Dr. Christina Sebestyen, OBGYN North

I had to be induced with both of my children. My first induction took place in Las Vegas, and it was a miserable experience. I moved to Austin and was referred to OB GYN North, and just gave birth to my second child in December. The induction process was so much gentler, and the practice is really focused on the woman/mother. I would refer this practice to anyone I know. Pros: they're focused on natural birth, but don't pressure you more

I transferred to this practice from a very large and popular OBGYN across the street. I changed doctors after having three friends that ended up getting C-sections in his practice with no real explanation. I wanted a practice that was non-interventionist (unless truly an emergency) and embraced the natural birth process- I found it here. They are not super high tech and fancy like my old doctor, but I now know that they offer much more. I have longer appointments where they answer all my question, no matter how long it takes, every time. They offer thoughtful explanations and I can easily get in for an appointment when needed. Everybody knows me and seem to remember everyone else. They also offer in house circumcisions, which have received rave reviews from other people I know. The ONLY constructive criticism I have would be for the woman who performs the sonograms. Seeing our baby inside the womb was a magical experience- and this office does not offer sonograms after 20 weeks unless needed- so getting one is very special. Both times my husband and I explained how excited we were and how special it was, while she was ignoring us and telling us to hurry up. She griped about her day and would not respond when we spoke to her until I repeated my question 3 times. She was going so fast- we begged for a picture and she printed it out so quick it was tilted and ripped. Every other patient I know has had a similar experience with this woman. I implore this practice to address this problem- everything else has been simply wonderful!!! Pros: Amazing doctors and midwives Cons: Sonogram tech has bad attitude more

I worked with Dr. Sebestyen's practice, and Dr. Campaigne (her partner) ultimately was the dr. more

I agree with another review posted below...I really wanted to like this place. Dr. Campaign is incredible, as is Lisa however, Kathy Harrison was the most insensitive women I've ever met. My husband and I had several scares that we were going to miscarry, each time the nurses and front office staff insisted that we come in immediately. However, when we were see by Kathy or the woman who does sonograms they were short and rude. The woman who completed our sonograms even complained to me that she had already been working eight hours and was annoyed that we came in. Pros: Their philosophy Cons: Standard of care more

After having a traumatic birth experience that resulted in a c-section at Seton with my 1st child I was nervous when my husband and I decided to have a 2nd. I was afraid of OBGYNs and the apparent belief that birth is ALWAYS a medical event in need of medical intervention. I initially went to the same OBGYN and mentioned that I wanted to try for a VBAC. I was told I could try but scared into thinking I was a bad parent b/c of the risk involved. That is when I started looking for a new OBGYN. I spoke with labor and delivery nurses at all the major hospitals in Austin for recommendations and learned that North Austin Medical Center is the only hospital in Austin that allows midwifes to attend births and that Dr. Sebestyans hard work and belief that birth is a natural process is the reason for this change. Nurse after nurse complimented Dr. Sebestyan, Dr. Champaigne and the 3 midwives that work with them (Lisa, Liane and Kathy). SAFETY WAS MY #1 CONCERN, BUT I ALSO WANTED A NATURAL PEACEFUL DELIVERY. I wanted the best of both worlds which meant I needed to be in a hospital in case of VBAC complications! This office is the only office I found where I could get the best of both worlds. When I went into labor, Lisa (one of the amazing midwifes) was with me throughout the process and we delivered a healthy baby girl 100% naturally (no medical intervention, no epidural, no pressuring me to speed up the process). I felt safe that I was in a hospital, but I also had the support and guidance of a team of professionals that TRULY and WHOLEHEARTEDLY supported my desire for a natural birth. I trusted the women at this practice so much, I would have gladly chosen a repeat c-section if this is what they recommended to me. Instead, they assisted and supported me through a completely natural and successful VBAC. The birth of my 2nd daughter with this practice renewed my faith in the medical profession and in myself as a powerful birthing capable woman! Pros: YOU CAN HAVE HOME BIRTH EXPERIENCE IN HOSPITAL more

When I found out I was pregnant I did a lot of research on top doctors in Austin, I was given the names of several well known practices in the Austin area and met with them to discuss their philosophy around pregnancy, delivery and labor. After my consultations, I was surprised that Austin had so few doctors that supported my hope of having a natural labor. After meeting Dr. Sebestyen, I felt so releaved to find someone who was open to allowing me to to do what felt right during my labor as long as my baby and I were healthy. I got to know everyone in the practice very well and felt releaved that they all share the same philosophy. Lisa Carlile delivered my baby this past January and I could not have been happier with the labor and delivery. I felt 100% supported and never felt pressured to use interventions, I was actually the one to request an epidural towards the end of the labor and Lisa and the staff at St. Davids North was very supportive of my decision and did not belittle me or make me feel bad about my decision. I am happy to say that this practice is for anyone who wants to feel in control of their bodies during delivery regardless if they are wanting a natural birth or have the help of medical intervetions. Pros: Knowledgable, Compassionate Staff more

