First time mom OBGYN and Hospital Recommendations in Dallas
Posted by kaylamalyak@reddit | Dallas | View on Reddit | 54 comments
For those who only read the first few lines:
Looking for:
- OB-GYN at Texas Health Presbyterian Dallas or Baylor University Medical Center (Dallas)
- Female OB-GYN, preferably a woman of color
- Provider who prioritizes autonomy-forward, low-intervention care
For those who read everything (I appreciate you đ¤):
Iâm hoping to start trying to conceive in the next \~6 months, so Iâm doing my research now and would love recommendations. I live IN the city of Dallas so please no Plano, Frisco, McKinney recommendations.
Iâd ideally like one primary OB throughout my pregnancy (with the understanding someone else may deliver), so itâs important that I also feel comfortable with the overall practice.
What Iâm looking for:
- Specific doctor recommendations
- Your experience at Texas Health Presbyterian Dallas vs. Baylor University Medical Center (Dallas)
- Doula + midwife recommendations
1. Hospital Choice
Iâm currently deciding between:
- Baylor University Medical Center (Dallas) âHigh Performingâ for maternity care (U.S. News), Level IV maternal center
- Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas (Margot Perot Center for Women & Infants) large maternity program, Level III NICU
Originally, I was drawn to birthing centers, but given my history (prior miscarriage + fibroids), I recognize a hospital setting is likely the safer choice. If theres some sort of hybrid location or a hospital that will let me walk around or give birth kneeling, that would be PERFECFT.
Would love insight on whether Iâm thinking about this the right way and how these two hospitals compare from real experiences.
2. Provider Preferences (Important)
Iâm a Black woman, and given the well-documented disparities in maternal outcomes (Black mortality rates during pregnancy being more than three times higher than the rate for White women (14.5) and significantly higher than for Hispanic or Asian women) I want to be very intentional about my care team.
- Strong preference for a Black female OB-GYN or WOC
- Open to others if they have a strong track record caring for Black patients
- Especially interested in providers who truly listen and advocate for their patients
3. Care Style
Iâm looking for someone who prioritizes:
- Autonomy-forward care
- Low-intervention birth (when safely possible)
- Experience with higher-risk pregnancies
- Strong bedside manner
4. Community + Resources
Would also love:
- Dallas-based pregnancy or new mom groups
- Any doulas or midwives you recommend
- One thing you did during pregnancy in Dallas that youâd tell every expecting mom to do
- Day care/nursery recommendations as I will have to go back to work :(
Misoangry@reddit
Dr Austin denard! She delivers at THR, actually anyone in the practice is amazing and all have the same values. They are fabulous with women of color, listen to you as a patient.
For doulas i am actually a doula and would love to chat with you! Happy to help you have an amazing birth and delivery experience. If not me I can suggest some other doulas that would be aligned with you!
Violetstorm700@reddit
Midwife and co, and they deliver at Baylor Dallas. They are amazing!
heretomeetthedog@reddit
Check out Texas Health Womenâs Care at Presby.
Dr. Lopez may be a good fit for you and they are all very pro-choice/patient autonomy. One of the doctors in the practice (Dr. Dennard) sued Texas over the abortion bans. They can handle high risk, but as a FYI, one of the best MFMs in the state is located in the same building. For really complicated cases, I think a sizeable chunk of north Texas gets sent his way.
My advice is that if this is your first pregnancy, to spend as much time treating yourself as you can. Your life will change and a new human will be at the center of it very soon. Equally important is for your partner to understand how their life will change and they need to support you through the recovery process too.
As a very practical bit of advice: donât overpack for the hospital and have an empty duffel to take home all of the things that they give you. Donât be shy about sending baby to the nursery while in the hospital so you can have a few hours of sleep knowing that baby is in expert hands. Ask for extra ice packs before you go home.
My hospital bag: Wallet with ID and insurance card Phone and charger with XL cord Toothbrush/toothpaste Going home outfit for me Going home outfit for baby
No, hospital towels and gowns arenât the best, but not having more laundry to do is a win!
IamSherlocked_2020@reddit
Park Lane OBGYN has permissions with BSW downtown and the whole practice is INCREDIBLE. Several OBGYNâs that are WOC. My OBGYN is Dr. Dana Potter and I canât sing her praises enough.
