Extremely Disappointing Experience - Women Deserve Respect, Autonomy, and Compassionate Care…read more
If I could give them 0 stars, I would. My experience with Alliance Women's Health was incredibly disappointing, and I would strongly caution any woman who values having a voice in her pregnancy and birth experience to think twice before choosing this practice.
I began receiving care at Alliance Women's Health a couple of months ago. Unfortunately, my experience started off on the wrong foot with the midwife I saw for my initial appointment. Rather than feeling supported in my preferences for a natural birth, I felt pressured and dismissed. A midwife should be someone who supports, educates, and advocates for mothers while respecting their informed decisions, not someone who makes a patient feel that her birth preferences are unreasonable simply because they don't align with the provider's personal approach.
My experience with Dr. Logston was equally concerning. He repeatedly treated my pregnancy like a medical case rather than recognizing me as a woman who should have a say in her own birth experience. On multiple occasions, he told me that he "hadn't decided whether he would allow me to do a natural birth or not." Let that sink in. A physician speaking as though he personally gets to decide whether a woman is permitted to have the birth experience she desires.
My pregnancy is progressing well, and I have not been told that I am high-risk or that there is any medical necessity for a cesarean. Yet I repeatedly felt that a C-section was being presented as an option he might ultimately choose for me, rather than having an open, respectful discussion about my preferences, medical circumstances, and options. My body, my pregnancy, and my birth experience should not be treated as decisions that a provider gets to make for me.
After exploring other care options, I decided to transfer to Columbia Birth Center because I wanted a provider who respected my wishes and supported the kind of birth experience I was seeking.
What happened next was arguably the final straw.
I had been asked to keep my anatomy scan appointment with Alliance Women's Health despite my decision to transfer care. Then, at approximately 4:50 p.m. the evening before my scheduled anatomy scan, I received a phone call informing me that my appointment had been automatically canceled because I had requested a transfer of care.
I was stunned. They had received my transfer request earlier that same day, yet nobody thought it was necessary to contact me BEFORE canceling an important prenatal appointment. When I questioned why I hadn't been notified before the cancellation, I was told that it was their policy to automatically cancel all appointments without notifying patients once they decided to transfer care.
So, despite knowing I had an anatomy scan scheduled for the following afternoon, they canceled it without first communicating with me or giving me an opportunity to make alternative arrangements. By the time they finally contacted me, it was nearly 5 p.m. the day before the appointment, leaving me virtually no time to find another facility.
That is an unacceptable way to handle patient care. Regardless of a patient's decision to transfer providers, basic communication, professionalism, and consideration should still apply. Patients should not be left scrambling to arrange important prenatal care because an office chooses to follow an administrative policy without even extending the courtesy of a phone call.
Even my first early pregnancy experience with the ultrasound technician was uncomfortable. During my ultrasound, I made a lighthearted joke about the baby already hiccuping. Rather than responding naturally or kindly, the technician scoffed and told me, "That can't possibly happen this early." It was a small interaction, but it added to an already growing impression that warmth, bedside manner, and basic customer service were sorely lacking throughout this practice.
Taken together, these experiences have left me with absolutely no confidence in Alliance Women's Health.
Women are not passive participants in their pregnancies. We are not medical cases to be managed without consideration for our wishes, and we should never be made to feel that our providers have ownership over our bodies or the final say in our birth experiences.
A good provider should educate, communicate risks, make medical recommendations when appropriate, and respect a patient's right to make informed decisions. That is not the same thing as making a woman feel that she needs permission to have the birth she wants.
I transferred my care because I wanted to be heard, respected, and supported. I do not regret that decision for a moment.
My recommendation: If you are a woman who values informed consent, patient autonomy, a supportive approach to birth, and basic courtesy, I would encourage you to explore your options carefully before choosing Alliance Women's Health.