I debated for some time about my prenatal care and could not decide between a birthing center or my OBGYN. I had been to Dr. Sebestyen and Campaigne's office once previously for my annual but saw a midwife, not the doctors. I knew very little about them. When I found out I was pregnant I set up an appointment with them as well as the birthing center. Unexpectedly I had to be seen before my scheduled appointment and unfortunately found out I had lost my pregnancy. I saw Dr. Campaigne the day of the ultrasound and she was AMAZING. She is hands down the most sincere, compassionate, and kind doctor I have every encountered. She also performed my d&c at the hospital and was so kind. I felt like she treated me like a friend, not a patient. I now know that for my next pregnancy there will not be a debate between Dr. Sebestyen and Campaigne and a birthing center - I feel completely comfortable with their practice. Pros: Incredibly compassionate and caring Cons: Rude front desk staff more

This was my 2nd delivery, the first delivery with this group. My first labor I didn't know what to expect, and was much less educated about what was happening, and trusted my doctor completely to make the best decisions for me. The first labor was very long and I had lots of pitocin and consequently, had to have an epidural very early. I was not given a chance for my body to labor on its own, but I did not know better. I also had an episiotomy, which I did not want (and looking back did not need.) I was with another group (who is highly regarded and rated on here) who believes in a lot of ""medical"" intervention. They induce and use pitocin too freely and think that a woman heals better from an episiotomy, than a tear. Let me tell you, I switched to Dr. Sebestyens office for these reasons. They will listen to you, they know their facts about medical intervention, and when it is neccesary, and they believe and support a woman's ability to allow her body to do what it was meant to do, with as little medical intervention as possible. My labor was a third (length of time) of what it was the first time, I had a small tear, that I healed beautifully and quickly from. And, they did not push anything on me. It was a wonderful experience and this group is the reason why. They truly understand what a woman's body is capable of, and what is the best for it. I would recommend them to anyone. I truly felt like they cared about my birth plan and they made me feel confident going into the labor and delivery. Pros: Great doctors and midwives more

What made this pregnancy different from my first was the way Dr. Sebestyen, Dr. Campaigne, and the Nurse Midwives; Miller,Harrison-Short, and Carlie, communicated. Communication and answering patients' questions completely is the key to a great Doctor/Patient relationship and OBGYN North did that. Thank you very much for making me feel comfortable and able to trust you. more

I went to Dr. Thompson when she owned the practice and decided to stay when I heard that midwives would deliver babies now. During my pregnancy I was shocked at how bad the front office was, rude, argumentive, and then some creeping guy that works there gets involved and pretends to solve what ever problem. I have to admire the effort to get midwives in hospitals, but a hospital is still a hospital. . They encourage ""natural"" childbirth, but what they really mean is no pain medication.There's nothing natural about having an IV and constant fetal monitoring. I expressed concerns about natural childbirth at every single visit and towards the very end of my pregnancy they told me all of the standard interventions that they ""have"" to do because they deliver with midwives, doesn't that defeat the whole point? Declining any testing or procedures was met with great resistance and I can't stand being bullied into something. At the end of it all, I decided being hooked up to a bunch of machines in a hospital wasn't for me and I decided I didn't trust them enough to deliver my baby. I wish the practice great success, but I hope it becomes less about their careers and more about the care of women. All women have the right to make informed decisions about your healthcare and the birth of your child. You have the right to say no, don't let a hurried doctor tell you otherwise. Pros: Some of the staff is great.... Cons: terrible front office, more med-wife than mid-wife more

I have been going to this practice for a while. I have seen both doctors. They are knowledgeable, kind doctors and I love that they incorporate midwives in their practice. Pros: Kind, smart doctors Cons: Disorganized staff that seems to always be too busy to help more

