Margaret Strickhouser, MD - Strickhouser Margaret MD

I started my pregnancy out with a traditional OB/GYN and started looking into water births. I found Margaret, one of the only CNM's in Atl offering water births. Every visit I had with Margaret in the office was cold, uninformative, and rushed. 3 days short of being two weeks past my due date, she scheduled a monitoring session to make sure the baby was okay. Margaret showed up two hours late for this. By the end of the appointment, we had decided it was best to induce labor and she sent me strait to the hospital. Upon my first meeting with Margaret, she assured me that she would be there every step of the way during delivery. I arrived at the hospital at 1pm and Margaret didn't show up til 10:30pm!! The nurses were beyond aweful to me. Wouldn't let me get up and walk, wouldn't let me move on the bed, wouldn't let the lights be turned out, wouldn't get a birthing ball for me etc.. When Margaret finally arrived in my room I burst into tears thinking everything would be okay and she would tell those nurses what they're supposed to be letting me do. I was wrong.. Margaret stayed with me long enough to break my water (something she preached against) and then left the room with the promise of a birthing ball to sit on. When she didn't return in the next half hour, I found out that she had retreated to the doctor's lounge to take a nap! I asked every 20min or so about when she was coming back and all I got were ""I don't know""'s. When it was time for delivery, she was talking and hugging the nurse like they were all buddy buddy and totally ignored me until I started pushing at 3:30am. After my daughter was born(half an hour later), she disappeared yet again to God only knows where and didn't return until morning just to ask me if I was ""okay"". She then promised me that she would be writing a message to the nurses to tell them not to disturb me during the night for any reason or during the day unless it was per my request. She did not write that note and the nurses were buzzing me EVERY 20 minutes and they weren't even calling me by the right name!\r \r I got woken up several times by the nurses and they even came for my daughter at 3am to take her for her heel prick! I did not receive another visit from Margaret while I was there and did not return to her for my follow up exam.\r Stay far, FAR away from this so called CNM! more

Margaret Strickhouser came to me by recomendation through a client,teacher and peer.I was highly disappointed when the loving,warm,spiritual experience I sought fell far short of my expectations.Which simply were to be cared for before,during,and after my birth experience.I also hoped to soften the experience a bit,so that it felt not so clinical,but special. At about 7and 1/2 months I became severely ill.I was unable to sleep or eat.I could not use either of my hands.I was experiencing spells of chills and shaking.I was miserable.By the time I was one and 1/2 weeks away from delivery I had neither slept nor ate in several days.During the difficult weeks prior I sought help from Margaret and the ISIS staff and was told I needed to relax.I experienced 2 hospital stays in which bloodwork was done,and since I did not have pre-eclampsia I was not taken seriously.During one of my stays Margaret looked at me and said,""I am not concerned for you or the babies health.My concern is when the baby comes are you going to be able to cope? ""Very ""empowering.""(one of the clinics supposed advantages).It has since been determined I was having severe gallbladder attacks.I was sent from the hospital after being given a massive dose of Morphine.This was North Fulton Hospital.I do not have very high praise for them either. BY the way ISIS' motto is education,preperation,counseling.Margaret ended up breaking my water at 38 and 1/2 weeks,then going home to take a nap.By this time I am feeling no way near ""empowered"".I had not slept and could no longer think for myself.No one would give me advice on the use of pitocin until I had been in labor for many hours and even then it was not Margaret ,it was the other midwife who worked for Isis.This midwife was also the one who came to see how I was,and not until around 5PM the next day.I was still horribly sick,could barely move and had not slept after laboring for 18 hours.The midwife(her name is Kay) shook her shoulders and in a very cavalier manner said,""Oh well,you just gave birth."" Margaret did not show up for the delivery untiI I was 8 cm dialated btw,(about an hour beforebirth) Also ,my baby was born with an elevated WBC because of my water being broken for so many hours with no antibiotics;which when I finally hunted Margaret down 3 days later she was unaware of. During my delivery Margaret and her nurse joked and gossiped about the Dr. she once worked for and hated,the entire time.ISIS,goddess of fertlility and motherhood must have been crying.I could go on and on but let it suffice to say that I actually switched to another OBGYN for my follow up exam. It is now 6 and 1/2 months later,my daughter,Sophia is healthy happy,and beautiful.But I will have to re-write her birth story.I wanted to tell her it was beautiful,spiritual;tough maybe, but at least dignified.This is my truth and it deserves telling before I burn and forgive. Pros: None. Cons: Burnt out,disrespectful,cold.. more