I had my twins November of last year and she truly listened to EVERY concern I had. She wanted as much intervention as I wanted, and she let me lead each appointment. She was down for delivering my twins vaginally as long as one wasnât breech. She got me diagnosed with Cholestasis of pregnancy after I mentioned my symptoms offhandedly. Little did we know my water would break a week later and she delivered my twins at 32 weeks. I had a massive 5.5L hemorrhage after my C Section and she was cool, calm, and collected the entire time (that I could remember) bringing me back to the OR to stabilize me. She took her time to come to the ICU after I was stabilized (that night) to walk me through WTF happened that day. I truly cannot sing her praises enough every day. I love that woman to death, and I recommend every single one of my friends who needs a new OBGYN to join her practice đ
kaylamalyak@reddit (OP)
Twins run in my family so this was extremely helpful!!! Iâm glad she took such good care of you!
Complex_Millennial@reddit
My doctor is Dr. Joykutty at this practice. She is Indian. I plan on using her when i hopefully get pregnant next year. Love her!
tkb23@reddit
+++++ Joykutty! She has delivered both of my daughters and I canât recommend her highly enough
noble_land_mermaid@reddit
Dr Joykutty delivered both my boys - I love her so much!
Nursenurseynurse@reddit
Joykutty is amazing! She used to be a nurse which just makes her a different kind of doctor. She's great at balancing keeping you safe but also letting you drive the boat within reason. And her suturing skills are chefs kiss.
miss_neuron@reddit
I had Dr. joykutty and I canât tell you how much I appreciate her being through. Being WOC she was concerned with issues commonly related to my ethnicity and sure enough she identified/diagnosed them for both my pregnancy. Her ratings speak for it self!
newnycrunner@reddit
This practice RULES. Iâm with Dr Potter and sheâs actually out on maternity leave right now so Iâve been rotating amongst the other doctors and theyâre all freaking awesome.
Otherwise-One-4225@reddit
Disclaimer first, I'm not a WOC, so I can't speak to that. Also, my experiences at Baylor were 10 years ago and Presby was 8 years ago, so things may have changed.
Check out Dallas Women's Wellness. It's a group of midwives who operate out of Texas Presbyterian in Dallas. If you want low intervention in a hospital, midwives are the way to go. They have a consulting OB/GYN who they send patients to when necessary. The midwife who delivered my daughter 8 years ago is no longer in Texas, but she was training one of the midwives in this group at the end of my pregnancy. It was honestly one of my favorite pregnancy/labor experiences ever. I had 3 of my 5 babies under the care of midwives in hospitals, and I liked those experiences significantly more than when I was seeing an OB/GYN
Having delivered at both Presby and Baylor, I prefer Presby. I was able to use nitrous oxide (laughing gas) before I had the necessary IV fluids in me to get an epidural, and I feel like Presby was a more supportive environment in general for laboring in different positions.
tessram@reddit
Although heâs not a woman, I absolutely love my OBGYN and am about to have my second baby with him. He is very attentive to any and all concerns, explains everything extremely well, and I honestly just canât say enough good things about him. He listens to his patients and explains his advice with whatâs backed by the research.
https://obgadallas.com/dr-ashwin-gaitonde/
He delivers at Baylor Dallas, I had a really good experience there with my first and will be having my second there in a couple of weeks. Re: Baylor Dallas, something that I really found helpful was that they have an anesthesia team dedicated to Labor & Delivery that only performs epidurals (if youâre wanting one), so they are really good at them. That gave me a ton of peace of mind, and can confirm that it was an extremely smooth process.
There is a female doctor at his practice that Iâve seen for one appointment if you want to look into her: https://obgadallas.com/dr-tiffany-hong/
I hope this helps!
Hot_Performer_3090@reddit
Kecia Foxworth
hypogly@reddit
Be wary of doulas who donât share evidence-based recommendations. The Vitamin K shot and immunizations are life-saving.
Born_Net_6668@reddit
This.
djcamic@reddit
Is there any reason you're not interested in UTSW? I've had a few friends and coworkers over the years (including Black women) have a great experience at Clements University Hospital, although they were not low intervention births!
mrsmateen@reddit
I was just about to ask the same. A few of my (Black) friends have given birth at UTSW and they all said they had an outstanding experience.
dnf007@reddit
Second looking at UTSW as well. I've heard great things about all 3 hospitals
Defiant-Pen-2339@reddit
Anecdotally, I donât think UTSW is a great option if sheâs looking for low intervention. For the first half of my first pregnancy, my doctors were at UTSW. I told my main doctor that I wanted low intervention, natural/drug free birth and his response (verbatim) was, âYou either get critical care, or you get freedom in how you give birth.â
dnf007@reddit
Fair enough. My friend had a pretty low intervention plan with her OB but things turned south quickly and they saved both her and baby. It may also vary in terms of your OB and the group they're in as will be the case everywhere!
