Westside Doula

UCLA Westwood

     Click Here for a Hospital Map.

(310) 794-7274 Appointments

 UCLA OBGYN Consultation Suite
200 UCLA Medical Plaza, Suite 430  (Reagan building)
Los Angeles, CA 90095

Unfortunately, their website is horrible and the search function is even worse.  It is easy to get caught in a loop-de-loop and never be sure that you are where you want to be on their website.  Fortunately, this is not indicitive of their care.  Most people leave their maternity ward happy with the care that they have received. Thier midwifery practice is top notch.  You can either see a OB or a Midwife.  Up to you (as it should be!).

Notes:

• You can take a virtual tour of their Westwood facilities.   This is amazing, and is the most redeeming feature of the website.
• There are showers (but not baths) in the labor rooms, the delivery rooms, and in the recovery rooms. 
• Bring your own birthing ball
• If you want a birthing bar during labor, ask for it when you get there, it might take a while to find it;
• Nurses are top notch.
• Purified water and ice are readily available, so you don't need to bring a case of water.
• If you're going to take your placenta home, they don't want you to take it to the post-partum room, so you need to arrange for someone to take home pretty quickly after the birth.
• Squat bar is available, ask for it on intake.
• BYO birth ball.

A few thoughts on The Birth Place (which is different from the Ronald REagan Medical Center):

• To view a video go to http://streaming.uclahealth.org/TheBirthPlace
• No midwives, Doctors only.  
• The term "Birthing Center" is a bit misleading, it is more of a "Birthing Hospital"

C-Section Rate:

RONALD REAGAN UCLA MED CTR 28.9% , 

It is my understanding that the Midwives have a significantly lower cesarean rate than the OBs, and I understand that it is closer to 11%.

VBAC:

In general, VBAC is a no-brainer at this hospital.  The midwives support VBAC.

Tours:

Take a tour of the Labor and Delivery rooms at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center. Each tour runs 60 minutes and includes an overview of our services and accommodations. There is a daily fee of $11 to park. Register by calling (310) 267-7510. Note: All Maternity tours are given in the Pennington Room (5-265).  Click here for dates.

Nurse Midwives:  

(310) 794-4434 Information
(310) 206-4567 Patients

My bias?  I love the midwives and would love if all my clients deliver there.  Here is my YELP posting describing why I think they are great for pregnant women

The UCLA practice has added a monthly info/consult session. It will be the 4th Tuesday from 1pm-2. Call the office to book a space : 310-794-7274.  Two CNMS will meet with the interested people as a group.

UCLA Westwood has an excellent staff of Nurse Midwives.  Their practice runs like any medical practice within the hospital.  You can do all your pre-natal testing through the midwives.

You will meet with all of the midwives throughout your pregnancy.  Which one  you get for your labor depends on who is on the floor at that time.

From their website:

A midwife is assigned daily to the labor and delivery unit. Her sole responsibility is caring for the women presenting in labor or with urgent concerns. We provide a midwifery model of care utilizing:

• Watchful waiting and non-intervention in normal processes
• Appropriate use of interventions and technology for current or potential health problems
• Consultation, collaboration and referral with other members of the health care team as needed to provide optimal health care

As a result, our caesarian section rate is 12%, and vacuum or forceps assisted delivery rate is 4%. We do induce labor in approximately 10% of labors, for reasons the family and we believe to be important; most commonly overdue pregnancies. We rarely perform episiotomies, an annual rate of 1%. In addition to caring for women, we have a unique opportunity to share our knowledge and perspective with UCLA OB/GYN residents, an energetic and enthusiastic group.

Because we work in an academic medical center, with our collaborating obstetricians and OB anesthesiologists physically present 24/7, we can care for women with some degree of complication in their pregnancy and delivery. This includes women desiring a vaginal birth after caesarian section and diet-controlled gestational diabetes.

Note:

Debbie Frank, CNM also has privledges at UCLA.  If you're more comfortable with a sole provider than a group practice, give her a call.

• CNM Debbie Frank: 310-659-5810

Obs:

There are lots of talented OBs who work out of UCLA Westwood.  And it's a teaching hospital, so it is very likely that you will have some contact with residents.  Here is the hospital OB page.

Most of my clients are with the midwives, so I don't know the OBs that well.  As I meet and get to know their style, I will up date this section.

Personally I like Dr. Mark Johnson .

Parking:

Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center
UCLA Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
200 Medical Plaza, Suites 430 and 220
Peter Morton Medical Building
Los Angeles, CA 90095

$11 per day.