FAQ
About Millie
Millie is a new kind of women’s health clinic that offers complete, collaborative, culturally sensitive care. With maternity, gynecology, and wraparound support services, we’re with you from preconception through early parenthood and beyond.
We offer maternity, gynecology, and wraparound support.
We have two locations: Berkeley and South Bay.
Our Berkeley clinic is located at 2999 Regent Street, Suite 524, Berkeley, CA 94705.
Our South Bay clinic is located at 1471 Saratoga Ave, Suite 101, San Jose, CA 95129.
To reach our Berkeley clinic after business hours, call (510) 495-0310. For questions about booking an appointment, email berkeleyfrontdesk@millieclinic.com.
To reach our South Bay clinic after business hours, call (408) 762-5855. For questions about booking an appointment, email sanjosefrontdesk@millieclinic.com.
Billing & Insurance
We are currently accepting all PPO and HMO plans (HMO only via Brown & Toland, now called Altais) from the following insurance companies: Aetna, Cigna, United Healthcare, Anthem Blue Cross, Blue Shield of California, HealthNet, as well as some local networks. We also accept plans offered by Medi-Cal via Alameda Alliance for Health (AAH).
We know insurance can be confusing and would be happy to look up your plan to confirm coverage or point you to in-network options if you are considering switching plans. Write to us at berkeleysupport@millieclinic.com (if you want to visit our Berkeley clinic) or sanjosesupport@millieclinic.com (if you want to visit our South Bay clinic).
All your clinical appointments at Millie, lab tests, ultrasounds, and labor and delivery experience at Alta Bates Hospital (Berkeley) or Good Samaritan Hospital (South Bay) are billed to your insurance.
We also offer in-network lactation services. We accept most major insurance plans, including Medicaid.
We do not charge anything extra for the Millie app, remote monitoring devices (e.g. blood pressure cuff), or group sessions and messaging with your Millie Guide — a practice-embedded doula who supports Millie patients with birth and postpartum planning, helpful local resources (e.g. birth doulas, acupuncture, pelvic floor physical therapy), and the many questions that come up as you navigate pregnancy.
Consultations for supportive care like educational classes and workshops, postpartum groups, therapy and nutrition are currently not covered by insurance and are paid out of pocket (they may be HSA/FSA eligible depending on your plan).
In-clinic lactation appointments are billed to your insurance. The rest of our wraparound support services are not covered at this time, but you can often use your HSA/FSA to pay for your session. We can also provide a superbill that you can submit to your insurance company for out-of-network coverage benefits if available.
Depending on your plan benefits, you can often use your HSA/FSA card to pay online or submit a superbill for reimbursement.
We are committed to making better care accessible for all.
If you’d like to visit our Berkeley clinic, please email us at berkeleysupport@millieclinic.com.
If you’d like to visit our South Bay clinic, please email us at sanjosesupport@millieclinic.com.
Maternity
The vast majority of pregnancies are considered “low risk” (an estimated 80%) and an additional 10-15% are considered “moderate risk.” Millie care is designed for this population and is therefore a good fit for most pregnancies.
We are not currently accepting “high risk” pregnancies, but we would be happy to make a referral.
We define “high risk” pregnancies as:
- preexisting health conditions (for example, high blood pressure, diabetes, kidney disease, autoimmune disorders like lupus or multiple sclerosis), or
- pregnancy-related health conditions (for example, fetal birth defects or fetal genetic conditions, severe preeclampsia, twins or triplets, or gestational diabetes managed with insulin).
Please note that being over 35 years of age does not constitute a “high risk” pregnancy by itself unless there are other conditions at play.
For more information, see our pages on clinical eligibility for prenatal care at our Berkeley clinic and our South Bay clinic.
You can begin care with us as soon as you find out you’re pregnant with a virtual consult. Once you are 8-10 weeks pregnant, you’ll come in for your first ultrasound. Then you’ll have frequent in-person and virtual appointments throughout your pregnancy. You can see the full Millie pregnancy journey here. [link to download this PDF]
Interested in moving your care to Millie? We accept transfers up until 32 weeks in most cases.
For more information, see our Maternity page.
Certified Nurse Midwife
There are many types of midwives, but at Millie, we employ Certified Nurse Midwives (CNMs). CNMs are medical experts who are trained and licensed as both Registered Nurses and Midwives. They are known for their intimate knowledge of pregnancy and the labor process, and their minimal-intervention approach that promotes physiological birth.
