OBGYN Recommendations?? First Pregnancy and New to St. Louis Area

I would recommend Dr. Timothy Philpott. He is amazing and has delivered 2 of my grandchildren. His partners are great, too. By the way...I worked as an RN in labor and delivery for 30 years...so I should know!

Where in Saint Louis are you? I have a great OBGyn she is out of Depaul Hospital ###-###-#### its Genesis OB Gyn. Its an all women office. Dr. Radley and 4 others. She has a great bedside manner they all do actually.

Good Luck and Congrats

Whatever Doctor you pick make sure you don't have to go to St. John's only. I had a baby there 10 months ago and I am looking for a new ob since I will never have a baby there again. I wouldn't even let my dog deliver there. I had a 28 hr labor because they turned off my pitocin so it would be morning before I delivered. Then when I was 10 cm and crowing the lights were turned off and I was told to sleep till the dr. got there which was 3 hours later. During this whole thing I had seen 3 Anestigologists and none of them could get my epi to work. I also got and infection because my water had been broke too long and the nurses didn't do there jobs by keeping me clean. My care was unbelievable horrible and I will not and would not recommend anyone having a baby there.

My OBGYN was awesome. Her name is Gladys Tse & she workes in an attached building at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in the Central West End. I think the group she practices with is associated with Washington University, so if you google her name, it's one of the first hits. Her name would lead you to believe that she's an old white lady but in fact, she's a young asian woman. And did I mention that she's gorgeous? Plus hilarious & very proficient at her job. I was also new to St Louis when I got pregnant with our first child 2 years ago & went with her after some others recommended her & her practice. Her practice has 2 other women and one old white guy. I went into labor 3 weeks early, & sadly Gladys was out of town but one of her colleges delivered our baby. The entire group was great. No problems, concerns or criticism. Plus, I didn't have to wait too long for my appointments.

Hi, A.,
I second the motion for Dr. Radley ~ I like all her staff too. Sadly, I had a high-risk pregnancy and Dr. R had to refer me to Jewish (1993; I don't think they do maternity anymore; not sure), so she didn't deliver my baby. But she's very nice, competent, and I miss her. I'm actually living in Shanghai now & we plan to move back -- to Texas, where we are from! Where in TX are you from? We lived in STL for 17 years.
God bless,
P.

Congratulations on your first baby - and welcome to St. Louis!

I have recently had our first child as well (also at 30 yrs of age) and had a great experience with Dr. Renne Stein at Women's Health Partners. There are 2 men and 2 women in the practice and towards the end of the pregnancy, they make sure you see all of the Doctors in case 'your' Dr. doesn't deliver your baby. Dr. Stein was great all throughout my pregnancy, but when it came time to deliver, Dr. Super (a man) delivered our son. He was great! The other male Dr. (can't remember his name now) did the circ. (turned out great and healed well) and had great bedside manner.

All in all, we've had a great experience with their office... both as an OB and as a GYN. The number: ###-###-####. They are in the Sunset Hills/South County area and are affiliated with St. John's and Missouri Baptist.

Congrats again!

Hi A.. Congratulations and welcome to St. Louis. I absolutely love my OBGYN and everyone in her practice. Dr. Ann Marie Rockamann is at Missouri Baptist and she has delivered my two beautiful girls (4 years and 3 months). I have gone to her practice for 9 years now and think the world of everyone there. The practice name is Healthcare Group for Women ###-###-####. There are 2 other female doctors in the practice (Klabi and Rempe) plus a great nurse practioner (Kate). As far as hospitals, Missouri Baptist (270 and 40) is a very nice, quiet hospital. I loved having my girls there! I had 2 c-sections so I spent 4 days in the hospital with each one. I've had friends/family deliver at St. Johns and St. Lukes too. For me personnally, St. Johns is too large of a hospital. St. Lukes is also very quiet- it is smaller than MoBap. Best of luck to you!

Congrats! Dr. Radley was mentioned below...one of her partners at Genesis OB/Gyn is Dr. Angela Cartwright and I could not praise her and her practice enough. She's warm, upbeat, honest, funny, concerned with the whole person. Did I mention an excellent surgeon and knowlegeable doctor, staying on top of the latest research and truly listening to her patients? She's seen me through one low- and one high-risk pregnancy, as well as helping to trouble-shoot on my recurrent miscarriages and diagnose a progesterone deficiency. She delivers at (among others) Missouri Baptist, a hospital I highly recommend. They were wonderful and let me stay in my room free of charge while my daughter was in the NICU.

I highly recommend Dr. Janet Matuszek. She has offices in Chesterfield & St. Peters. She is IMO not your typical Dr. she doesn't have the attitude I've seen in so many Dr's she's down to earth and easy to talk to and very friendly and caring and she knows her stuff too. She also has a great staff too. I've had 3 babies and she's been my OB for all 3. I would recommend her any day!

