Need Madison OB & Ped Referrals - Page 2

[sunsolstice]

Best wishes Sternchen! I've just moved to Wisconsin too.

Thank all so much for posting this information - it's made it a less frustrating day. I'm 9 weeks pregnant with our first baby and had what I though was my first OB appointment with Dr. Thomas canceled today because I'd made it myself without following GHC protocol that you 1. take a GHC pregnancy test (done) then 2. schedule an appointment with Joan Young who gives you an hour's worth of background information on GHC etc. then 3. get assigned to an OB instead of scheduling with your chosen provider. This was not clear in advance and is not at all flexible so I'm left waiting for the next opening in the clinic schedule and it could be weeks. This is not even close to what the plan's literature said. 

We're fortunate in that we have the ability to pay out of medical savings for the Madison Birth Center and have an appointment there tomorrow. Has anyone paid for a midwife/Madison Birth Center and remained a patient at GHC? How have you managed the appointments/which clinic does what?

[sternchen]

Sunsolstice, I'm so sorry to hear about your troubles. It would have driven me crazy to have to wait so long. I hope you'll get an appointment soon! Did they put you on a wait list? If not, when I made my appointment with Joan Young the receptionist told me to call back frequently to see whether there was a cancellation. But Joan really seems to be fully booked right now. She's out of the office next week, so that doesn't help :(. But just keep calling them. 

I had my appointment with her today. She was very nice. I don't think I got an hour's worth of information from her, but she did answer all the questions I had. She also schedule all the necessary appointments (first ultrasound, labs, first OB visit, first trimester screening) for me, or better put in the referrals for them. I got the labs done right after the appointment and could schedule the first ultrasound for the first week in December. For the other two appointments a nurse will call me back. So everything seems to go pretty smoothly from here (hopefully). 

Sorry, I can't help you with your birthing center question. But feel free to ask anything else that I might know from my visit today. Good luck!! 

[Cellist]

I appreciate this thread and found it via a google search for OBs at GHC.  I didn't realize they don't HAVE OBs at GHC; just family practitioners that do OB, too.

I am "not allowed" to have a family practitioner who does OB because my first birth was an emergency C-section.  UGHHHHHHHH.

I want anyone reading this going forward to know that Deb Shenoi NO LONGER does OB.  She is my primary (I just changed to GHC insurance in May 2011 due to change in employment) and said she wants to be able to reliably spend time with her kids and not be pulled away by a patient in labor.  Fair enough!!  I REALLY like her so far as my PCP, though, and she is currently accepting patients and can be your baby's doc AFTER the birth.  She just doesn't follow pregnancies or do births anymore.

Other people are also recommending Dr. Mark Olinger to me for OB, but he NO LONGER does OB either, and is in family practice.  :(

I have heard good things about Catherine Bedford-Wilke and Monica Vohmann, for those of you who can use FB with OB.

Anyway, no family practitioners can do VBACs or CBACs because having had a previous C-section apparently puts you in a "too high of a risk" category for the FP docs to handle. 

Kim Miller was the OB who did my c-section (I had the UW Midwives under Unity when I had DS; LOVED THEM!).  She was fine and maybe just really tired because it was 3:30 or 4 in the morning, but even her bedside manner the next day was a little distant for my liking.  I'd love to hear if someone else has a better experience with her bedside manner.  Maybe she was woken up and then just tired the next day when I met with her in the hospital.  Maybe she hates being at the hospital.  Who knows.

I have had TWO friends who fairly recently have babies say that Joan Young made them cry and made them anxious when they went to her for LC needs.  I guess she is the "gatekeeper" for all OB assignments and LC at GHC, so you have no choice to use her for getting your OB/FB with OB assigned.  She is the ONLY LC GHC has.  I have used other resources for myself with DS, so I do not plan to see her for LC because she made my friends so upset.  What I don't understand is why they need all these levels to go through to get to the OB.  (You also MUST go to the lab with your FMU for a pregnancy test and the lab MUST find it to be positive before they will let you meet with Joan Young.  And, by the way, they will only call you back if the test is positive.)

Joan does only do a consult and education meeting at your first meeting, but she will set up your dating U/S.  I suppose this is all to "protect" the OBs from having to spend their more valuable time meeting with women who end up with failed pregnancies early on, etc., but it feels cold to me.

Anyway, if anyone still reads this and had a VBAC supporting OB they loved and were successful with, please say so!!!

[wrenb]

When I had a troubling u/s (ended up in a miscarriage at 11 weeks) I got a referral to the UW Health OBs. It turns out that they are in network for GHC. Dr Kim Ma key was fabulous. I don't know how he is about VBAC but given how supportive he was of giving my body and my baby a chance to do their thing, I'd imagine he's supportive. Your best bet, though, is to message Dr Deb and ask who she would recommend for you. That's what I would do in your shoes. Deb delivered my son in 2009 and I'll miss her the next time around!

