[claritygolden]

I'm a newly pregnant first timer looking for a doctor in the Chicago area. I'm completely overwhelmed by the whole pregnancy thing, and now throw finding a doctor on top of that and I'm panicking a bit. (The pregnancy was a small surprise, so it's taking a while to soak in.)

I'm aiming for natural childbirth, and ideally I'd prefer to have a midwife do my primary care. The problem is my insurance (unicare hmo) seems to have a pretty limited doctor list. They won't pay for a midwife unless they can bill through a doc office, and I can't seem to find many docs on the plan that work with midwives! I've actually gotten some recommendations from friends, but not a single one of them have been on my insurance. I've heard raves about the Northshore Associates group, where midwives Debi Lesnick and Gayle Koconis work. Not on my plan. In fact, I think most of the practices at NorthShore University Health System are out.

I live in Evanston, and while I'm not restricted to the area I'd probably prefer a doc/midwife in the north burbs or north side of chicago for convenience. So far, it looks like I have the most options at Swedish Covenant. Anyone have experience there? Any other doctors, midwives, or hospitals you've loved? Anyone work with a doc (no midwife) for a natural childbirth?

Thanks for any insight you can offer!

 

[jimblejamble]

You might want to post this in the Finding Your Tribe board under Illinois. Good luck!

 

[BlueWolf]

I'm from Chicagoland area myself. It's a very broad area though. You might not get much responses here in the pregnancy form section, so take a look see at that "tribe" section of the forum.

 

[sunflwrmoonbeam]

I grew up in Naperville, but my husband's from the NW side of Chicago. Have you checked out HomeFirst?

 

[chibaby]

My doctor is part of the Women's Group of Northwestern...they have offices both downtown and in Northbrook and everyone on staff is a woman (nurses and doctors). I have nothing but great things to say about them. Plus, the birth will take place at Prentice Hospital off Michigan Ave. and from what I've heard, the amenities rival a spa!

 

[SarahHope]

I haven't had my baby yet, so I can't talk about the birth experience there, but I've been delighted with my prenatal care from the midwives at Swedish.

 

[claritygolden]

Haha, sorry I didn't even see the Finding your Tribe section. Thanks for the tip!