I write this review in the hopes of saving other soon-to-be mothers from having the same, terrible experience I did.
I had been going to Personal Woman's Care for 7 years for my annual check-ups. Never a complaint, and I adored Dr. Summers. The problems started when I got pregnant.
A) At my initial ultrasound, he treated me like a number, not really "confirming" my pregnancy, just throwing out possible due dates. I had to ask "is that the heartbeat I'm seeing on the monitor?" I should have known then.
B) I made my appointment for the gender reveal sonogram weeks prior to the call I received, the night before, telling me that the technician was on vacation, and I'd have to wait another two weeks.
C) When I did the glucose test, I was first told it was "a little high" and that I'd need to do it again. I go to the office for the second test, drink the stuff, then Dr. Summers freaks out at his staff because they made me drink it before getting a baseline blood test. So, I drank it for nothing. He even threw his clipboard! Now, I had to subject my baby - and myself - to drinking that godawful crap for the third time.
D) For some reason, when I was 36 weeks pregnant, Dr. Halpert came in to see me. I had never seen him before - Dr. Summers was always my doctor. Everyone in my family who had been to that practice raved about Dr. Halpert, so I figured, okay, no big deal I guess. Dr. Halpert puts his hand inside, bumps it up against my cervix and tells me, "you feel that? You have a platyploid pelvis. You could go into labor and push for 18 hours, and the baby will never come out. You can try, or schedule a C. It's up to you." What would anyone else be expected to do in that situation? And why was I told this a) when I was 36 weeks pregnant and could have gone into labor already, and b) not even once in the 7 years of seeing Dr. Summers? Dr. Halpert told me if I wanted to schedule a C, we could make it for 12/29 (I was due 1/1). I thought this was perfect, since it gave both the baby and the family a large enough break after Christmas before his birthday.
E) I call to schedule the C for 12/29 and make the appointment. I then receive a phone call a short while later, telling me "Dr. Summers wants to bring you in on 12/26." I was like, no way! I'm not going in the day after Christmas. I then proceed to fight with the staff for three separate phone calls, with them telling me that 12/29 is "impossible" and "I don't know why Dr. Halpert gave you that date, we're completely booked." I keep hearing about how Dr. Summers wants to do it on that date, and "you'll feel differently when you have that baby in your arms." Yeah, well, it's not your birthday, lady! We finally compromise on 12/27. At least that gives the baby two days instead of one.
F) The day of the delivery, you'd think Dr. Summers was late for a marathon the way he rushed in and rushed out of there. (I had my baby at St. Catherine of Siena because it's Dr. Summers's hospital.) I never saw him again after that. Only Dr. Halpert - the doctor I had only ever seen once before - came to check on me. I only saw Dr. Summers for my follow-up visits, which I swore I would leave the practice once the staples were out - and I did.
G) I did not meet my son or even see his face until three hours after he was born because they had to warm him up in the NICU. Then he had jaundice, which they never told us about, never even put him under the lamp, and we suffered with a year's worth of specialist visits because of his liver levels. So the hospital was just as bad as the doctor's office - maybe even worse.
All in, my pregnancy and birth were traumatic experiences that will stay with me for the rest of my life, and I hope I can save others from experiencing same with this review. read more
