I should start out by saying that I received good care from Dr. Holmes and his staff, and delivered…read morea healthy baby girl by C-section, which he skillfully performed. However, here are the things I wish I had known before I chose him as my provider:
There were times during my labor and delivery that he didn't know who I was. He kept confusing me with other patients. This was entertaining in some instances and not in others - for example, when he confused me with someone else who under no circumstances wanted a C-section. My baby's heart was in distress, my own heart (with a documented and discussed history of arrhythmia) was tachycardic, my water had ruptured more than 30 hours before (a month prematurely), I was running a temperature, and I was only dilated to a 2, and yet *I* had to be the one to bring up the possibility of a C-section. He was shocked when I did, because he thought I was vehemently against surgical intervention. This, despite the fact that two days before at my 35 week appointment, we literally shook hands that he would lean toward C-section if things went south.
Another instance of him not knowing who I was: my water broke at midnight, so I called the answering service. They took my name and gestational age, and within a minute I was speaking to the doctor who informed me to head to Banner Gateway. I saw him the next morning, where he looked at my chart and expressed surprise that I was only 35 weeks pregnant. This could have been dangerous if my baby had been any more premature than she was, as Banner Gateway isn't as well equipped to take care of premature babies as Banner Desert is. Even if the answering service failed to tell him my weeks of gestation, shouldn't he have asked? Or shouldn't he have remembered, considering I saw him 12 hours before that phone call, at my 35 week appointment?
At first I thought it was neat that he spent so much time with his patients and that he does all the ultrasounds personally. But ultimately what that means is that he and his staff are over-extended, and you WILL wait at each appointment; possibly up to an hour. I couldn't figure out why he wouldn't just hire an ultrasound tech to re-distribute some of the work, because lord knows the man has plenty of demand. (I even had a hospital staff member say to me incredulously, "He sure delivers a lot of babies...") I assume he just doesn't want to pay another staff member, but the entire practice suffers as a result, and it doesn't look good for him. Tip: If you choose him as your provider, get into the habit of asking for the very first appointment of the morning. (And even then, you might have a wait, depending on how his early-morning rounds at the hospital go. But it's your best hope.)
The ultrasound equipment is ancient; forget about seeing clear images of your baby. You'll be lucky if you can make out a spine or a head. My best friend was pregnant at the same time as me and the difference between our ultrasound photo keepsakes makes me sad. I had no concept of my daughter's face or profile before she was born.
The office itself is very old and tired and decorated like an 80's Relief Society room. There's a Book of Mormon in the lobby. (I'm even Mormon but found that off-putting.) At my first appointment, they gave me a little trinket that I got the strong impression was intended to be distributed in the parking lots of Planned Parenthood clinics - a pin showing you the size of your baby's feet at 10 weeks, and I think there was a scripture? If I recall correctly? All of this to say, I did not get the impression that the doctor would be supportive of all of a woman's options and rights when it comes to pregnancy.
At my six week follow up, he talked about prescribing me a birth control pill that could have caused my milk to dry up. Luckily I was informed enough to know that as a nursing mother I needed a pill without estrogen - but if I hadn't known that, it could have been disastrous to my milk supply. Also, as soon as I left my six week follow up, I realized he never cleared me for sex! I thought that was the whole point of the six week appointment!! It was never mentioned.
I don't plan to have any more children, but if that changes, I won't be seeing Dr. Holmes again. He's a very nice man and his team is as wonderful as all the reviews say (Alejandra in particular is a true gem), but everything considered I cannot recommend the practice.
