I came for my first OB appointment, but due to the snow, the close parking garage was full as they had fewer spaces. I had to drive to a much farther garage and then try to walk back. AAMC is quite large, and sidewalks were not always clear. In spite of arriving at AAMC a few minutes early, calling the office to let them know that encountered major issues and even asking for help from them to find my way on foot to the office I had never been to before, the midwife declared I was 20 minutes late and refused to see me. It then took me 20-25 minutes to retrace my steps to get back to my car. I can understand the need for timeliness with appointments, but I was given no grace AT ALL that in spite of arriving on time and even calling, major issues with parking issues led me to being late. I have no intention of ever returning there again if that's how they treat their patients in challenging situations. My experience was awful, and I would personally not recommend this practice to anyone. read more

Horrible place, the manager does not have any over-site, the midwives lie to your face about your results they want to force women to go to "fetal maternal medicine" which probably has the worst track record out of any one practice in maryland. This center practices age discrimination and has a pretty bad reputation for dealing with patience. Unfortunately due to a lack of options in the area this is the place most women looking for a midwife experience will get! read more

When emailing and talking to those who set appointments they were very short and it felt like you were in a doctors office. Even the receptionists ignored you and waited for 20 minutes to give our paperwork to the midwives to see us, just like in a doctors office. I could tell she forgot because I started talking about the extended wait, then the receptionist jumped. Another issue I had was they wanted all of our insurance before the tour, then acted surprised we wanted a tour before making a commitment to be a "patient." This place was nice, but a little dated, and everyone looked depressed working there. This place is commonly referred to as med-wifery because of the way they conduct business. You feel like your in the doctors basement, no windows, natural light and had the dampness of a forgotten basement. I truly have no idea how they are in "practice" because the vibe they gave us couldn't get us to the next level of considering them for our birth. Sorry but I'm not a huge fan. I hope they check these comments and take some initiative. We would have done the survey but it's at the front desk where they watch you write your answers and they have a counter right next to the iPad to see how many people do it. I just wanted to get out of there. read more

There aren't words to describe how much I love the women here. I transferred late in my pregnancy because I didn't feel the hospital would be conducive to my hypnobirthing plan. From the first appointment I felt encouraged and empowered as a complete woman- not just a uterus holding a baby. I delivered at the birth center with two midwives who supported (both physically and emotionally) and encouraged me through the entire labor. My husband was treated like an integral component and after the initial flurry of sewing and checking, we were left to bask in the bleary-eyed glow of our new baby while the midwives sat at the ready for questions or concerns in the next room. Scheduling is always a breeze, the wait minimal, and the time spent with the midwife un-rushed, thorough, and whole-person focused. OB offices tend to feel like a patient mill as they cycle through appointments and this is a complete departure from that. It is by far the best experience I've had with woman's health care ever. read more

This was the single best choice I could have made for the birth of my son. All of the midwives are great, with much experience in their field. It's been 10 months since my son was born and they're still available for any questions or concerns I have! Maria delivered my baby and I could not be happier about that. She was wonderful in every way. Very knowledgeable and peaceful. Love bay area! read more

My experience with this center was 10x horrible than my OBGYN practice. Not only was I misinformed when I initially scheduled my tour of the center to have my child there, my appointment was cancelled twice, putting me over the time frame to actually have the option of giving birth at the center. When I did go to my tour the midwife was some what cold and spoke to me like I knew nothing. I felt like she was prejudging me and being very impersonal (fake) which my doctors at my OBGYN practice have never done. Bottom line when you want a natural birth experience or even natural care during pregnancy, you want to feel like your provider(s) actually care about you and my experience was totally not the case. read more

Horrible. The receptionist are totally rude and/or incapable of doing anything correctly. I was trying to have a natural birth in a birthing center but with how poorly I've been treated I will never go back. It's not worth wasting your time and energy. Find anyone else! read more

For my first pregnancy I was seen by a midwife practice in another state and loved the caring environment. I wanted to repeat the experience so I choose this practice. However, my experience here has been terrible. First, one of the two receptionists is about as rude and gruff as possible. I had an appointment for 9 weeks and when I started spotting at 7 she told me no one there could help me or talk to me as I wasn't even a patient yet. So basically I was on my own! My first appointment I was never told the paperwork time was built into the appointment so I ended up waiting over an hour to even get into a room- and I was the first patient of the day! Neither receptionist bothered to say anything as I sat there waiting forever either. The first midwife I saw was nice, but I felt like she pushed her views on me. She told me I needed to do this and this even though I said I was not comfortable with it. She also made me feel bad for not agreeing to all the different tests- as if I might have STDs without knowing it. I thought I would be seeing the same midwife each time only to find out you get whoever is there that day. Why do I want to see 7 different midwives? How is one supposed to develop a caring and confidential relationship with 7 different midwives? This has been a tough pregnancy and every time I call with an issue whoever I finally speak with seems so unconcerned. It's always a wait and see line they give you no matter what. I was also misdiagnosed with an infection and put on antibiotics for something I didn't have. And this was after I kept calling to see if my test results were in to see what was really wrong. If I hadn't called I don't think they would have ever called to say stop taking the medicine. Another appointment I was left waiting in an exam room for 15 minutes alone after the midwife couldn't find the heartbeat on the Doppler. She wanted to take me to the ultrasound but as they only have 1 machine for the whole practice I had to wait for it to be free. She never even came back in to reassure me during that whole time! I'm finally switching to a regular practice but they couldn't fax my records without a release form. When I asked for it to be emailed to me the receptionist informed me they don't have an email address. Who doesn't have an email address in almost 2016!!! This place is slow, old fashioned, and difficult to make an appointment or speak with someone. I would never recommend this place to anyone under any circumstances. I wish I had switched after my first appointment, but I falsely hoped it would get better. read more