Here's a rundown of my experience at this practice... April-June of 2008: Came in for a pre-conception consult/exam. Due to some concerns in my cycle, was sent for labwork. It took one week to get a return phonecall with my lab results, after repeated calls. I needed to repeat the labwork to confirm the results the following month, and, again, it took days to receive a phonecall regarding the results. Was given a possible diagnosis based on the labwork and referred to a fertility clinic. July of 2008: Got Pregnant on our own before even seeing the fertility specialist! Based on the probable diagnosis from Dr Sebestyen, this should have not been possible. Requested labwork to confirm pregnancy was progressing as expected (HCG *AND* Progesterone). Round one: It turned out the nurse forgot to order the progesterone, so I only got HCG results. Round two: To see progress, I needed to return 48 hours later for the same test. This time the nurse forgot to fax the lab order to the lab. On the plus side, she remembered to order progesterone. Round Three: I went back again 48 hours later for another draw. This time it was on a Friday. I made sure to call and remind the nurse to fax over the lab slip before I drove over. Monday came and went without a call from the nurse. I left a voicemail requesting someone to call with the lab results but didn't hear back. That evening I began to miscarry. Tuesday I called first thing, and the nurse apologetically explained that they thought someone had already contacted me to let me know I was going to miscarry. Nope! I came in that day in tears (hormones) and had to wait for about 20 minutes in the waiting room, crying. The nurse midwife who saw me seemed somewhat clueless and awkward. She ordered more labwork, which happened to be very time-critical, since depending on the result, I might need to receive a Rhogam injection. She promised I would be called ASAP with the results to let me know if I needed to return. Guess what? NO PHONE CALL! I had to call them to ask if it had come in. We had to rush over to get the injection before the office closed. Two weeks later I had a question for the nurse and called in. She asked if I had been seen for my two-week followup appointment. As a matter of fact, no, I hadn't, because I was never told I needed to schedule it. !!! They were able to fit me in the next day. sigh. This time, I saw a different nurse midwife who was very compassionate, knowledgeable and professional. My time using this practice was done, though. There was no way I was going to trust another pregnancy to such incompetent staff. I found another doctor, a solo practice. I was able to schedule an appointment right away. He took one look at my chart and said that there's no indication that I had the infertility condition Dr Sebestyen suspected. He found no signs of it in my labwork or basal body temperature records I had been keeping. I could tell he was baffled at why she thought I had that condition. I'm now pregnant again, and my new doctor's nursing staff calls me promptly with all lab results. I know that if I leave them a message by 4 PM I'll receive a call back the same day. Dr Sebestyen is doing admirable work to promote natural labor and delivery in a hospital setting and advocating for nurse midwives attending hospital births. I give her credit for this. However, I believe she might be pulled in too many directions. She can't keep appointments on schedule, I would assume, because she takes on too many patients. She doesn't monitor the quality of care and performance of her nurses closely enough. She doesn't have a roadmap of standard care published for her nurses and nurse midwives to follow to ensure that no scheduled treatments are missed along the way, like my followup exam almost was. Before taking on the world, it's a good idea to first make sure your house is in order. When I was her patient, it was not. Pros: Natural Childbirth and midwife delivery options Cons: Horribly run practice, incompetent nursing staff more

if you're looking for a place to have a natural child birth experience, where they are open to allowing you to birth almost as naturally as you would at home. this office is AWESOME. you'll love Dr. Sebestyen and Dr. Campaign. The staff is friendly and so are all the mid-wives. I had my second child here. and it was a totally different experience. wouldn't go anywhere else. Pros: friendly staff, doctors are awesome, Cons: didn't do good job of explaining cash payments more

All the research indicates midwifery is the best model of care for healthy pregnant mothers and their babies. Finally Austin has the perfect combination of care for those who choose to birth in the hospital setting. My experience with this group as a birth doula has been fantastic. Every client has been treated with the greatest respect, and their wishes for their birth has been honored as fully as possible. Women are treated kindly, as individuals, and are included in their treatment and care decisions. What a breath of fresh air in Austin! Pros: The only midwifery care in Austin hospitals! more

Dr. Campaign the ""other"" doctor in Dr. Sebestyen's practice delivered our baby, as well as having many appointments with us. She, along with the entire staff at this office, are amazing. Dr. Campaign has the best bedside manner, was supportive of all of the pieces of our birthing plan (based on our learning from Bradley and Hypnobirthing classes) and advocated for us to have exactly the birth we wanted at the North Austin Medical Center. Having Dr. Campaign help me with the birth of my baby was like having my big sister at the end of my bed helping me along! She is amazing and i can't imagine a better practice ANYWHERE! Pros: Great support of natural birthing; best beside manner more