Defiant-Pen-2339@reddit
Absolutely agree! Itâs so so dependent on the doctor you have. Iâm very glad your friend and her baby are ok!
Suitable-Gas2897@reddit
I know this probably isnât a concern at the moment, but FWIW, Baylor sent me home with a whole lasagna, garlic bread, salad, a jug of iced tea & cookie tray. Just saying.
amunoz09@reddit
Hispanic woman here currently 8 months pregnant with my first and left Park Lane OBGYN for Dr. Jackson at Magnolia OBGYN. Both are in service at Baylor Dallas but my OB at Park Lane seemed a little condescending and stuck up. Dr. Jackson is way nicer and listens to concerns in a non sassy way. But Iâm also high risk and I do not recommend Pediatrix at Baylor if you do need a MFM doctor. There are two doctors there that arenât the warmest people to interact with. They also donât seem to properly communicate with my OB or update reports and itâs so frustrating.
Educational_Law1418@reddit
https://carlosparnellmd.com/
All the doctors are amazing.
Big_Car_7725@reddit
I've heard Parkland of all places delivers so many babies they are REALLY good at it. I have no idea though. I have never heard them mentioned positively for anything else.
Pocah_ram@reddit
Baylor University Medical Center and UTSW! Best hospitals in the area
ProfessionFormal995@reddit
I think Dr. Tara Dooley checks every one of your boxes with the exception of being a woman of color. I cannot speak to her experience there, but she is at Presbyterian on Walnut Hill and she fits all the rest of your criteria.
valiantdistraction@reddit
Dr. Tara Dooley or Dr. Tara Dullye? I couldn't find a Dooley with a Google search
ProfessionFormal995@reddit
Tara Dullye!
ProfessionFormal995@reddit
Just an additional noteâshe has her own practice, she's not a part of a large practice with 10 doctors where you're treated like a number. I loved seeing the same faces every single time I went in and knowing that I wouldn't get shifted around at the last minute.
Majestic_Box8106@reddit
Daycare recommendation: my son has been at FPC Day School for a year and theyâre fantastic. Almost all of the teachers are Black women and theyâve been working there for a long time!
I delivered at Medical City Dallas and loved all of it.
kelseyhart24@reddit
Shantell Jiggetts, OB/GYN is a woman of color; she only practices gynecology.
big-dal-tex@reddit
I loved presby
tayloreep@reddit
Gyn-Ob associates of Dallas at TXH Dallas â had both my babies with them. I see Dr Rosenfield specifically. Multiple female doctors. Just delivered my second there a couple weeks ago. 10/10
blanketenthusiast@reddit
Canât recommend this practice enough!
throwawaylawyering14@reddit
Second this practice and Dr. R!
valiantdistraction@reddit
Dr. Choi at Walnut Hill Obgyn. She's incredibly smart. Absolutely great.
I chose to deliver at BUMC. But if you're going with Presby, I recommend Dr. Choi. I know several WOC who have gone to Dr. Tara Dullye and had a good experience. I think she is white.
For pregnancy or new mom groups, what area are you in? The Early Childhood PTAs are in basically every area, the one I'm in is pretty diverse, and many of them have multiple activities and socials. If the one that directly covers your area isn't very active, look for one in a neighboring area that is. NDDA has a postpartum group for their clients. Some of the larger pediatric practices have postpartum support groups. Baby classes are aka a great way to meet other parents of kids of similar ages, and neighborhood playgroups arranged usually through neighborhood FB pages or GroupMes.
For daycares, what area are you in?
valiantdistraction@reddit
Also if you want to DM me with what elementary school you are zoned to, I can point you to the nearest active early childhood pta. People start coming to the one I'm in while pregnant before even having a baby.
stopwarsaveplants@reddit
Hey just want to say good luck on your pregnancy journey!
I just had a baby in December and was not super happy with either my doctor or my birth experience at Medical City, so good on you for planning now. If I do it again I will 100% be getting a doula. I also am searching for a new OBGYN so following this post for those recommendations.
