I had to see Dr. Brotman because she is the physician who worked with the West Suburban Midwives at the time and if c section was needed she'd be the one called in. My child is now 12 years old and I never got over the way she treated me. I think that she should not be in practice. Her bedside manner was terrible, cold and frankly cruel. I had a high risk of clostridium difficile infection having had it three times before. She told me that if I didn't do the swab test for group B strep that my baby would most likely be born and get sick and die. The antibiotics needed to treat this would have most likely killed me, which seemed okay to her. Suffice to say - I did the swab under duress and it came back NEGATIVE. She would not work with me to come up with a safe alternative for ME and my baby. It was her way or the highway. Thankfully, I had an uncomplicated and easy delivery. I never had to see her again and never had more children. She should not be in practice, it was an absolutely hellish experience for me. read more

Hands down the most genuine OB you'll find - especially if you are looking for natural minded. I was a difficult case. I had my third child with Dr. Brotman after having two previous C-sections. She allowed me to wait to see if I could do a VBAC for my third. I went all the way to 41 weeks and 2 days. Labored for almost 2 days at home on and off before we agreed a repeat C-section would be best since my water was broken for well over 24 hours with no significant dilation. She is straight forward but extremely kind and caring. Also very respectful of your ideals/desires for your pregnancy and delivery especially if you are not "main-stream" minded. Also, with my third this was my first time getting preeclampsia. For me, as an individual who has an extremely hard time with medications she was Iike a 2nd mom. She would answer my texts and calls all times of the day - always with a calming disposition. I was in and out of two different hospitals before coming back to West Suburban with my new infant (which she graciously allowed as my husband needed to be at home with our other two under 4, one special needs) so I could be treated with a mag drip. And for the months post delivery, she also would be responsive via text/calls after hours on medication doses as my blood pressure was ever changing. I drive an hour each way to see her and will be continuing to do so as long as we live in IL. I cannot say enough great things about her. She is truly a blessing. I'm so grateful for her bringing our second daughter into this world and for truly caring about my physical and mental health during my whole journey. read more

I have never met a more talented and thorough doctor in my life! She provided the ultimate care. She delivered 3 of my 5 children, only wish I had found her sooner. I recommended her to several woman, friends and family. She's delivered about ten of those babies. Not including mine. She is hands down the most amazing person to have on your side during pregnancy. I wouldn't have been able to make it thru without her. I hope she knows how important she is and how much she is truly appreciated and valued for what she does. read more

Dr. Brotman is a wonderful surgeon, and the staff is always helpful and kind. They ensured I had a smooth prep, surgery, and follow-up. I so appreciate her calm and direct communication. I haven't known her for long, but instinctively trust her judgement and skill. Her office staff appears to reflect who Dr. Brotman is. I feel fortunate to be on the receiving end of this remarkable practice. Wonderful and warm experience from start to finish. I appreciate Dr. Brotman taking time to go over the diagnosis clearly and treatment options. I was referred over by my Primary doctor and I can see why. Highly recommended. read more

Referred to this practice. Made an appointment for telehealth which was scheduled for a Monday afternoon. Scheduled my break time to work with the appointment time and got a call that morning saying they were closed at the scheduled time so she couldn't accommodate me. They left me a voicemail. I called the office back leaving them a message with my dissatisfaction and no one bothered to call me back. read more