I transferred to Dr Sebestyen midway through my second pregnancy. I was looking for a naturalistic birth experience and was excited by the prospect of a midwife-assisted birth. Dr. Sebestyen was nice and supportive, as were the midwives in the practice. I delivered my daughter, unmedicated, and with very little intervention. The birth was everything I wanted. My overall experience was so frustrating, however, that I will not be returning to her office for my routine care. Over the 14 weeks that I was her patient I had two appointments ""lost."" I showed up at the time I was told and was mysteriously not scheduled on that day ... or any other day that week. I never had this problem with my previous doctor and I do know how to make and keep an appointment. As I had left work to drive to far North Austin, I was quite frustrated. This was exacerbated by the fact that the administrative staff was rude and unhelpful. Standard pregnancy-related tests (glucose tolerance and group B strep) were overlooked, forgotten, and/or late. On one appointment I was reprimanded by a nurse because I had not taken my glucose screen test. I had not been told I NEEDED to take the test! She said, ""Oh. Well this is the last day you can take it so you need to go right now!"" Well, it's a good thing my job was so understanding, because I ended up spending 4 hours running all over Austin to get to my appointment and then tested. I went for my 6-week, post-delivery checkup with the delivering midwife. She and I chatted for a few minutes and then she asked who had performed the delivery and how the experience was. I looked at her for a moment and responded that SHE had, and I thought the experience was fine. Now I don't expect someone to remember every person in their practice, but at least glance at your patient's chart before walking in the exam room. Talk about lack of customer service. I know this is their job and delivering babies is mundane to them, but it was a pretty big deal to me and it would have been nice if she at least pretended to remember. The fact that I generally had to wait 20-30 minutes past my appointment time to be seen was the final deciding factor. I will not be returning to Dr Sebestyen or her associates. I had virtually the same birth experience with my first daughter and I used a ""mainstream"" practice - Women Partners in Health. The key difference their is that my doctor knew me by name, on sight, and the office was a well-oiled machine. I felt like a valued patient as opposed to a cog in the wheel. Pros: Doctor committed to naturalistic birth options Cons: Staff - rude, disorganized, scattered more

My wife choose Dr. Sebestyen for her OB through the pregnancy of our twins, and her office was phenomenal. Her practice has recently been supplemented by a wonderful new OBGYN, Dr. Campaigne, and the two of them make the office a true pleasure to visit. My wife had complications in her pregnancy, and Dr. Sebestyen did such a good job in not panicking us that we didn't even know it was an emergency until the next day and the babies were safe! Pros: Very skilled doctor with great bedside manner and a welcoming environment in the office Cons: Horrible individual working in the front of her office. Hopefully this will be resolved in the future! more

I went to this office based on some recommendations from a local group. I had recently given birth and had a bad experience w/ my doctor trying to force medical interventions during my birth that ended up not being needed and it was very stressful. For my 2nd pregnancy I knew I want natural/drug free again without the fight. I saw Dr. S as well as her midwives and everyone was fabulous. I ended seeing the newest doctor--Dr. Campaign who I do not have enough positive words to review her. She is nothing short of amazing--she worked w/ me through some stressful points in my pregnancy and so I was thrilled when she showed up to delivery my child. She not only showed up to check on me, but she stayed after to make sure I did not have any complications that I did with my first delivery. Pros: Doctors and Midwives are top notch! Cons: office staff and wait time. more

I came to Dr. S after I decided I wanted a different experience in the event that my husband and I do have a second child, since my first labor left something to be desired. Her office staff was warm and welcoming, and my time with her (much longer than I've ever had with any gynecologist) was the best time I have ever spent on my health. She listened to my concerns and gave me recommendations to prepare me in case I do become pregnant again. She's proactive and smart and cares a lot about improving women's choices. Go to her if you are looking for the best. Pros: Promotes choice in labor, midwives, not judgmental Cons: None whatsoever more

After a less than perfect birth experience with my first child, I decided midway thru my second pregnancy that I needed to find an OB that would better suit my needs and preferences. Wow! I loved every practitioner I saw and had an amazing birth. With my first pregnancy I felt like my OB and the nurses in L&D thought I was kidding when I said I wanted to have a natural birth and avoid all pain meds. I kept getting the patronizing ""We've heard that before"" type treatment. The first time I met Dr. Sebestyen I explained to her my previous experience and that I had managed to fight off the doctors and nurses and had an unmedicated birth, but that it had been a struggle to do so. She was supportive off the bat, and after meeting Dr. Campaigne and the midwives, I felt very comfortable that no matter who was on call when I went into labor I was going to get the type of birth I wanted. The front office was a little bit shaky when I first when in, but they have definitely ironed out all the wrinkles and operate with ease now! As I mentioned in the title, I felt compelled to not only give the midwife who delivered my son a gift, but also made fudge to take to them at my postpartum visit last week. I had never felt like taking a gift to any doctor I had seen before (and usually dread going), but these ladies go out of their way to make you feel comfortable and it shows. I have an appointment to go in next month for an IUD and I will be baking something for them then too! Pros: Friendly, supportive professional staff. Cons: Parking can sometimes be tough. more