While I agree with other reviewers that the midwives at Andaluz are very empathetic and obviously love their jobs, also that their consultation rooms are very comfy and reassuring, I found their competence and capacity to act as safe practitioners for the delivery of my child to be completely unsatisfactory.
I wanted nothing more than to have a natural waterbirth without medical intervention. That said, throughout my pregnancy I became concerned about the level of care at Andaluz. Several instances of strange behavior on the part of my midwives raised red flags. At one appointment, one of their most senior midwives had to have me self-insert a speculum because she did not know how to. This was just one such example. I also called the board that oversees midwives (along with estheticians and pedicure places) and they were very ominous in their responses about Andaluz. The contact said ""there are no ACTIVE investigations into Andaluz midwives"", several times, with great emphasis. Ugh.
Based on experiences like this throughout my pregnancy, I actually went to Emmanuel at 36 weeks and talked to their nurse midwives with an intent to transfer, but talked myself out of it ... thinking I was being irrational because of my hormonal state. I really wish I had listened to my intuition.
At the time of my delivery, the midwives at Andaluz recklessly allowed me to become dangerously dehydrated (to a life-threatening degree). I was throwing up, wasn't drinking fluids... They had NO CLUE about what was going on with my labor and often I was left alone for hours at a time even though I was very obviously not doing well. At one stage, the midwives had the ""book of Midwifery"" open on the bed and were flipping through it. In front of me. After two days of labor.
When, after over 48 hours of intense labor, I finally demanded to transfer to a hospital, they delayed and hemmed and hawed and eventually insisted that we use our own vehicles. I rode in the back of my husbands car to Emmanuel in extreme distress and agony. Upon arrival, the Nurse Midwives were shocked at my dehydration and general condition and horrified that I was not transported in an ambulance. I was given 6 bags of IV fluids and was still very dehydrated.
I suspect that Andaluz avoided ambulance transportation as it would have been officially recorded as a transfer. I furthermore believe they deceived me when I asked a very specific question about the number of transports they make in a year. It is my opinion that they are endangering women and babies with their arrogance and their sloppy, unprofessional care.
I felt as though a hospital was the last place I wanted to celebrate the life of my baby - more fool me. The Andaluz schtick is that they empower women to make their own decisions. In truth, they are so poorly informed and so fanatical about being anti-intervention of any kind that they completely lose sight of the health of their patients. The difference in the nurse midwives at Emmanuel is immediately obvious... they know what the hell they are doing. I just wish I had gone there in the first place and had competent care throughout the pregnancy and birth.
It has taken me some time to be able to even write this review. I was so upset and traumatized by the experience that I shied away from revisiting it, however I feel as though I would be remiss if I did not make other pregnant women aware of my experience.
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