So I had been going to Dr. Brotman since I was 23, so for 10 years. I really liked her as a physician. She's very laid back, and I was very comfortable with her. I got pregnant in January of 2016 with my VERY FIRST CHILD, and she was my obstetrician throughout the entire pregnancy. When I initially got pregnant, she told me that she worked out of a West Suburban Medical Center, and Rush University Medical Center, however, she preferred to deliver me at West Suburban because she had a lot of babies due around the same time as me, which is understandable. Long story short, when I went into labor, I went to West Suburban, as she directed, and was told "We are full. You have to sit in the waiting room, and there are 2 people ahead of you." This was definitely not something I wanted to hear while in labor. I would think it would be a priority. Long story short, we ended up leaving and going to Rush (because I was told that she also worked of there, and honestly, was more comfortable with this hospital) where I was 7 cm dilated and admitted immediately. The doctors at Rush told me that Dr. Brotman didn't have any privileges there, and that someone else would have to deliver, however, when I looked at my discharge paperwork, it stated that "Dr. Brotman could not be reached" which leads me to believe that they may not have even called her . I really don't know to be honest. This leads me to why I have given her 3 stars on this review. I explained the situation to doctor Brotman, and she told me to follow up in the office in 2 weeks. When I called to make the appointment, she had the NURSE tell me that she could no longer accommodate me, and I needed to find another obstetrician, and that they would forward my records to whomever I selected; she basically kicked me to the curb, and I feel it was because she didn't deliver my baby. I am assuming that obstetricians make the majority of their money from the actual delivery. Needless to say, I was pissed because I had been going to her for 10 years, have referred people to her, and stuck with her when she moved from the south side of Chicago to Forest Park, and then to Oak Park, which is 40-45 minutes away from me. I wish that things would have worked out differently, or that I would have just called her myself when I got to Rush, but CLEARLY I was a little distracted. In sum, she's a good doctor in my opinion, just make sure that she's the one who delivers your baby, so you can stay on her good side. :-/ read more

I was transferred from a homebirth to Dr. Brotman after 24 hours of active labor and 2 days of induction. I was exhausted, but she was AMAZING. She has no-nonsense personality and is very straightforward, but also extremely kind. I really like the directness of her speech and action, and I feel like in anyone else's hands I would have ended up with a C-section. She asked me if forceps were OK and were so necessary to get my almost 9 lb baby delivered vaginally! It turns out I broke my tailbone in the process, which is probably why labor stalled in the first place (if bones gotta break, your body's workin real hard!) I recommend Dr. Brotman 100% and so glad she is the OB that works with Gentle Birth Care. read more

When the West Suburban Midwives told me that I would need to schedule an appointment with Dr. Brotman toward the end of my pregnancy (standard procedure, in the event you need a c section) I was VERY nervous after reading these yelp reviews. My baby was still breech on the day of my appointment so the threat of c section was real, and I was prepared to meet with a callous, scary woman with zero bedside manner. This could not have been farther from the truth. Dr. Brotman has a very direct, concise style which I appreciated, and she made me feel informed and empowered. She took extra time to answer my questions during that first appointment and made herself readily available when I called later with follow up questions. Dr. Brotman performed an ECV when my baby was still breech, and she made me feel at ease during an otherwise scary procedure. She later delivered my daughter via c section and she helped make it a wonderful experience, considering it was the exact opposite of my original (unmedicated, low intervention) birth plan. I was very happy to have Dr. Brotman on my birth team. I'm hopeful that a VBAC will be in my future, but if that's not the case I know my child and I will be in capable, caring hands. read more

Her caring and calming nature helped to ease my anxieties surrounding PAP smears and gynecologic care in general. She takes as much time as is needed and never rushes or cuts you off. She understands how scary these appointments can be and walks you through every step in the process. I have had panic attacks in gynecologic appointments before and she understood and was nonjudgemental. Unsurprisingly, I did not have a panic attack under Dr. Brotman's care. I cannot imagine going to anyone else! I want everyone to have the chance to have great care like this! read more

Dr. Brotman gets all the stars in the universe from me. I have anxiety issues and have had a few bad past experiences with gynecologists. I drive all the way from Aurora because I wound up finding Brotman to be a very comfortable person. She didn't deliver either of my children. Our eldest was an unnecessary C-section. Our youngest was a successful VBAC with the West suburban midwives. I like that she's very informative. I like that she doesn't make me feel like a sheeple. Also, You can tell she's a proud Mama. I like that. I had to have a cold knife cone biopsy. I was so scared, I'd never been put under before. The entire process with her was great! She told me everything to expect. She made sure I was comfortable. When I'm riddled with anxiety my mind is all over the place. She was quick to answer every question... Even my made no sense at the time and didn't really relate to anything questions. She soaks up feedback like a sponge. I like that...much better then pompous know it all doctors who make me feel like I don't know my body. I have two forms of insurance at the moment so I had the lovely receptionist a bit confused. She was quick to fix everything though. I highly. highly recommend Dr. Brotman! I guess I should include my opinion on the office. I find it to be clean and welcoming. There's a Dr.Who poster on the wall and some other art. There are tons of photographs of babies from proud parents displayed. There's always some free magazines and coupons/samples. There are toys for the little ones to play with. The waiting area isn't that big but it's big enough. Usually there's some joyful music playing lightly. I've never had to wait long to be seen. Probably ten minutes tops. read more

