An article about my midwife!

Oakland male midwife is one of 3 in state

Thornton delivers babies at Magee-Womens Hospital of UPMC in Oakland. He prefers to practice almost like an old country doctor, making house calls when necessary and staying with the mother at her bedside until the baby is born.

He said he doesn't like the "large, impersonal, almost conveyer belt process" of delivering babies at some hospitals.

"There is no substitute for spending time with people," Thornton said.

As a doula, I am thrilled to see illustrated yet another choice women in Pittsburgh have when pregnant.

On a personal note, I think that Patrick is a paramount professional and a compassionate care provider. I don't know how we would have made it through the first few months of Badger's gestation trying to get support from an ob/gyn in 4 minute appointments. It meant the world to us to have someone lay out the possibilities and options regarding the unexplained bleeding and suspected anencephaly. We declined some tests that we probably would've been bullied into from another health care provider and he was willing to refer us to imaging centers for ultrasounds even though he probably wouldn't have chosen that himself. For the first time in my life I was a participant in my health care, and I think the confidence that began as I made my own decisions during the first trimester fostered my commitment to VBAC!