[mamita08]

HI! I read this thread several times as it always comes up when you search for madison obs ghc etc. I thought I´d add what I know so far and maybe a few questions.
I am pregnant with my second (31 weeks), i am driving across town to see Dr. Ogden, as recommended by Joan Young. But I cant tell you yet how flexible Dr. Ogden will be with my vbac plans (plus, in the end she most likely wont be the one at the birth). However, from the beginning, she and her nurses have been very welcoming about vbac plans, they are always encouraging and reassuring about their intentions to help me have a vbac. Dr. Ogden says all UW OB´s support vbacs. We´ll see.
When you are planning a vbac, though, there are more regulations. No family doctos as many of you have mentioned, less likelihood of letting you go much past your due date (which could very likely hinder your vbac success...), they want you to be hooked up to fetal monitoring (external, and supposedly St Mary´s has some monitors that allow you to get in the tub but I heard of cases where they were all in use so the mom was out of luck, no tub). I asked Dr Ogden about her views on vbacs and being "past your due date" and she says she´d be ok with 41 weeks and then would start talking about a repeat c-section... we´ll see! They are less likely to use pitocin, though, as it increases your chances of uterine rupture. So in a way, that´s good.
We have hired a doula this time and Dr Ogden was very welcoming of her, always remembers what doula I am using etc (at the very least, she reads her chart, a plus!).
Despite my unwanted c-section, i was very pleased with St Marys and the care we received. Everyone was respectful of our disappointment, and very gentle. The lactation consultants were great. I wouldnt go to Joan Young for LC care, just go to Happy Bambino, Nicki´s Diapers, LLL, etc.
The whole process of urine test, meeting Joan Young, getting an OB not quite assigned to you but srtongly suggested, is really annoying and ridiculous. Also when they call you back to tell you the test is positive, they always act like they are giving you a big surprise!! so annoying, how many people dont know that already! I said something about it, and the person was shocked that I already knew... at 7 weeks. Anyway...

The actual meeting with Joan Young is fine, if you are a first timemom you´ll be glad to get an idea of how things will be scheduled, etc. I was still nursing my 3.5 year old when I saw her and she was very excited about it', no silly comments about me being pregnant, and my daughter being too old to nurse... so that was encouraging.

Anyway, all that said, I need a referral for a ped or family doctor through GHC for our new baby. We are on the west side, it would be nice to not have to keep travelling to the east clinic, but I´ll go anywhere for a doctor who understands our alternative vaccine schedule, comittment to breastfeeding, cosleeping, not CIO, etc.

Any good peds for that?

sorry for the book!

[pamrang]

Hi!

I am a first time mom in Madison too! I have unity insurance and go the UW west towne clinic. I see Dr. Sarah Bradley. She is probably new here.....does anybody know about her?

I will be delivering at Meriter and I prefer delivering without much interventions, without pain medications, in the position that is most comfortable etc. - would a midwife be a better choice for this kind of birth rather than an Ob/Gyn?

Normally, once I go into labor and get to Meriter, would there be a midwife to assist and let the labor take its course or would interventions be forced even with minor complications, if there are any?

Any suggestions are appreciated.

Thanks!

[CI Mama]

Originally Posted by pamrang 

Hi!

I am a first time mom in Madison too! I have unity insurance and go the UW west towne clinic. I see Dr. Sarah Bradley. She is probably new here.....does anybody know about her?

I will be delivering at Meriter and I prefer delivering without much interventions, without pain medications, in the position that is most comfortable etc. - would a midwife be a better choice for this kind of birth rather than an Ob/Gyn?

Normally, once I go into labor and get to Meriter, would there be a midwife to assist and let the labor take its course or would interventions be forced even with minor complications, if there are any?

Any suggestions are appreciated.

Thanks!

I delivered at Meriter and my experience there was pretty good, even though I ultimately ended up with a c-section. What I mean by that is:

• I refused cervical exams for the first 16 hours that I was at the hospital, and they didn't bat an eyelash.
• I was not automatically hooked up to a fetal monitor. I was able to labor in whatever position I wanted, moving freely throughout the birth suite and walking the halls at one point.
• They were really hands-off and let me, my doula, and my partner do our thing with minimal interference (all I remember is an occasional BP check). I vomited repeatedly and they were great about bringing me barf bags, fresh towels, that sort of thing.
• They were not pushy about any interventions, though they did ask several times. But when I refused, they didn't argue with me or try to force anything.
• It was really my decision to accept interventions when I became exhausted after 20+ hours of laboring with no progress. I felt respected in every choice. I never felt that by accepting one intervention, it was assumed that more would be necessary.
• Even with the epidural, they were supportive of me laboring in different positions and helped me to do so as much as possible. I pushed for 3 hours in a variety of positions.
• The nurses were AWESOME.