Dr. Brotman was patient and caring and took great care of me during and after my surgery. She made me feel comfortable and confident that everything would be fine and it was! She is an awesome Doctor! read more

Dr. Brotman saved my life. I understand that childbirth can be an emotional experience for women, and we all have ideas about how we would like it to happen ideally. I myself wanted to have as natural a child birth as possible but was only covered by Mom's and Babies which does not cover midwives. I switched to Dr. Brotman on the advice of a close friend because at 7 months pregnant I was uncomfortable with my current OBGYN. This was my first pregnancy and by all estimates everything was going great. I was healthy as was my daughter. I was immediately happy with my choice. Dr. Brotman listened extensively to both me and my husband about our birth plan. It was immediately clear to both of us that she was beyond qualified to preform more extensive proceedures if necessary, and we liked that she had credentials at both South Suburban and Rush. What was even more striking than her research and professional affiliations, was her gentle yet assertive bedside manner. We wanted to be educated and have open honest communication with our doctor. I have read other reviews that suggest Dr. Brotman is abrupt but this was not my experience. She is honest and direct, which I personally prefer in a health care professional. I never at any point felt like my own health care decisions were out of my hands, and my husband was extremely grateful for her ability and dedication to communication with both of us. Going into the last few months of my pregnancy everything looked normal. We planed on having a natural vaginal birth at South Suburban with Dr. Brotman. We were very against any additional medical interventions unless absolutely necessary. We certainly did not want to have a c section. Dr. Brotman let us know she would do everything in her power to keep that from happening, and she was true to her word. 2 months before my due date my blood pressure sky rocketed suddenly and I was hospitalized. After being diagnosed with severe preeclampsia, I was put on bed rest. Dr. Brotman let me know that she was still dedicated to letting us have a vaginal birth, unless my life or that of my daughter was in danger. She also let me know that I'd at any point she felt that either of us were in any danger, she would not hesitate. Both my husband and were very impressed with her dedication to our wishes, and even hospital nurses told us many other doctors would have imposed a c section on us. We were grateful for her care and dedication. Unfortunately my condition worsened and my body responded by attempting to deliver the baby. It became clear that bedrest was not helping and my body was continuing to progress in labor. After careful consideration and many tests Dr. Brotman determined that we should let the labor continue naturally and deliver my daughter early. I did have an epidural which was not part of my plan because it was medically necessary for both my and my daughters health to keep my blood pressure down as low as possible because it was so high. I delivered a healthy baby girl in less than an hour of actual pushing and was ecstatic. Ava was perfect. We were overjoyed but then I had to be rushed to the OR. I had placenta acreta and I had massive hemorging. I required immediate surgery. Again, mist doctors woukd have immediately given me a complete hysterectomy in addition to the required D&C. Dr. Brotman knew we wanted other pregnancies and was as conservative as possible. After surgery she informed me that the removed as much if the placenta as possible without damaging my uterus, which is very tricky business immediately after birth. I had two serious cases of sepsis because of the dead placenta in my body and I also had difficulty breast feeding. Retained placenta actually prohibits a bunch if hormonal changes in the body post delivery. Everything at this time was extremely difficult for me and my family. I was hospitalized numerous times, in the ICU and was seperated from my newborn. Never through any or this did I second guess Dr. Brotmann because she included us so fully in all of the medical decision making. It was a long hard road that came as a complete surprise for us as a healthy couple. I am now recovered and trying for baby number two which would not have been a possibility without the superior care of Dr. Brotmann. I can not recommend her more highly and I sincerely encourage you to experience her for yourself before being turned off by some of the superficial reviews below. The relationship you want to have with your doctor for your birth is sacred, but you also want someone who has the ability to navigate trouble if you have it. That is far more important than sticking to preconceived birth plan. My birth plan would have resulted in my death had I not had Dr. Brotmann as a health partner. I'm grateful for my life and our healthy child. read more

