I cannot say enough positive about this wonderful man. He is without a doubt, one of the most honest and supportive doctors I have ever met. As a 5x gestational surrogate (who has two of my own), I've seen my share of OB's over the years. Dr. Clare is number one on my list! Thanks to him, I had a successful and amazing VBAC birth (after a traumatic cesarean delivery with the previous pregnancy/doctor) in 2010. He was so positive and supportive of my choice, I truly felt he cared every step of the way.
With the following delivery, I ended up having a repeat section (also with Dr. Clare) as I developed a fibroid in my uterus, which was blocking my cervix. We did not know it at the time, all we knew was that I was a week overdue and after an entire day of letting me labor (after a very low pit induction and rupture of membranes) with absolutely no progression and a *very* high baby, the choice was made to deliver by cesarean. This is when it was discovered that the fibroid was blocking my cervix, keeping the baby from engaging. So it truly was a necessary section for me.
With the next pregnancy, I went to Dr. Clare for my first OB visit, only to sadly learn that his practice had banned VBA2C deliveries. He was again, very supportive of my wanting a TOL and said that his practice had taken a "vote" the month prior and chose to no longer do VBA2C deliveries, though he was the one and only one who did not vote in favor of this new ban (it was an insurance premium related decision on the practice's part, as a whole). He also said that had I come in a month before, that I would have been "grandfathered in" and allowed to have a TOL, since the decision had not been made at that point.
We discussed my options, and he whole heartedly encouraged me to seek a provider at Alta Bates in Berkeley, where he had once practiced and which is a very VBAC friends hospital, in general. He fully believed that I was still an excellent candidate for a VBA2C, and in fact kept in touch with me via email for several months after the fact, ensuring that I found an acceptable provider who would comply with my wishes.
As it turned out, I did indeed get my VBA2C with another provider at Alta Bates. I feel I owe a great deal of the thanks to him, for giving me the courage to believe in myself and my body's capability to do what it was made to do. I will never forget him! read more