valued my opinions and beliefs as a person. My birth went so beautifully, and it is nice to have lovely memories of such a special time in our lives. It was also restful to experience the first few days of my son's life at home with our family instead of lying around in a hospital.
I have since been back for well-woman care and have also had terrific experiences with them. The midwives are thorough and truly take their time to answer your questions and listen.
I wish more healthcare was like this!

The team of professional midwives and nurses helped me have the most amazing unmedicated, natural birth in their beautiful facility! They are non-judgmental and supportive of each woman's choices for her body and baby. They also offer regular gynocological care. They even have great mental health therapy and groups for pregnancy and postpartum.

I had a successful VBAC with the Midwife center last year. They let me go two weeks late and then induced with Pitocin despite standard medical advice to induce early or have another C-section. The midwifes here will let you be in control of your birth experience as much as possible within the modern medical environment. I still had to go to the hospital to deliver so I wasn't able to experience their wonderful looking birthing rooms, but the important thing is that they pushed back against the medical establishment's advice and it was successful.

Let me start of by saying that I go here for well-woman care only so far. No babies just yet! So I can't comment on the quality of their birth services, although their statistics are quite impressive.

As a new client, it was tough for me to find parking for the center -- on-street around the center was all full. If I had known that there was a lot I could park in that would have been HIGHLY useful information! So -- a quick tip: If you go to the Midwife Center you can run in and just inside the door are parking passes for a nearby lot. GET ONE!

The Midwife Center is in a converted row house and you have to climb the stairs to get to the reception area. When I walked in, I was clearly confused, but someone downstairs was kind enough to point me in the right direction. The women that work at The Midwife Center were friendly and receptive when I went in for my appointment. There was paperwork to be filled out -- although a nice touch is that it is all available online so you can do it ahead of time instead of going to your appointment 30 minutes early and racking your brain trying to remember every detail of family history.

As a new patient, I was interviewed and seen by a Nurse Practicioner, and she was friendly, professional, and seemed interested in EVERY part of my health -- which I appreciated. They seem to focus on health for the whole person, not just one area.

I really look forward to my care here throughout the years!

I'm not due until July but I'm currently getting my prenatal care at The Midwife Center and I couldn't be more pleased! This is my first pregnancy and I feel so at ease. The midwives are delightful and they make this process very easy. They provide you with tons of information when you first start coming, but are readily available if you have any additional questions. I love that I can access my chart online; which included test results, appointment notes, and our correspondence back and forth. They're also able to send me scripts if needed via the website. I can't wait to deliver at The Midwife Center, especially with the new renovations. The place looks amazing!

There is no better place to receive health care as a woman than The Midwife Center, both prenatal and general womancare. Every single person there, from the receptionists to the midwifes to the nurses, are all kind, disarming, super smart and display a consistent willingness not only to help their patients, but also to educate and empower women to be partners in their own care.

I've delivered one baby under their care and am 6 weeks (or so) from delivering my second. Through both, I have encountered a huge number of personal challenges and complications, and have been absolutely impressed and comforted by the way they have cared for me and provided the most amazing level of support and medical expertise. The women at TMC are top-notch, and I can't imagine getting care anywhere else.

This is the best place I have ever received health care -- hands down.

To qualify this statement -- I have gone to dozens of clinics over the years in search of gynecologists and doctors that are A) willing to hear my extensive history of uterine-related problems and help me live a pain-free life and B) (and this is a big one)....treat me with respect.

"A" usually goes right out the window as many clinic doctors are busy, overworked, and don't have time to listen (!!!) -- many have simple told me that I'm flat out wrong about my body or making it up and that I should just take Midol for all my troubles.

"B" is harder to mess up...and yet. There are many clinics out there that I will never visit again.

The Midwife Center has always treated me with kindness and respect. The doctors I have worked with, for several years now, have always had patience with me and answered every question I've ever brought to them. Truly -- this is how women's health care should be everywhere.

Even if you do not plan on having babies, like me, it is worthwhile to consider the Midwife Center for health services having to do with the reproductive system. With a warm environment and a super caring knowledgeable staff who are accustomed to assisting families through that big deal known as childbirth, I feel very comfortable in the competent hands of the midwives. Since their specialty is caring for pregnant women, I think that they are more attentive of subtle gynecological problems, as even minor problems for the average woman can be serious problems to one with child.

On Friday afternoons, they offer cheap and/or free services to those without insurance on a tight budget in cooperation with a project of AdiagoHealth; an excellent opportunity to get tested for STIs and an annual check-up.

I went here over a year ago for an annual exam after treating at a larger ob/gym group. Shortly after that appointment I became pregnant and treated there for prenatal. I ended up having a hospital birth but still under care of TMC. The level of care was far superior than any Ob/gyn office. I am so pleased I found them and will continue to go here due to their thoroughness and holistic mindset.