Now that my baby has been a patient of Dr. Hochman for 9 months, I can say with certainty that Dr. Hochman is the gold standard when it comes to pediatricians. Before I gave birth, my husband and I interviewed several pediatricians because it was important to us to find one that is not only smart and well-educated, but someone we could trust as being ethical, compassionate, and gentle. Dr. Hochman took the time to get to know us and answer our questions at that first informational meeting, during which she exuded warmth and a genuine love of her job that made me feel comfortable selecting this practice.
I've been thrilled by the care that she has given my baby since he was born. The day after I gave birth, Dr. Hochman came to Los Robles Hospital to examine my baby. As a first time mom, I was freaked out about how noisy and congested my newborn seemed. I was convinced something was wrong and that he wasn't getting enough oxygen. It turns out that noisy breathing is totally normal of newborns, but instead of being dismissive and patronizing (I HATE dismissive doctors who take for granted fears of regular untrained people), Dr. Hochman patiently re-examined my baby specifically in the context of my concerns and reassured me that the noisy breathing is normal for newborns and importantly, explained why. I felt I could trust her confidence. Altogether, Dr. Hochman visited us twice during the hospital stay.
We ended up seeing Dr. Hochman more frequently in the first month of my baby's life than would normally have been the case because my baby had a bad case of breastmilk jaundice, and during this time I was able to see how much she cares for her patients. Due to the jaundice, my baby had to receive light therapy treatment during a two-night stay at Los Robles, which was extremely stressful, but Dr. Hochman called to check in with us often throughout our stay, which was appreciated. After my baby was discharged, we had to see Dr. Hochman about once a week for a month or so. Post discharge, we had to go back to the hospital every few days to get my baby's heel pricked to monitor bilirubin levels, and there was a lot of interfacing with Dr. Hochman since she was responsible for communicating the lab results to us. Having such a caring, invested doctor during this time really helped calm my nerves during that stressful ordeal.
After the jaundice cleared, it's been smooth sailing for my baby so we've only had to see Dr. Hochman for our regular well-being checkups, but each of our visits leaves me feeling like Dr. Hochman is like family now. She actually remembers past conversations we've had about trivial matters as well as details about our personal lives, and doesn't make me feel like we're just exchanging small talk for the sake of it. If she thought of her practice as a volume-based patient mill, she simply wouldn't be able to afford to do this. I look forward to each visit because she loves on my baby as if he were her own. I can sense this even in the way she holds and touches my baby. At this past 9 month checkup, my husband pointed out that our baby still had some umbilical cord belly button crust that we didn't know how to clean out, and without hesitation, Dr. Hochman got some swabs and gently cleaned out my baby's belly button as if he were her own child. She has gone the extra mile for us, including on one occasion offering to come in to the office earlier than her shift so my baby could have his checkup as close to his milestone bday as possible. One time she happened to arrive at the office parking lot at the same time as me, and she came over to my car and helped me carry stuff into the office.
Dr. Hochman's philosophies seem balanced, neither veering too new-agey nor too rigid/old school, and her bedside manner is nurturing while still professional. As a nervous Nancy, I appreciate that she validates my concerns without making me feel silly. I come to each visit with a list of questions, and Dr. Hochman takes the time to address each of them. As an added plus, it's nice to know that with 3 kids, Dr. Hochman is not out of touch with the actual concerns of parents. She is also well-connected within the medical community which gives me peace of mind in case we ever need to tap into those connections.
The office is clean, with a bright, happy vibe, and none of the employees have ever seemed stressed or overworked. Everyone has been cheery and helpful. I like that there's a separate entrance and waiting area for sick patients. I've been able to schedule same day visits, and they've always been willing to accommodate requests for drop-in weight and height checks.
We are so happy with Dr. Hochman, we don't plan on switching doctors even though we recently moved to Simi Valley a few months ago. read more