Local
Hospitals
Shelby Baptist Medical Center
1000 First Street North
Alabaster, AL 35007
While Shelby Baptist is a bit
of a drive from Birmingham’s city center, it could be well worth your time. For
those who live south of the city, this may be your most convenient location.
The women’s center is small, but features beautiful, spacious LDRP (labor,
delivery, recovery, postpartum) rooms with wonderful showers! The nursing staff
is incredibly supportive of mothers desiring natural births. Intermittent
monitoring is the norm for low-risk moms and telemetry (portable) monitoring
units are also available. There is no routine episiotomy performed here. Both
the doctors and the nursing staff are well-known for their patience with the
birth process and are no strangers to couples who make their own decisions for
the births of their babies. This hospital- which has only one obstetrical
practice in it- had the second lowest c-section rate and the highest VBAC rate
in the Birmingham-metropolitan area in 2008 (the most recent data available).
UAB Women & Infants’
Center
1700 6th Avenue S
Birmingham, AL 35233
UAB is a teaching hospital.
While this means that you must be specific about not wanting a roomful of
interns, residents, and nursing students present during the pushing phase of
your birth, it has many benefits including the second lowest cesarean rate and
second lowest VBAC rate in Birmingham city limits. Intermittent auscultation (meaning that a nurse comes
to monitor the baby with a Doppler during one or two contractions every 30
minutes to 1 hour as long as the mother’s water is not broken, when it changes
to every 15 minutes) is available when a low-risk mother requests it (including
VBAC moms!). There is one-to-one nursing and nurses who enjoy natural
childbirth are readily available. They are also willing to delay the baby
nurses coming to perform newborn procedures for quite a bit of time after the
baby is born- at least one hour and possibly two.
Brookwood Medical Center
bwmc.com
While it has a higher
cesarean rate than other hospitals in the area, Brookwood boasts exceptional
postpartum and lactation support. They have a well-enforced policy of immediate
skin-to-skin contact following the birth of the baby and are reportedly working
on earning the “Baby Friendly Hospital” credential from UNICEF. Additionally,
the Women’s Center opening in December 2011 will have at least one large
birthing suite with a built in jetted tub. They also offer water labor and
water birth, depending on the physician.
Obstetricians and Midwives
Dr. James Head, Shelby OBGYN
Dr. Head is the head of
obstetrics at Shelby Baptist Medical Center. Dr. Head has been practicing
obstetrics since 1994. He is very much on-board with natural childbirth (and
VBAC) and has even been quoted as saying “Once I realized I don’t actually have
to do anything for a mom to have a baby, it made my job much easier!” and “It
doesn’t matter to me how long a labor takes- I’ll just go take a nap!” and “I
know you are going to have this baby. I don’t have any doubt” to a VBAC mom
with a prolonged labor. He has been known to practice expectant management
rather than active management of all stages of the birthing process. Dr. Head
is highly recommended by midwives from Birmingham as far as Florence, AL.
Dr. Kimberly Hoover, The Kirklin Clinic/UAB
(205) 934-9999/
1-800-UAB-8816
Dr. Hoover is relatively new
to the Birmingham area, but is thus far enjoying working with a variety of
childbearing women and couples. She is familiar with the Midwives’ Model of
Care, having worked with midwives during her OBGYN residency. Dr. Hoover is
another patient doctor who is not likely to pressure birthing families about
interventions or to put time constraints on a mother’s birthing time, unless
there is a true medical necessity. She is supportive of natural birth and VBAC
and works in a practice where other doctors follow the same philosophy.
Dr. Bill Huggins, Brookwood
Medical Center
www.alwomens.com /(205) 877-2802
With a gentle bedside manner,
Dr. Huggins “makes every patient feels like she is his favorite.” He is known
for being extremely supportive of natural birth, as well as doulas, and attends
water births. Dr. Huggins has a superb intuition of how to support women
birthing naturally and does his best not to disturb the sacred space of the
birthing women, taking care to enter and leave birth rooms gently and quietly.