Extensive clinical research shows that CNMs are the ideal care provider for low-to-moderate risk pregnancies in terms of positive birth outcomes. They are trained to meet 80% of the clinical needs that come up during pregnancy and childbirth. In fact, they are the primary frontline care providers for maternity care in countries like the UK, Canada, Germany, and Israel. In the United States, CNMs are often seen working alongside OB GYN care for low-to-moderate risk pregnancies in progressive hospitals around the country.
OB GYN
OB GYNs are medical doctors and surgeons who are extensively trained to perform procedures such as cesarean delivery, vacuum or forcep deliveries and gynecologic procedures like hysterectomies. They are the ideal clinician when the pregnancy requires a higher level of care. Some OBGYNs go on to further specialize in the treatment of medical complications associated with high risk pregnancies, and are called Maternal Fetal Medicine (MFM) specialists or perinatologists.
Why both matter
OBGYNs and midwives bring different skills and perspectives to the table, but they have the same overarching goal: healthy pregnancies, safe births, and healthy babies. How much of which type of care provider you need really depends on what your pregnancy needs.
The vast majority of pregnancies (an estimated 80%) are considered “low risk”, with Certified Nurse Midwives (CNMs) as the ideal care provider for the best outcomes. CNMs specialize in holistic care and physiologic birth.
At Millie, we therefore believe that: 1) everyone needs a midwife, 2) some people need an OBGYN too, and 3) everyone should have access to both.
What does this look like in practice? When you establish care at Millie, you will meet with one of our CNMs. You can choose who to work with, and they will be your primary clinician over the course of your pregnancy care.
If your pregnancy is considered higher risk, your Millie midwife will co-manage your care with a Maternal Fetal Medicine physician (an OB GYN specializing in high risk pregnancies) via additional consultations, and work alongside the hospitalist OB GYNs at Alta Bates Hospital (Berkeley) or Good Samaritan Hospital (South Bay) to deliver your baby. If your pregnancy is determined to be too high risk for care at Millie we will transfer your care to an OB GYN in the community and ensure a seamless transition of care.
At Millie, you can rest assured that you will receive complete, continuous, and compassionate care with all the benefits of both OBGYN and Midwifery approaches.
You will start your Millie journey with one of our Certified Nurse Midwives for your visits.
Every patient is paired with a Millie Guide, who is a practicing doula. They will meet with you each trimester to go over key topics like creating birth preferences, postpartum planning, and more. They are also available to answer questions that come up between visits through the Millie app.
Although all of our Millie Guides are practicing doulas, they will not be present at your birth. Your Millie Guide can help you find a birthing doula for labor and delivery. We are currently building a practice-affiliated birth doula network to support patients who would like additional care during labor and delivery.
We partner with LabCorp, Quest Diagnostics, and Sutter Health for lab tests during pregnancy. You’ll be sent to a lab that’s in-network with your insurance.
If you opt for genetic screening, we order those tests through Natera, LabCorp, or Quest Diagnostics.
All births take place at Alta Bates Hospital (Berkeley) or Good Samaritan Hospital (South Bay) with your Millie care team present.
All births take place with your Millie midwife present. The Millie midwives and hospitalist OB GYNs at Alta Bates (Berkeley) or Good Samaritan (South Bay) work together to ensure that you and your baby are surrounded by a team of experts who are ready to meet your care needs in every scenario. We share clinical protocols and a common patient record, facilitating a seamless transition from pregnancy to delivery and postpartum care.
If your delivery needs a c-section or another type of intervention, the hospitalist OB GYNs will perform the procedure in collaboration with the Millie midwives.
Gynecology
An annual wellness exam is recommended. If you’ve recently given birth at Millie, we suggest coming back for your annual after your baby’s first birthday.
No you do not! Many patients choose to begin their maternity care at Millie with preconception counseling, an annual exam, or birth control services. If you are considering becoming pregnant in the future, this is a great way to get to know us.
We offer the following gynecological services:
- Annual wellness exam
- Preconception counseling
- Fertility assessment
- IUD/birth control visit
- Infection screening
- First trimester options
- Miscarriage care
To learn more about gynecology at Millie, see our Gynecology page.
Wraparound Support
No! Our wraparound support services are open to anyone, not just Millie maternity or gynecology patients. Please note that mental health support is only available in California.
When you go to book wraparound support services, you’ll see a full description of each care session. If there’s anything you need to know that we haven’t covered, you can email us at support@millieclinic.com.
We’ll send you an intake form to fill out online so you and your provider can make the most of your time together. You’ll also have the chance to list out, in advance, what your questions or concerns are so they’re top of mind for your provider.