Dr Brotman delivered my son when I needed an urgent C-section. After being in hard labor for almost 24 hours I was so relieved that she showed up within 20 minutes at 3a to deliver my son. I didn't feel like I could withstand another second of labor and was so grateful she arrived quickly. I found her to be kind and easy to talk to. I plan to use her as my doctor when I decide to have my second baby. read more

Disorganized and late. If you are new, be aware that you may be waiting 20-40 minutes past your appointment time and then some. Thought I'd try something in Oak Park since I moved here, but I will be going back to by DR. on Lakeshore. Did not have a good experience and will not be going back. My BC prescription was even wrong...disorganized place. read more

Dr. Brotman delivered my baby via c-section last year. I would never recommend her to anyone. She is not careful and makes decisions recklessly; because of her caustic and hyper-assertive demeanor, she also intimidates other doctors and nurses, which makes them fear her (and reluctant to speak up when things aren't right). I can't blame the fact that I needed a c-section on her (I did need one, medically speaking, and thank god my son is healthy), but she did fail to diagnose an infection, and I spent 12 days hospitalized, followed by three weeks with a wound vacuum and a home nurse who came 3x/week, followed by several weeks of visiting an outpatient wound clinic. On a regular basis she does not wash her hands before touching patients (something other reviewers have noted elsewhere). I could go on and on with things she did that astonished and frightened me. Stay the hell away from this woman and her practice. read more

I had my baby girl five months ago through West Suburban Midwives Associates. I was planning a natural hands off birth. Well I ended up with a c-section with Dr Brotman. At 35 weeks I discovered through an ultrasound that my baby was breech. I tried everything to turn her (moxibustion, chiropractor, positions...) nothing worked. The midwives group automatically scheduled an ECV with Dr Brotman at 37 weeks. I pushed back. Given what I had heard about this procedure, and found online, I really wanted to measure the risks. I also wanted to discuss the c-section, its pros and cons for breech births. So I scheduled a meeting with the midwives and a meeting with Dr Brotman right after. When I met with the midwives they were very reassuring about the ECV (not so much about the c-section) and they mentioned that I could try the ECV and deliver my baby breech since Dr Brotman had a training. I was pretty happy about this so I went to see Dr Brotman full of hopes. When I met her, she was surrounded with two interns. I was by myself. Instead of explaining the risks and consequences of the interventions (ECV, vaginal breech birth, c-section...) she aggressively told me: "There are 5% risks of complications for vaginal breech birth. Do you want to take them?" "Imagine your son crossing the street. A car is coming. Do you grab his hand or do you wait?" "We are going to schedule a c-section one week prior your due date." Then she pressured me to do the ECV the next morning at 6 am! I was paralyzed with fear, guilt and shame. She made me think that it was a shame to even think about delivering my baby... Well I went home and anyway I couldn't do the 6 am appointment for the next day so I pushed it back for the next Friday, still afraid of this crazy procedure. I had to sign the consent form on the table, the IV in my arm. The midwife and the Dr spent 10 minutes on my belly until the Dr's phone rang... My baby's head went right back into my ribs. Later on, we discovered that I had contractions and that I was already 3 cm dilated and that they had made my baby footling breech instead of complete breech... I yelled that we were not ready so they let me go. When I came back 48 hours later, in early active labor, Dr Brotman said "Perfect timing, I am not on the Lakeshore front!", again she made me sign the consent form on the operating table, an IV in my arm. She poked my belly for fun after the anesthesia, telling the other midwives not to mention it to the other Dr. She lied about my records, telling everyone that I was 39 weeks when I was just 37... She was horrible! I ended up with a general anesthesia because the spinal wasn't working. It's only after the c-section that I discovered that grabbing my son's hand had nothing to do with being sliced open. That it had risks, high risks that were never explained to me ahead of time, even though I did all I could to gather information at that meeting... It's only a few months later when going to France that I met with experienced Drs and girlfriends who had had successful breech birth with no issues. It's only after meeting with the medical staff afterwards that I learned that Dr Brotman was trying to clear litigation records due to past complications with a breech birth. It's only now that I am starting to recover from a very traumatic experience. I had to find a psychologist and have been seeing her for a few months now. read more

