Susan Melnikow

Midwife

Official "Ask the Expert"

Susan has been a practicing Certified Nurse-Midwife for over thirty years. Susan says she feels so blessed to have found her true “calling” and passion in midwifery, and “it’s an honor to be able to share in the special experience of each unique birth.” Susan started her career with home birth, which afforded her the opportunity to really learn and come to understand the birth process. This provided a strong foundation for her midwifery practice and trust of birth. She has practiced in four different birth centers over the years, including Best Start Birth Center in San Diego. She also was the lead midwife for a large practice at Scripps Hospital in Encinitas for sixteen years. She is now working part time with the midwives at UCSD, as well as with the OB Hospitalist Program at Scripps Encinitas, as she is prepares to open a new birth center, Tree of Life for Healthy Birthing and Parenting, slated to open in May 2014 in Encinitas.

Episodes for this expert

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  Resuming Your Sexual Relationship After Pregnancy

  Well, you had sex to make a baby, but regaining that physical intimacy after birth may be harder than you think. What’s going on within in your body to either help or hinder the process?

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  Birth Certificates and Social Security Cards for Your Newborn

  Birth certificates and social security cards, most of us use this information on a daily basis. And all the paperwork to create those documents start the moment you are born. As a parent, what do you need to know about filling-out these documents for your child? How does the processing of these documents differ if delivering in a hospital versus a birthing center?

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  How To Know When You’re in Labor

  Whether this is your first baby, or your fifth baby… every pregnancy is different so it may be difficult to tell if you are really in labor. What are some of the common “warning signs”? What’s the ideal way to count your contractions? And when should you leave home and head for the hospital?

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  Birthing Centers: An Alternative to Hospitals

  If you’re going for a more natural childbirth experience, then a birthing center might be best for you. How does a birthing center differ from a hospital? What services to they offer moms-to-be and how do they ensure that you and baby are safe at all times?

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