This place is wonderful and I would go back for any subsequent pregnancies! All of the midwives, nurses and front office staff were nothing but kind and helpful. read more

Successful VBAC. For those ladies who desire that outcome, I highly recommend. The midwives are fabulous. Other posters mentioned some coldness of the front desk staff. I can see what you might be hearing over the phone but it is much warmer in person. I would encourage you not to let that deter you from working with this great practice. read more

I have been going to Bay Area Midwifery since June for prenatal care during my second pregnancy. The women of the practice have been more than helpful and accommodating with all of my questions/problems. They had no problem getting me in for a same-day appointment when I suspected I had bronchitis and again for a suspected kidney infection. My main midwife is Jennifer and I absolutely love her! She's kind, caring, and genuine and I couldn't ask for a better care provider for my family and I. We aren't due until January 2012, so I can't give a review of their birthing practices, but I can't imagine they'll disappoint. read more

All of our three babies were born here, in the same bathtub. This place is absolutely awesome! The midwives and staff are very experienced, knowledgeable, organized, and empathetic. The entire process is well planned and it feels like absolutely nothing is left to chance. We feel that selecting this place as the birthplace of our children was the best decision. read more

I concur with the previous reviewer about the coldness. I haven't had a chance to visit the center and I won't because just from speaking to the receptionist I know it's not the right place for me. I called and asked to schedule a new patient appointment. first, the receptionist didn't even ask what kind of appointment I wanted she asked me if I could come in on the 18th of the month for a pre-conception appointment. Wait, what? You don't even know what I need! And what, exactly is a preconception appointment?Then she says that I will need to come in for an appointment for intake for 20 minutes first and then I can schedule for a one hour appointment. No questions asked re: whether what I needed was an emergency or how quickly I needed it. no concern for me at all she just clinically explained their process and expected me to agree with it. That's no way to treat a patient. I'd expect more from a midwifery practice. Stay far away. read more

This practice is a gem! My wife, new son, and I loved our experience with Bay Area Midwifery! We live in Baltimore and were originally being treated by Hoffman and Associates. We got good care from Hoffman, but we wanted to have a birth center birth rather than a hospital birth. The pregnancy was a little complicated in the beginning, but was pretty smooth after about 8 weeks, so we were feeling more comfortable. Not comfortable enough to go with a stand-alone birth center like Special Beginnings where we had a tour, but comfortable enough to go with a birth center on a medical campus like Bay Area. So, we had a new patient appointment at around 25 weeks. We originally planned to do the tour before the appointment, but there was a birth at the center on the day of our tour, so we just did the tour at the new patient appointment. I read a few negative reviews that mention issues with scheduling, and we had a little trouble scheduling, but it wasn't a big deal. Anyways, the new patient appointment went well. We enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere and were encouraged to see that they have an ultrasound machine whereas Special Beginnings referrers you out for ultrasounds. They have a really unique evidence-based hybrid approach between medical and non-medical with the appreciation for what the body can do on it's own and what medicine brings. I think their C-section rate is around 10% which I believe is the WHO's recommended rate. That made us confident that we'd be recommended to have one only if we really needed it. So, the baby came six weeks early, and we are so grateful that we switched to Bay Area because the entire birth was fantastic. We were able to have a vaginal delivery vs C-section even though the rate for preemies is much higher. We couldn't have the baby in the birth center since he was premature, but our midwife was still able to deliver the baby in the hospital. The midwife was crucial for my wife in being able to deliver the child without pain medicine which was important for us. After he was born, we got to hold him right away and for about 10 minutes before he needed to be transferred to the NICU to help him learn to breathe. The NICU at AAMC is fantastic by the way, and our son was discharged within 10 days. He is now thriving, and we are so grateful to Bay Area Midwifery. We will be returning hopefully for our future children. read more

I contacted Bay Area Midwifery Center to schedule a new client appointment. I've delivered at birth centers prior and am looking for a similar experience but in a hospital setting, due to potential complications. The staff was courteous, quick to schedule me and have a nurse answer my medical questions. In being sent the forms, the staff was again kind and welcoming. Not much experience with the establishment yet, but so far great service. Look forward to my appointment and continuing to work with them! read more

If you are one of 30% of women who naturally go over 40 weeks, expect this exact quote "What about natural childbirth is so important that you are willing to kill your baby?!". Ah, and working with a anesthesiologist who was literally falling asleep trying to put in a spinal block. If you are intereted in natural childbirth, and don't want to be yelled at, find another place. My wife's birth couldn't have been worse. read more

I had a fantastic experience delivering with the midwives at Bay Area. They listened and were so supportive and patient, and very family friendly when I had to bring my toddler along to my appointments. They had faith in my ability to deliver a big baby, provided me with resources to boost my confidence, and supported me every step of the way as I labored. I had the most amazing birth experience with their support, and happily welcomed my healthy baby with ease and without issue. They had such a great ability to sense what I needed, and I'm forever grateful. I'm so happy I can still see them for well-women check-ups and care, because they are awesome and I'd recommend them to anyone. read more