I recently had Blossom for my care during Pregnancy & Postpartum. I have now recommended three friends to go to Blossom for their current / upcoming pregnancies. Throughout, they were all so caring during each of my visits (I loved the hour long appointments), and loved that each Midwife / Nurse brought a different angle and approach. I felt I was given so much care, direction and knowledge with every step. At the very end, I ended up getting Pre Eclampsia without presenting severe features, they caught it immediately when it could have easily been missed. They acted quickly, and both myself and Baby Boy ended up safe. I felt that each of them were caring, competent and attentive. I hope to be able to use them again in the future for my next Pregnancy / Birth. Thank you to the whole Team.
I was looking for a place where I could have support with unmedicated birth and be treated well by all members of the staff at prenatal appointments. I am very pleased with the service on both of those fronts. The birth suites are a beautiful, comfortable, and peaceful place to give birth. The midwives took as much time as I wanted answering questions and discussing my options for my birth. The front desk staff always greeted me by name with a smile and built relationships with me and my husband. An area where Blossom went above and beyond, was when I had some complications while pregnant and postpartum. The midwives' ability to accompany me over the phone after hours, checking out photos I sent them on the portal, and seeing me for extra appointments, was unbelievable. They helped me feel safe and gave very sound recommendations for what I could do at home and when I needed to go get seen and by who. People in my life were always amazed that I could get that kind of support without always having to make an appointment or go to the ER, and I cannot thank them enough! The things that could be improved about Blossom are small in the grand scheme of things. Some of the birth assistants are very friendly and hospitable, offering water with electrolytes and tea at appointments, which I really appreciated. Other birth assistants don't initiate conversations or offer to get drinks, and it would be nice if they did. The other thing is, the area outside the building and the prenatal care rooms are not as pretty as the birth suites. A friend of mine had said that was a determining factor in her not picking Blossom, and that's a shame that Blossom may not show on the outside how amazing it is on the inside. I found that the facility was adequate and clean and I enjoyed going there. And the most important thing, was I really liked the birth suites-- beautiful crown molding, spacious bathroom facilities, and a big comfy bed for mom, dad, and baby to recover. I am so thankful that I got to have my birth at Blossom, supported so well through all the twists and turns!
I was referred to Blossom and was glad to have the experience of delivering my 1st child with an experienced intimate team. Pros: - they only take a set amount of mothers appointments are rotated with all their - employees so you get familiar with them - Scheduling is flexible but wish they did at least one Saturday a month for availability as appointments are typically weekdays - Provides healthy options compared to standard hospitals which are more natural and healthy for you and baby of course - right next to the hospital in case of emergency no far drive - takes their time on appointments never felt rushed or unheard - great customer service always greeted with a smile and treated with respect upon entry with Katherine receptionist - followed birthing plan and kept my gender a surprise as I hoped - cons: - During labor I was a first time mom and I did take birthing class but was unfamiliar with the process I felt the staff got rude at times. Labor takes 24hours and I was at 4cm but not making process even though my water broke so they wanted to send me home. It was ether go home or go to the hospital if I didn’t make progress. As a business I understand I was taking up a space/ room. I was even told “I have other appointments today I can’t keep running in here and your not progressing in dilation” it made me feel sad and I knew I couldn’t handle going home so I just went to the hospital. Blossom still helped me at the hospital and sent a birthing assistant who was by my side all night and helped me. Overall I would recommend Blossom for their great service however policies need to be changed if I pay to birth at the birthing center after I’m in active labor even if it is for a while I wouldn’t want to be sent home or treated poorly because I can’t dilate fast enough. Something to keep in mind. I paid blossom but also had to pay hospital birth which is paying twice.
I want to start off by saying that I received lovely midwifery care from Erin, Kassie, and Chynna. If I still lived in AZ I would return there for future prenatal care. That being said, there are a few things I've reflected on from my time at Blossom and I have recalled a couple experiences that left me feeling uncertain and hurt. I had desired to reduce ultrasound exposure to my baby as much as possible, so I had agreed to the 20wk anatomy scan and a position check around 30wks. I requested that the fetoscope be used rather than Doppler and that no other unnecessary ultrasounds be done. I met HEAVY resistance to this request from each midwife, but particularly from Kassie who pushed my boundaries in an unprofessional way and she came off very judgmental. Rather than explaining risks AND benefits, I felt ostracized, especially when I said "is this okay" and Kassie said "well, no", but with NO ability to explain ultrasound risks to me in an articulate or evidence-based way. I truly am sharing this experience to help Blossom consider a different way to approach something like this if it arises in the future. I ended up having a hospital birth with Kassie and she truly was an amazing midwife, so supportive and a great advocate. One other issue was that after my birth my placenta was sent to pathology because of some concerns about it. Chynna told me about this in my postpartum checkup, but I was never given the report to look over for myself, and she had said that Dr. Nichelle would reach out to me via phone call to review it which didn't happen. Dr. Nichelle was also incredible during my birth and I'm thankful for her care. Again, my perinatal care from Blossom overall was excellent and I wish I had been proactive to address these issues with the midwives in person, but I also feel that it is good to share my experiences for others to know what care is like at Blossom. I do truly believe that each of these midwives care about you and your baby's safety and desire for you to have the birth you want! There is certainly more freedom in your care here than at a hospital! Thank you to my midwives and to Blossom for my experience. I look back on it fondly.
This is not a good recommendation. Sadly, Blossom was not for us. This is a strong warning to any first time mom. Communicate your expectations clearly. Ask a lot of questions of the midwives & staff and request as much information about possible scenarios as to how your Birth might play out. I am writing this review 3 weeks after our experience. Discussions have taken place between us & the Blossom staff. Most of the anger and frustration has been replaced with deep sorrow & disappointment because what should have been a wonderful celebration became a nightmare. Let me say, the monthly appointments went pretty well, but when it really mattered, on birth-day, we were seriously disappointed. The midwives were distracted, disconnected, not reassuring, not informative and far from comforting. They reminded us, that's not their job. So, warning to new moms, make sure you have a VERY PREPARED & EXPERIENCED "Doula" with you. Preferably a female that has had a baby. Our experience was heartbreaking. After 4:30, in the afternoon, when our daughter's water broke, we anticipated a baby within a few hours...however, 12 hours of crazy pain, agony & doing everything on our own, still no baby. The midwives did not step in to help until 2:00 am. By then extreme fatigue & despair was setting in as well as alarm for the baby and for the mother's health. We finally at 5:30 am said, enough! Transport was necessary. Thankfully the ambulance arrived quickly. My daughter, still having contractions, & myself, along with one Midwife, rode to St Joe's. Thankfully, a wonderful team of doctors and nurses met us in the emergency bay. They wisked us to OB, put our daughter & husband in a room. The doctor made assessments. Our daughter was dialated to a 10, they started an IV, and somehow, our daughter pushed for another hour and half and soon she deliverd a healthy baby girl. Despite our daughter's incredible endurance & composure, she was completely drained. Thankfully, our new little family was able to rest and recover & spend the night in peace, at the hospital. The medical team was comforting, caring and they honored our daughter's original birth plan, despite the transfer from Blossom. Bottom line is, we expected much more from seasoned Midwives. They seemed like amateurs to us. Blossom does not provide the medical attention, nor necessary communication & direction to help 1st time moms understand or anticipate what they are about to experience. There was very little, if any guidance or explanation given to our daughter throughout her birthing process, as to what her body was going through. All of this DRAMA & TRAUMA could have been avoided if the midwives had led with compassion & love.
