Georgia Babies
atlgroom
member
Please help a first timer
atlgroom
member
We just found out we are pregnant for the first time and my wife has been looking at switching doctors but now it is a little more pressing... Does anyone have any recommendations for female obgyns in all female or mostly female practices?
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Re: Please help a first timer
Intown Midwifery is fabulous. The midwives are all female, but they're backed by Dr. Brad Bootstaylor (who is, quite possibly, the most awesome doctor you've ever met).
I know you asked for a female-led practice, just know they're not the end-all-be-all. There are definitely good ones AND awful ones. I would not recommend Atlanta Women's Obstetrics and Gynecology.
Atlanta Women's OB-GYN at Piedmont. There are like 5 doctors, all women, and I really like them all.
https://awog.org/
Myrall,
Why do you not recommend AWOG? My wife is curious.
To keep it simple, I don't feel they supported any of my wishes for an unmedicated birth. When I told one doctor that I was taking hypnobirthing and wanted to go "natural," she said, "You're on your own with that."
Also, add on lots of scare tactics about my "huge" baby and how I was headed for a c-section. I made it to 41 weeks with no signs of stress and great ultrasounds and they induced me without even being dilated. Do the math and it ends up in a c-section.
Icing on the cake was one of the doctors ordering me on half-days at work because I went in with elevated blood pressure once. It never tested high again and even when they rechecked me, it had dropped significantly. Then, when my short-term disability checks weren't coming, a conversation with the doc's office revealed that she never noted her order in my chart and didn't file the paperwork I'd given her. It was only when I confronted her in person that she "remembered."
I rotated through all the docs in the practice and felt like just another cow in the herd. Only positive thing I can say is that the doc that did my c-section did a nice job.
I will chime in on AWOG.
I have only been to the GYN side so far but I am looking for another doctor. I was tested for something at my annual exam w/o my consent and my insurance didn't pay for it. It took months to resolve. I had a great experience the first time I went when I met with Gretchen. After that it went downhill.
We are TTC# 2 and I have heard yucky things about the OB side...pressure to test if AMA and not particulary supportive of natural birthing options, like the PP said.
My plan is to go with Intown Midwifery when we get pregnant again. They deliver at Atlanta Medical and have a "Meet and Greet" the first Wed. of every month at the hospital.
Good Luck!
I rarely ever post here, but saw AWOG and couldn't not comment. I *almost* switched from them in the middle of my pregnancy, but did not, and ended up seriously regretting it. In the beginning I wanted to leave because their insurance filing screw ups cost me many many hours of time on the phone to handle (and AWOG's office staff gave me serious attitude at each and every turn, swearing up and down that the problem was on the insurance side, not on their office side. It turned out that they were at fault in each instance - simple things like giving the totally wrong PO Box number on a filing).
I had high blood pressure during my pregnancy that was not handled well at ALL by them. On the day I delivered, my own husband had to bring my high BP reading to the doctor's attention, at which point she decided we had to have the baby right then (c/s). Interesting that only minutes before proclaiming we had to have the baby that day, she was ready to send us on our way. They also mishandled my post partum care.
The icing on the cake was that we received a large bill two YEARS after my daughter's birth. I am not kidding. At all. I also have a close friend who had similar horrible experiences there.
I have no recs for a new all female practice, but have heard wonderful things about Intown Midwifery and Dr. Joseph Tate. Good luck finding a practice where you are comfortable.
I go to Castillo/Walters Ob-gyn. I love them. There are two female drs in the practice and one or two female nurse practitioners. i drive 45 minutes to see them. They are a part of a larger group for on call dr's, but even they were great when I needed them.
I highly recommend them. I personally mostly (like 95%) see Dr. Walters. She is awesome and amazing. I can't say enough about them.
770-730-0451 They have an office in dunwoody and duluth and deliver at northside (maybe elsewhere as well, but not sure)
pic by http://www.southernportraitanddesign.com/
I don't know anything about AWOG, but I have nothing nice to say about Dr. Joseph Tate.
I switched to Alpharetta Women's specialists late in my second pregnancy to attempt a VBAC. The midwife there did everything she could, but I still had a c/s. I am fine with how they handled my pregnancy (I only saw them from weeks 38-42) but now I am going to switch practices - again - because the Dr there is pushing this meal replacement diet program which reeks of unprofessionalism to me.
I have heard nothing but good things about Intown Midwifery.
I had to chime in. I left AWOG's GYN practice becuase the office staff was terrible and I didn't like the way the nurses treated me. I was really sick once when I went in and could not give them a urin sample. When I came out of the bathroom no one was there to tell. Instead of respeting my privacy the nurse came out to the waiting room, where I was with several other people, and loudly told me that I "had to give a urin sample". I was mortified. I tried to quietly tell her that I'd been sick and didn't have anything to give. She pointed to a water cooler and told me to "drink up".
I havne't been back.
That being said I had a pretty pleasent experince with Dr. Sun at Women's Health Associates. The only complaint I had as VERY long wait times. I've heard other people say that they wished Dr. Sun would provide more information at each visit instead of just waiting for you to ask questions.
HTH
Shmoo is growing up!
Dr Tate is definitely love him or hate him. I have never heard anyone say 'yeah he is okay', it is either 'he is awesome and God's gift to women' or 'i hate him'. There is an entire message board (ican) which is one big love fest of him.
The midwife you saw there Mlvk is now doing homebirths, and the other one that is there I wouldn't recommend at all.
IM is awesome. But very busy. If I had one thing to say bad about them it is that they are obscenely busy and sometimes you wait a really, really long time.
Since Intown got their new scheduling system, I rarely waited more than 20 minutes. It's improved significantly.
Really? I have heard people complaining recently about the waits. Good to know it is better!
People may love him or hate him, but he told me to cut off my breasts and have a hysterectomy when I'm done "reproducing" because of my families cancer history. I found him repulsive. I would not let him anywhere near my reproductive system.
I'm not disagreeing with you, just saying that from what I understand he is very polarizing, in both directions. I have never met him or dealt with him. What he said to you is disgusting.
Atlanta Womens Healthcare Specialists is where I went for my 2 youngest. They are afflilated with Piedmont as well. I saw Dr. Debra Brand. I am a migraine sufferer too. She gave me meds to take while I was pregnant to help with the suffering of my migraines.
I find her to be very straight forward and thorough yet personable and I can't imagine having seeing anyone else.
https://www.atlobgyn.com/
this wife bakes.
One of my favorite cakes ever! I had a blast making this..all handmade with buttercream suds!!!!
This stuff about AWOG is really interesting. I have been with Dr. Sternberg for like 15 years, from way back before she was with AWOG, and I just love her. She was very supportive of everything throughout my pregnancy. But I also had a birth plan of "go to hospital, get epidural"
That being said, she did let me go almost 2 weeks past due because I really did not want a c-section and felt strongly that if I was induced, that is likely where I would end up. I ended up having to be induced anyway, but I did not end up with a c-section, so it all worked out ok.
I rotated through the other doctors during my pg and liked all of them except one (and that one was fine, I just didn't click with her). But I picked my induction date based on when Dr. Sternberg would be on-call because I really wanted her to deliver me, and I am glad I did.
I will say that I don't particularly love some of the nurses. But in general I was very happy with them and plan to deliver with them again at this point.
I have several friends who have had wonderful experiences with Intown Midwifery.