Haha, 1 star. Today I had an appointment with Dr Brotman who had seen me numerous times before. I have since moved back to the city but took a day off work and drove all the way back to oak park. I got to the appointment and waited for 30 min only to be turned away due to an insurance glitch and to be rudely told I would be rescheduled for next month. No, I will be finding a new doctor. Today I was treated terribly. read more

Dr Brotman is great! I've been a registered nurse in Chicago about 8 years now and that whole time have worked at Rush Medical Center. I initially urged my wife to deliver there, but my wife really wanted to deliver our baby with a Midwife practice. There are few in the city. We were recommended the West Suburban Midwife Associates who are partnered with Dr Monique Brotman. The Midwives require an initial consultation with Dr Brotman if working with them and Brotman will follow more closely if needed. This was our case as the baby was large (estimate was 10lbs at term) and not dropping. Dr Brotman is easily accessible. She is kind, supportive, and a great physician. She saw us in her clinic on same day after we called her office anxious to discuss birth plan and contingencies. After my wife went into labor and was admitted to West Suburban, both Dr Brotman and our Midwife worked closely with us to ensure my wife and our baby were safe. Dr Brotman acknowledged my wife's wish to have a low intervention vaginal birth, but when the labor continued close to 24 hours and a few other complications arose for wife/baby, Dr Brotman was decisive. She kept us informed throughout the decision making process but due to the circumstances which had arisen, my wife pretty quickly underwent a c-section. Brotman and her team were ready. It seemed like just a few minutes from when the c-section decision was made to when my wife was rolled into the Operating Room for the procedure. Our Midwife was even in the OR and present for the procedure. I was able to be with my wife and hold her hand during the c-section, then I accompanied our baby to the nursery while my wife's incision was closed. We spent 4 days in the hospital total. Most of the nurses and our lactation consultant on the labor and delivery unit were all amazing and extremely helpful and kind. As a nurse who works with physicians regularly, I must say that I was very impressed with Dr Brotman and the team at West Suburban labor and delivery! read more

I went to Dr. Brotman because she was referred by a friend. I waited in the lobby for over 30 minutes for my appointment and did not find her to be as friendly as my friend said. She is an average doctor, nothing special about her, she did not make me feel overly welcome as a new patient. I find her front desk staff to be slightly incompetent and not as experienced as they should be because of some miscommunication on their end regarding medical records. Three people were working behind the desk, but I still had to wait 30 minutes. She is too far from my Chicago home for me to make the special trip to Oak Park just to see her. I was hoping she would be the doc to deliver my baby (if I have one), but I will stick with Northwestern docs that I have been to in the past. read more

I found her to be very nice but there are some serious issues going on with this office. Her office over charged me by $20 every time I visited. Come to find out my insurance notified them of this and they did NOT even contact me to tell me of this they just kept charging me the original way. On top of over charging me she wanted to see me every two weeks, I am not high risk and I'm only 28!! This all lead me to the conclusion that she was just wanting more money by overcharging and wanting to see me too often. On top of all that, I received a phone call from her office saying that my insurance was not accepting them and that I had to call and see what was going on before I would be personally billed the full amount. Of course I called my insurance immediately, and the operator informed me would never under any circumstances contact my doctor they would contact me personally if something like this were actually true. She then went on to inform me that they had accepted her (through formal notification) and had sent her a check paying for my visits!! This would be strange if it didn't seem like her office is money hungry! Why would she threaten to bill me the full amount AFTER she had already gotten paid?! On top of all of this I would wait an average of over 45-60min to be seen and then only have a 5 min visual with the DR. After going through all of this I wanted to change offices immediately and I did but I only needed my medical records. They charge $50 for medical records whether they are faxed or picked up personally. I was very upset at this pricing, but I said I'd pay whatever to stop being in contact with this office, I told them to take the money out of the money that they owed me. IT TOOK THREE WEEKS to get my records faxed to my new Dr. three weeks for a fax is completely absurd! After the office called me over and over and over to see if I was a patient or why I didn't want to be one anymore they finally sent it!! So finally I'm done with this office and spoke with my new Dr and explained what she used to do during visitation and I found out that it is unsafe for my baby to have ultrasounds every visit which is EXACTLY what Brottman was doing.... I would definitely not go back or recommend her for anyone to see under any circumstances. read more

