Hi everyone!
My DH just changed jobs and found out we will have Kaiser insurance. I'm so sad because my midwife does not take Kaiser. I don't know anyone with it and am wondering if anyone has an OB/CNM they would recommend? I live in the Portland/Gresham area and prefer female...
Thanks for your help!
Re: Kaiser insurance?
There was just a long post on our twin group's forum and tons of people raved about Dr. Sarah Lambert - very pro low intervention births. I think she's in Clackamas, but I thought I'd throw her name out there just in case.
I was VERY nervous about starting with Kaiser, however they were great! Their OBGYN and L&D staff are all amazing. They have 8-ish OBs and 8-ish midwives at Mt Talbert. I tried to schedule my appts so I could meet several of the staff during my pregnancy and that way I would *know* the OB that was going to deliver me. I ended up with an unscheduled/emergency c-section at Sunnyside and the staff were all amazing, I had a really positive experience. Let me know if you have any specific questions!
Also, I liked their birth classes, and we hired the instructor to be a Doula for us, if you are looking for one, she's great too.
And, I have a fabulous pediatrician at that same location!
We have Rhonda Chick now too (first baby and just had my first appointment with her) and we really like her so far. She is energetic and kind and seems to be really on the ball.
We are getting our care at the Interstate office and we had Rhonda Chick until very recently when she got moved back to the Beaverton Office. I was actually really irritated at Kaiser for not changing my provider when they first decided to move Rhonda, instead of waiting until my 37 week appointment. I know a lot of women on here loved her, and my best friend had her and loved her too, but we didn't like her that much honestly. She was kind of... ditzy? I never had many questions (I have done a LOT of research on pregnancy and labor/delivery) but the few specific questions I have had she not only didn't know the answer to, she dismissed and said "Isn't pregnancy so strange??" Umm, actually, I would like a answer to my question. For example, I asked her which stretch mark cream she would recommend after delivery, and if Mederma was worth the cost. She replied "Huh? What's that?" =I At that appointment we did the positioning ultrasound, she didn't measure my tummy, or check my weight gain. When I asked if she could "double check" the sex on the ultrasound, she replied, "Oh, I'm not very good at that..." Umm, what?!
Not to mention how horrified I was when I was diagnosed with a UTI (no big deal) and she gave me a prescription for an antibiotic at our last meeting before she moved. I casually asked the pharmacist if the antibiotic was safe to take in late term pregnancy. His eyes got big and told me actually, NO it wasn't, that the manufacturer has a warning for 3rd trimester pregnancies, stating it can cause hearing loss and discoloration of baby teeth. OMG. How could she prescribe me that medication? Did she not know the warnings? I had to wait at the pharmacy for almost 2 hours while they got another doctor to change the prescription, since a pharmacist can't do it.
So all in all, I'm not a fan of Rhonda. She was nice and perfectly sweet, but when it came down to my prenatal care, I felt a little uneasy about her knowledge.
I have seen my new MW once so far, her last name is Krakhauer and she was really nice and informative.
Wow! I am so sorry to hear about your bad experience! Thanks for all the information about it though. We'll be sure to watch out for those kinds of things. I did ask about 50 questions at our first appointment (I am also pretty demanding as my friends know) and she answered each one with a lot of information. I have plans to bring my baby book with us to my next appointment and will be asking about health screenings/tests/measurements/etc.
We'll play it by ear and see how it goes. I wouldn't stand for the kind of things you were talking about though, that is awful.