I do have thoughts around building community :)
-Find a prenatal fitness group! I did prenatal yoga and it was one of the highlights of my pregnancy -Join your bump group on reddit once you get pregnant. That was my lifeline in the first few months postpartum -I have since joined Fit4Moms and highly recommend it or something like it. It's a workout group that meets at white rock lake and you can bring your baby in their stroller.
valiantdistraction@reddit
Seconding Reddit bump groups. WAY more sane than the FB ones.
fowlkris87@reddit
I had a great experience with Midwife + Co
LawyerSensitive2317@reddit
Check out Dallas Midwives! They work with Baylor, and also have a great relationship with OB/GYN that practices there if necessary.
We wanted to go with them with our first but our insurance at the time wouldnât work with Baylor.
Electrical_Long_4222@reddit
Not WOC, but all three of our children have been delivered by Dr. Murray with Walnut Hill OBGYN. She's incredible. I know it sounds stupid to say this, but she has shown herself to be extremely progressive in terms of treatment and birth options, so I have no doubt that she would also be well aware of the many discriminatory practices that still exist in medicine w/r/t black women specifically and account for them accordingly. All of the other doctors in the practice are great as well, but we went with Murray.
We were going for a low-intervention birth, but our first wound up being too large to deliver and needed caesarian. The other two were c-sections (we didn't go for a VBAC b/c of the risks), and all were handled wonderfully by the doctors at Walnut Hill. I highly recommend them.
As for hospitals, I think you're right given your medical history to go for a hospital setting. There are a million unknowns with every birth, and I personally wouldn't want to risk my or my child's life for my own preferred birthing experience -- things often don't work out as planned!
We've had two friends who had somewhat nightmarish experiences at Baylor. We also have friends with great experiences there, but I would spend some time reading more about each hospital and its pros/cons. The Texas Health system is phenomenal, which ultimately led us to choose Presby and WH OBGYN. But honestly I think all 4 of the major labor and delivery hospitals in DFW (Presby, Baylor, UTSW, and Medical City) are wonderful options for expecting mothers.
I don't have opinions on midwifes or doulas since we didn't opt for those, but your OB will no doubt have recommendations.
I have tons of opinions on East Dallas childcare, but would need to know general areas where you live and work.
Congratulations, and hoping for a smooth pregnancy for you!
cyclekween@reddit
FWIW, I had fertility treatments and my first baby with Walnut Hill OBGYN, and the quality of care has sharply declined in the past year. The experience I have had is worldâs different than the first time around. The correspondences Iâve had with the nursing team have lacked empathy and have been extremely disorganized. I would look elsewhere.
ZookeepergameOk8271@reddit
Sierra Fisher at BUMC! WOC + baddie
PenelopeJude@reddit
Dr. Richard Kaye at UTSW (his office is on Hillcrest and NW Hwy). Heâs the best!
Weary-Idea1677@reddit
Dr Jessy joykutty , park lane OBGYN, bsw delivery, love her
Dfwmom@reddit
ut southwestern is worlds better than baylor.
Patricia Santiago-Munoz, M.D.: Obstetrics and Gynecology | Maternal-Fetal Consultations | UT Southwestern Medical Center
goodjuju123@reddit
Youâre very brave as a WOC to have a baby in Texas.
kaylamalyak@reddit (OP)
I really would travel to another state if possible but alas
Defiant-Pen-2339@reddit
North Dallas Doula Associates is wonderful! I used them for all three of my births. Ann Myhre or Bethany Boland are angels, but who you get is highly dependent on their schedules if youâre not a returning client.
This doesnât tick your WOC preference, but the entire practice at Swiss OBGyn has permissions at Baylor Downtown and they partner with the doulas at NDDA. Theyâre super receptive to their patients and willing to do whatever is safely possible to give you the birth experience you want. Wait times are rougher than a big hospital would be, but youâre very likely to see your same doctor throughout your pregnancy and then have that doctor attend your birth vs just getting whoever is working that day.
Baylor Downtown is also incredible so if youâre on the fence between Presbyterian and BSW, I suggest Baylor. Their L&D really does follow where you want to go in your birth instead of pushing interventions. They also just recently renovated their delivery rooms and have birthing tubs in case you end up wanting to labor in one!
Silver-Ship@reddit
Seconding North Dallas Doulas and Baylor!
Old_Source_4776@reddit
As important as choosing an OB, if you want low interventions, is hiring your own doula. Theyâre theyâre to advocate for you and your decisions and have seen it all.