Jennifer Crook Moore, CPM,
MA, MPH
(205) 873-1332, redmountainbirth.com,
Donna Mitchell, CPM
(256) 566-9305 http://10moonsrising.com/id4.html
.
Pediatricians
Angela Redmond,
pedseast.chsys.org
Dr. Redmond is extremely
friendly and supportive of breastfeeding, having done so with her own children.
She is also known to be supportive of natural birth, including homebirth. She
takes time with each individual patient, so you don’t feel like you’ve been
processed after you leave her office!
Dr. Joseph Hamm
Vestavia Pediatrics
1936 Old Orchard Rd
Birmingham, AL 35216
A testimonial from a patient
of Dr. Hamm: “Very calm, non alarmist, takes more of a “let’s watch
and see” approach. Supportive of breastfeeding (don’t know how
knowledgable, but he’s supportive) and was very ok and suportive of my goal of
natural birth with [our baby]. He’s been our [older son’s] ped for 5 years
now.”
Chiropractic
Care
Dr. Jessica Dietrich-Marsh,
Southern Pines Chiropractic
Dr. Jenni Goodson, Goodson
Health and Wellness
Breastfeeding
Support
Dalia Abrams, MPH, CD (DONA),
Certified Lactation Specialist
(205) 595-5179
Kaye Dahle
Lactation Center
Brookwood
Medical Center
2010
Brookwood Medical Center Dr.
Birmingham,
Al. 35209
205-877-1978
La Leche
League, International
Birmingham
Northeast
Leaders:
Debbie- 205-655-7720
Tracy-
205-608-3969
Meetings
held the 3rd Tuesday of each month at Mt. Vernon Methodist Church in
Gardendale
Birmingham
South
Leaders:
Dawn- 205-988-0594 bhamlalecheleague@att.net
Morning
meetings held the 2nd Thursday of each month at 10:30am at the
Hoover Public Library, downstairs
Evening
meetings held the 2nd Monday of each month at 6:30 at 4Health
Chiropractic, between Happy China and Al’s Party Plus in the Southlake Shopping
Center off Valleydale Rd, one mile south of I-65
Childbirth Education
Dalia Abrams,
MPH, CD(DONA), CCBE (Lamaze)
Five week
childbirth series
(205)
614-3297
Kaleigh
Naylor, HCHD, HCHI, CD(Aviva)
Hypnobabies
Childbirth Hypnosis Classes
www.Birminghamhypnobabies.wordpress.com
(205)
690-0689
Fredia Nelms,
CD(CAPPA), CBE(CAPPA)
Five week
childbirth series
(205)
514-4874
Cristy
Jenkins, CD(CAPPA), CBE(CAPPA)
Private
childbirth classes
Prenatal and Postpartum Fitness
Yoga
Baby Belly Yoga- Krista Jones
Babybellyyoga.com for current
schedule
Kerry
Meon
Kerrywingo79@yahoo.com
Dancing For
Birth
Kaleigh Naylor
kaleigher@gmail.com
(205) 690-0689
Educational and Support Groups
Birmingham
Birth Stories and More
http://www.birthwellinbirmingham.com/birth-stories-and-more
Meetings held
the 2nd Tuesday of each month from 11:30-1:00, Room 3 at YWCA 309 23rd
St N, Birmingham, AL 35203
Babywearing
International of Birmingham
Meetings held
the 1st Wednesday of each month, 10am at the Hoover Public Library
ICAN of
Birmingham
Meetings held
the 1st Tuesday of each month, 7pm O’Henry’s Coffee at Brookwood
Mall
The Amelia
Center (grief support)
Ameliacenter.org
(205)
251-3430
Other
Alabama Birth
Coalition
Babypalooza
and Expo
Alabama Baby
and Child Magazine
Birmingham
Mommy
Wishgarden
Herbal Remedies
Birth Stools
[...] valuable list of Community Resources for expectant parents in Birmingham. This list can be accessed here. See her WordPress Blog for much other valuable birth-related information, as well as her Doula [...]