Obstetrics Service
Directions
The Obstetrics Service is located inside the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, which is located on Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Tacoma, Wash., in Madigan Army Medical Center. From I-5, take exit 122 (Berkley Street). After entering the gate, go to the 2nd traffic light and turn right onto Beaumont Avenue into the Medical Mall parking “purple” lot. Enter the main entrance to the Medical Mall and take the escalator down to the ground floor. OB/GYN is at the bottom of the escalator to your right.
About
The Obstetrics Service at Madigan Army Medical Center delivers approximately 2,000 babies annually. In order to deliver premier healthcare, the obstetrical service uses a team approach, including nurses, midwives, general obstetrician/gynecologists and high risk perinatologists (maternal fetal medicine physicians). Care at Madigan is guided by the evidence based Department of Defense pregnancy clinical practice guidelines. At Madigan we compare ourselves with national standards every three months to make sure we are exceeding the best standards nationwide. At the last quarter’s review, we had some great news to share. With the providers at Madigan Army Medical Center, one in four moms had a successful vaginal birth after C-section, while nationally the rate was only one in ten. Less than one percent of women got an episiotomy, while the national rate was almost nine percent. Low risk moms at Madigan Army Medical Center are two and a half times less likely to have a C-section than low risk moms nationwide.
Expecting mothers have multiple options for prenatal care and delivery including traditional individual care with a continuity provider, convenience care where patients can chose the dates and times that are the most convenient for them, midwifery care or CenteringPregnancy®. Most patients may choose to see a general obstetrician/gynecologist, certified nurse midwife, or nurse practitioner for their prenatal care. When a condition that requires more specialized care is identified, patients are moved to the complicated obstetric service which is staffed by upper level ob/gyn residents, perinatology fellows and board certified perinatologists.
Our obstetric care is cutting edge and offers the best options for genetic screening, childbirth education and breastfeeding classes, VBAC options for those with a prior cesarean delivery, a range of contraceptive options post-delivery (including tubal ligation or immediate insertion of nexplanon or an IUD), lactation support and Makena for those patients with a prior preterm delivery. We encourage exercise for all our patients, and support the P3T program for our pregnant active duty population.
At 19-22 weeks all mothers receive a screening ultrasound at our Antenatal Diagnostic Center (ADC). Here you will be cared by our perinatology team consisting of six board certified perinatologists, perinatology fellows, and obstetric ultrasound technicians. For those patients who choose to undergo genetic screening during their pregnancy this is also accomplished in the ADC. High risk patients who require repeated ultrasound screening and nonstress testing (NSTs) are also be cared for here.
Our Birthing Center consists of 8 labor and delivery suites, 3 antepartum rooms, and a hydrotherapy suite. Two well-equipped operating rooms allow the obstetrics team to provide the full spectrum of procedural capability. The Obstetrics Service enhances patient satisfaction and safety through a team approach to care. The Birthing Center has 24 hour in-house nursing, midwife, physician, and anesthesiology teams. We offer all birth experiences from low intervention options like hydrotherapy, non-pharmacologic support for pain relief and intermittent fetal monitoring to high tech surgical intervention with percutaneous umbilical cord sampling, multiple anesthesia options and cesarean delivery. We encourage all patients to communicate their birthing desires to their team through our birth plan.