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Help locating an OB
Hello. I just found out I was pregnant this past Thursday and I am now in search of an OB or a Midwife that works alongside with OBs.
I live in Catonsville. I am wondering if doctors in the Lutherville/Towson area that deliver at GBMC would be too far away? I am also thinking about doctors that deliver at Mercy or Harbor?
Any suggestions on really great OBs/Midwives near Catonsville?
Thanks so much!
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Help locating an OB
I see Dr Weitz at Perinatal Associates at GBMC. I live in Reisterstown and don't mind the drive at all.....and I used to go to school in Catonsville and then drive to Towson to work-it really wasn't that bad of a drive, even on the beltway during peak traffic times!
That particular practice does not have any midwives affiliated with them, though.
Congratulations and best of luck!
I go to Charles Street OB at GBMC and absolutely love it. DH and I live in Owings Mills and the drive doesn't bug me at all, I drove from Towson to Columbia for work for several years so this is nothing...though I am sure any drive while in labor won't be fun! I am not sure if they have a midwife option because its really not something I have looked into.
Congrats and best wishes
I see Dr. Joanne Lim at her Towson office, and she delivers at GBMC. (That's where I had both DDs.) She also has an office in Ellicott City which is sort of close to Catonsville, I think. She's very nice and knowledgable, and great at answering any questions you have. Her practice consists of her, her sister, her mom, and Michael Lim which I think is her brother. I've seen her sister Elaine Lim as well and she seems the same way. I highly recommend this practice.
I googled the info for the Catonsvile office. It is:
10314a Baltimore National Pike Suite A
Ellicott City, MD, 21042
Phone Number: (410) 313-9140
I love love love, Dr. Hajj! He is a sole practioner (not part of a practice) so if you go with him unless he is out of town he will be the one that delivers your baby.
Maybe I have seen you there!? isnt he wonderful!!?? I cannot believe he's old enough to have delivered my husband (we're 28).
I don't have any specifics but my co-teacher delivered at Howard County and had a good experience. I am just partial to GBMC since I am from Towson and I was born there!
Don't go to Harbor Hospital. Unless things have changed that dramatically in the past 4 years, the treatment from the staff and nurses was just awful when I had my baby there. Even my OB went to St Joes because she didn't like the hospital.
On a side note I just had a repeat c-section after trying for a vbac at U of MD Medical Center with the midwives, who work with the OBs. I thought the nurses were great. Rooms were small, but the nurses and lactation help was wonderful and staff was so friendly. All the OBs and pediatric doctors were great, and the midwives were great. My DH and I were happy with how attentive and supportive everyone was. They have an OB office in Catonsville area I think, but I am not sure how it works because the midwives only see patients downtown, so I don't know who is in the Catonsville office.
I just peed a little..
I delivered at Mercy and had a fairly good experience. I go to Hoffman and associates and I believe they have a Catonsville office
https://www.hoffmanobgyn.com/
As a doula and childbirth educator I have had the (mostly) pleasure of working with a whole bunch of different midwives and OBs. I would say your first question should be am I looking for midwife style care or OB care. Sounds like you are interested in a midwife style of care. Any midwife who delivers in a hospital "works alongside an ob". That is to say if you needed a c-sect. or opted for an epidural it would be a MD delivering that care. Second you should look at the c-sect rates of the hospitals you are considering. Here are the 2008 stats (according to ICAN Baltimore):
Franklin Sq: 27%GBMC 43%
Harbor 35%
Bayview 29%
Hopkins downtown 34%
Maryland General 22%
Mercy 30%
Sinai 32%
St. Agnes 36%
U of MD 26%
Upper Chesapeake 25%
Your chance of a c-sect correlates very closely with the hospitals rate. HOWEVER some practices have a lower % than their hospital. For instance Kathy Slone's group at Mercy has a much lower rate than 30%.
So here is my opinion. If you are open to midwife care I would look into: Kathy Slone's group at Mercy (15 min drive to Mercy from Catonsville, I too live in Catonsville). Terri Hoffman's OB group, they do have an office in Catonsville and deliver at Mercy. Or Jan Kreib's group of Midwives that deliver at UMD. Taking an early pregnancy class can also help with these early decisions.
Anyway congrats on your pregnancy! If you would ever like to chat I love to talk, teach, read, research childbirth... and I am right around the corner :-)
Good luck,
Danielle, www.informedbirthchoices.org
Don't let this scare you away from a good hospital. I had two planned c/s at GBMC but I went there specifically to have my planned c/s. For a planned c/s, my OB prefers GBMC to other hospitals. My OB gave me the choice of trying vaginal birth or planned c/s due to medical reasons. I chose the c/s with no pressure from my dr or the hospital staff.
Im sorry, but I have to reply to this....Im an OB sonographer at one of the above mentioned hospitals and I have to say that a c/s is not exaclty the most preferred route of delivery as it is major surgery. I have to say that GBMC has a bad reputation for doing many many c-sections when they are unnecessary and in fact a friend of mine goes to an OB who used to deliver at GBMC but they changed that because of thier c-section rate. Apparently, a c/s at GBMC is like getting a cavity filled at the dentist....