I'd say that if for whatever reason a home birth and/or Madison Birth Center birth are not in the cards for you, Meriter is a pretty good way to go.

[pamrang]

Originally Posted by CI Mama 

I delivered at Meriter and my experience there was pretty good, even though I ultimately ended up with a c-section. What I mean by that is:

• I refused cervical exams for the first 16 hours that I was at the hospital, and they didn't bat an eyelash.
• I was not automatically hooked up to a fetal monitor. I was able to labor in whatever position I wanted, moving freely throughout the birth suite and walking the halls at one point.
• They were really hands-off and let me, my doula, and my partner do our thing with minimal interference (all I remember is an occasional BP check). I vomited repeatedly and they were great about bringing me barf bags, fresh towels, that sort of thing.
• They were not pushy about any interventions, though they did ask several times. But when I refused, they didn't argue with me or try to force anything.
• It was really my decision to accept interventions when I became exhausted after 20+ hours of laboring with no progress. I felt respected in every choice. I never felt that by accepting one intervention, it was assumed that more would be necessary.
• Even with the epidural, they were supportive of me laboring in different positions and helped me to do so as much as possible. I pushed for 3 hours in a variety of positions.
• The nurses were AWESOME.

I'd say that if for whatever reason a home birth and/or Madison Birth Center birth are not in the cards for you, Meriter is a pretty good way to go.

Thanks so much! Your reply kind of makes me feel at ease!

[thelocknestmother]

So we move to Madison in 6 weeks or so...And wondering if anyone has current recommendations for Peds/FP for my two littles...We alt/delay vax and will either have Unity or Phys Plus insurance.  And totally a shot in the dark...but anyone know what insurance is better if you have a kid with apraxia as far as reimbursing for therapies?  Thanks!!!!

[redhott1217]

Just a note about Dr. Bedford-Wilke. She left the practice in Dec. I had her for my last birth and she was awesome. Now I am having a hard time figuring out who I want since there are no FP with OB at Hatchery Hill anymore. I really want the Birth Center and they are currently working with GHC so hopefully that will be an option soon. 

[pamrang]

Hi,

We have started looking for a good pediatrician for the baby. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated

[flecet]

http://www.wildwoodclinic.com/, Dr. Mallory. She had a Home birth herself. Just get in early because she fills up fast! If not she may be able to reference you to others.

[jenerationx]

Originally Posted by pamrang 

Hi!

I am a first time mom in Madison too! I have unity insurance and go the UW west towne clinic. I see Dr. Sarah Bradley. She is probably new here.....does anybody know about her?

I will be delivering at Meriter and I prefer delivering without much interventions, without pain medications, in the position that is most comfortable etc. - would a midwife be a better choice for this kind of birth rather than an Ob/Gyn?

Normally, once I go into labor and get to Meriter, would there be a midwife to assist and let the labor take its course or would interventions be forced even with minor complications, if there are any?

Any suggestions are appreciated.

Thanks!

Meriter is wonderful!  I delivered both times at Meriter and only have good things to say about them.  All of the nurses I had (except one) were AMAZING.  With both births, I had one nurse who stayed with me the entire active labor and both stayed after their shift was over.  So thankful for those two! 

As the previous poster replied, Meriter is great about listening to you, what you want and avoiding interventions.  Overall, midwives tend to intervene less, so you may want to make an appointment with them to see how you like them.  My insurance didn't cover them the second time and I wouldn't have really thought about using them the first time, so I don't have personal experience.

If your OB is with UW Health, chances are they won't be on call when you deliver.  I had an UW Health OB the first time (she wasn't on call) and the nurses asked what my preferences were regarding pain meds, interventions, etc.  They were awesome about respecting everything, never brought up meds (till it was apparent I needed to be prepped for a csection), suggested laboring a million different ways and just being great.  With my second, I went to Melius, Schurr + Cardwell.  Again, my nurse asked my preferences and both the nurse and doctor were supportive of walking, using the birth ball, laboring in the tub (which I did for a long time!), etc.  The second labor was more intense in many ways, but everything seemed calmer because for the most part, it was me, my husband and our nurse.  With the first, I had a couple of nurses, several doctors (due to shift changes), residents, etc. 

Meriter is a baby friendly hospital, too.  They also now do water births, so if you are interested, talk to your doctor.  If they do water births, you do have to take a class before delivering, but you can do them! 

Good Luck!

[jenerationx]

Originally Posted by pamrang 

Hi,

We have started looking for a good pediatrician for the baby. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated

What insurance?