Seeking Natural-childbirth Friendly OB in LA Area

I had both of my children at Cedars-Sinai and Dr. Ruth Cousineau was my OB ###-###-####. I had them both naturally, without even having and IV in my arm or any meds. I was able to labor as I wanted, though there may have been food restrictions. (I was not at all interested in food at that point!) I was only at the hospital 4 hours prior to my first and minutes prior to my second.
It's important to have your spouse or an advocate to speak up for you at the hospital to make your wishes known. Have a great labor and delivery!

You should call midwife Debbie Frank. I can't remember off the top of my head the two doctors she practices with, but she has moved exclusively from homebirths to hospital births (at UCLA, I think - possibly Cedars) - but she can help you maintain a natural birth environment. Here's her info:

Deborah Frank, CNM
415 N. Crescent Drive, Suite 100
Beverly Hills, CA 90210
###-###-####
Midwiveswithwomen.com

What the women said above is correct. You'll need to actively control the birth experience because the OB only comes in at the last moment to 'catch' the baby - and that's only if they're on call that day. The nurses and anesthesiologist on call control the experience - and it may not be one you want. You'll definitely need an advocate.

Dr David Kline is a great OBGYN in Century City - he was my "back-up" doctor for our homebirth. He works out of Cedars Sinai. I prefer female OBs as well, but my midwife recommended him, and the one time I saw him, he was just great.
Even with a wonderful OB, though, don't forget to have a birth plan - also a doula could be a great help to you.

One thing I want to mention - if you really would prefer to birth at home, your husband should be reminded that he is not the one carrying the baby for months and months, nor is he the one giving birth. My husband had reservations as well, but the midwife was able to address all of his concerns - to the point where he wouldn't hear of a hospital birth, other than in the case of emergency.

Hi A.! I second Dr. David Kline! Though I did have a home birth, Dr. Kline was my back-up obgyn. He ended up doing an external cephalic version for me and was wonderful! He also worked with several of the women from my midwifery that ended up needing to deliver at Cedars. He works very closely with midwives and is totally supportive of natural birth (if possible). My girlfriend just delivered at Cedars and loved her doctor as well.... Dr. Timothy Tsui (spelling?). Sounds like Sue- and then long e. Best of luck!!!! Oh you could also call Sacred Entrance Midwifery for names of other obgyns that support natural childbirth. They have a website.

Hi A.,

First of, kudos to you for thinking of going the natural route. It's not easy to go against the grain, but it's worth it. Second, the first thing I would suggest for you is to hire a midwife or a doula, especially because you are planning to give birth at the hospital. This is because when you are in a hospital setting with no support from a "natural" birthing team, you are most likely to not birth naturally. The hospital's epidural team will be there at your door to ask you every chance they get, and when you are laboring, you are not going to be in your right frame of mind to say no. Someone has to be there to say "no thanks" for you and to be your cheering squad. Thirdly, I recommend an OB with less than 25% c-section rate. For both of my girls, I had Dr.David Kline. He works well with midwives and he is phenomenal. If you want information on midwives, e-mail mine at ____@____.com can give you recommendations on both midwives and doulas. FYI, I gave birth at home in water and it was an amazing experience. Good luck!!

I whole-heartedly agree with the women who have encouraged a doula or midwife being with you when you're in labor. It's great to have an OB who is "low-intervention" but even more important to have an effective advocate while you're in labor. It's REALLY important to have an OB who is patient and will let you push spontaneously, as opposed to directed pushing where your baby's birth is rushed along. Some women need more time to be ready to push once they're fully dilated and effaced. Important questions to ask any potential OB/midwife and a doula. If you can find a reputable midwife who will deliver your baby in a hospital with an excellent doula that would be the best case scenario. God bless your efforts!

You need to also be concerned about hospital policies, because your OB won't be with you most of the time, the nurses will. At Cedars my experience was that they push hard for epidural, a lot of fetal monitoring, etc. So look into the hospital where your doctor delivers if it is really important to you.