As a pregnant woman, of course I have many fears and concerns as a first time mom. I went out of my way to oak park from my house, about 30 minutes, because I was under the assumption that Dr Monique brotman would be a great doctor for me, well, I should have read the reviews. As I was seen in the room, I was coldly greeted by the doctor, and immediately felt uncomfortable. I wrongly expected a warm introduction and smile but instead I already felt tense. I had a friend with me in the office and she felt offended as well from the lack of professionalism. We both wanted to leave as soon as she came in. Her body language spoke in volumes, almost as if she wasn't even a doctor, more like a detective. So not even 3 minutes into the visit I was feeling uneasy and to top that feeling off, there was a man who was interning following her. I come to a woman for a reason, because I prefer a female obgyn, not a silent stranger man standing behind the doctor, whom I have to share very personal female information with. Now I'm sitting in this room being stared at, ignored, of my questions, needs or concerns. She had done an ultrasound without explaining a single thing on the status of my baby. If I had not sparked any type of conversation, no words would have been exchanged. So of course I had to do the talking, and by time she was done I still felt as lost as I did coming in, maybe even more so after the picture she handed me. On the screen I saw a clear photo of the child but the printout she gave me could not have possibly been any worse. No point of even giving that to me. Shortly after she had wanted to do an exam and had questioned if I was okay with having my friend in the room with me, and I nervously replied that yes it's fine. She then turned her head to my friend who had been sitting in the chair next to me and rudely told her to get out. The way she had told her was completely disrespectful and her and I were in shock of the doctors behavior. As the doctor stared at her to leave, all I could do was remain in disbelief, all the meantime I've got my legs open on the exam table, with a stranger man in the room, I don't think it could get any worse. But of course it did. As I felt violated by the doctor, instead of comforting words, all I received was in interogation of a bruise I had. To be honest, I had a hickey from the night before and that's exactly what I told her, but she would not accept that for an answer. She questioned and questioned until she felt that I would somehow change my answer. She stared into my eyes as she interrogated me. this went on for a while. I was finally able to put my pants on and leave. I'll never forget such a horrible experience, and of course I left without any information on my baby, I'm just Thankful I got out of there. read more

In my experience with Dr. Brotman, whom I was referred to by my midwives, she was incredibly rude, had no tact/warmth in her bedside manor and made me feel like she had no time for me. I was so disappointed and appalled, as a physician who took an oath to fulfill, to the best of their ability and judgment, the covenant of warmth, sympathy, and understanding, none of which I have ever experienced with Dr. Brotman. Not only was her bedside manor so poor, it also made me question her level of care/concern for her patients. I plan to send a letter to all hospitals she's affiliated with as well as West Suburban Midwife Associates, whom I will no longer continue under their care, because of their relationship with Dr. Brotman. read more

My first experience with doctor Brotman determined my medical care for the last 6 years. I came to doctor Brotman with my 5th child. As a veteran mom, very little impresses me, and I was far from inexperienced with the process of prenatal care, labor and delivery. The level of care and professionalism that doctor Brotman displays is well balanced with a sense of comraderie and understanding. I was impressed with my prenatal care, labor and delivery, but even more so, I was impressed with how at ease she made my husband, whose previous birthing experience had been unpleasant. I gave birth to my last child a few weeks ago, and my husband's level of participation was nothing short of amazing...because Dr. Brotman made him feel comfortable with the process. I wish I had known of her with our first child. Having decided on a permanent form of birth control, I was apprehensive, as I had never undergone surgery or anesthesia. Dr. Brotman performed the surgery herself and put me completely at ease. She also made sure the only time our baby wasn't in the room with me was during his circumcision, which she also performed and returned him to me promptly, which was extremely important to me. I appreciate the attentiveness and knowing that when I express my concerns she will address them. She makes my children welcome in her office and provides a five star level of care. read more

She helped me bond with my baby. During an ultrasound she insisted that I look at the screen- no one had done that before throughout several other ultrasounds. When she showed me the screen I saw the most adorable little face looking back at me- and I fell in love. She gave me a picture of that exact moment that was then posted on the fridge- because it was the most amazing thing I'd ever seen. I cried the whole way home. We didn't need her services during delivery, but if we had I would have been more than happy to have her help. I adore her and told my family that if we needed an obstetrician we would be in great hands. And next time, we will certainly see her again! read more