08/02/2025
📢 Important Update from Semigranola Birth Services
I want to share something both disappointing and important with the families I serve and the community I love.
In May, I received a letter from Midtown OB-GYN stating that, effective June 9, 2025, I am no longer allowed to attend births as a doula for their patients. This decision was made without any prior discussion, dialogue, or opportunity for resolution. I was not made aware of any specific concerns until this letter arrived.
The letter claims that there were multiple instances where I gave medical advice that conflicted with their medical recommendations and, in their view, jeopardized the safety of patient care. I want to be absolutely clear: I do not give medical advice. I offer evidence-based information, emotional support, and comfort techniques—all within the ethical and legal scope of practice as a professional doula. Even after receiving the letter, I have not been provided with a single example or any evidence of when or how I supposedly crossed that line.
Ultimately, it is always the client’s decision how to proceed with their care. As doulas, we support informed choice and respect a woman’s right to weigh her options, ask questions, and make decisions that feel right for her and her baby.
But what concerns me most is this: in my opinion the underlying message of this letter is that supportive care during birth is a threat to their system.
🚩 A major red flag: An OB practice telling clients they cannot have the support person of their choice—someone they hired, someone they trust, someone who helps them advocate for themselves during one of the most vulnerable moments of their lives.
This isn’t just about me—it’s about women’s birth rights. It’s about bodily autonomy. It’s about informed consent and respectful care.
If a practice cannot tolerate the presence of someone who supports you in asking questions or slowing down to understand your options, that’s something every family should pause to consider.
To be honest, when I firsy received this letter I felt blindsided and hurt. I continued to support this OB practice even after one of their doctors slandered me—sharing untrue things about me with a potential client in an attempt to discredit me. Despite that, I still gave them the benefit of the doubt. I referred families to them because I believed they were one of the better options available. I supported them because I thought they supported women.
But after this experience, I will no longer be referring clients to or supporting this clinic in any way. This feels like a classic big guy vs. little guy situation—where a large, established medical practice uses its power to silence or discredit an independent birth worker simply for showing up in support of women’s autonomy.
My commitment remains unchanged: to support, educate, and empower families through their pregnancy and birth journeys—without fear, coercion, or pressure. I will continue to walk alongside my clients wherever I am allowed, and I will keep fighting for respectful, informed, physiologic birth options in our community.
If you’ve given birth at Midtown OB-GYN or plan to, and this concerns you, I encourage you to ask questions. You have the right to choose your support team—and you deserve transparency.
With love and fierce advocacy,
💗LaTonya
Semigranola Birth Services