As far as hospitals I was like you when I first got pregnant & knew nothing of the hospitals. Dr. Matuszek told me things about the hosptials she delivers in and I choose St. Lukes in Cheterfield because they don't have rules about when you can get your epidural. That is decided by you & your Dr & Dr Matuszek says "who am I to tell you not to have it when you're in pain" she will let you have your epidural when YOU want it you just have to ask for it.

L.

My OBGYN is the absolute best. I originally had a female and wasn't particularly impressed but was hesitant to see a male. I was soooo wrong. He is the most wonderful doctor ever. His name is Tim Philpott and his office is at Missouri Baptist. I have never felt more at ease with any doctor. When you are in his office and under his care he makes you feel like you are the most important patient he has. The other doctors in his practice are also wonderful but he is still the best. My husband and I were very laid back about finding the "right" hospital and just decided to have our daughter at MoBap for the convenience and I was born there and turned out ok. I will never have another baby at any other hospital. The care we received was above and beyond. The nurses in labor/delivery were phenomenal as were the post pardom nurses. Unlike St. Johns (known here as the baby factory) MoBap did not make us feel rushed to have the baby and get out. I even got a call from the nurses a few days after we were released to see how "I" was doing. I felt so cared for it was unreal. Had it not been for the long labor and my daughter being stubborn and not wanting to come out I would have immediately had another just because of the experience. (The food was good too.) My doctor's info is:
Women's Care Consultants
Dr. Timothy Philpott
###-###-####
I really think you would be astonished at the care you will get from him. I will never go to another ob. Congrats and good luck.

I highly recommend Laura Hulbert, M.D. Her address is 2900 Lemay Ferry, close to Lindbergh. Her phone number is ###-###-####. She delivered my 4 year old (c-section), and it was the best,most relaxing delivery out of my 3 kids. I wished she had delivered the other 2! She really takes her time with you when you are in her office, and puts you completely at ease! Good luck and congratulations!

A.,
I would strongly recommend Dr. Jodie Rai, who delivered both of my daughters, nine years apart (now 13 and 4). She is in her mid 40s, with about 20 years of experience. Dr Rai is very kind, attentive, ready to answer questions, and explain. She is available for emergencies and on call consultations outside of appointments. I highly trust her expertise. She is at Missouri Baptist and Barnes-Jewish (maybe others, in the past few years?). My first delivery was at B-J, second - at MoBap. At B-J my labor stalled and it became clear after so many hours that I will need a c-section. In order to do the surgery and see that baby and I were ok, she called her husband and cancelled a dinner appointment they had for that evening. Both of my deliveries were fine and ended with beautiful healthy girls. I have had a good relationship with her through the years, and I still go there for my anual GYN check ups.
Dr. Rai is a member of the Womens' Healthcare Consultants (mentioned in another post) based in Missouri Baptist Hopsital. In fact I just googled her name and found out she also has various research publications and patents, as well as that she is the president of her OBGYN group. Her office is very centrally located - in the tall glass building across from the Galleria mall, 1034 S. Brentwood Blvd, phone # ###-###-####.

I go to Dr. Daniel Baumann. He has an office in Sunset Hills and one in Clayton. I thought he was great because he was very serious when he needed to be, but also joked around a bit too. I've also heard from other moms their OB would make them more worried then they should be because of ordering additional tests, putting them on bedrest prematurely and pushing other medical interventions and I didn't feel as though that was the case with him. He was kind of laid back about that kind of thing. He was also completely supportive with my decision to have a natural birth. His office staff was great and I had a nurse assigned to me that was always available. He is part of the Saint Mary's Medical Group. His number is ###-###-#### and you'll need to specify what location is good for you. He delivers at Saint Joseph's in Kirkwood and Saint Mary's in Saint Louis/Clayton.

I read the responses first and only think I saw one that talked about giving birth naturally. You need to think about what you would like other than 'female' dr. You and your child's health and the whole families experience will be something you remember and will affect - the rest of your lives. You don't want to "commit" to a doctor until you know exactly what you desire. You can do lots of research online, reading books are also quite helpful. A Thinking Woman's Guide to a Better Birth, Birthing From Within and Childbirth Without Fear are a few titles. They can sometimes be found in the public library. A group that I belong to also has a lending library with all of those and many more. If you're interested - let me know. Although, many women just go into birth saying "I don't want to feel anything and a "healthy" baby is all that's important." There really is SO much more to birth. Area hospitals have a 33% ces. rate and although there are many who shared there "happy with their experience" messages with you - I know of WAY too many who were very unhappy, as well. I know several nurses who would not recommend or ever birth in some of the hospitals mentioned. You CAN take the chance and end up with - good or good enough- experiences, but I advise doing your homework FIRST and making you chances stacked in your favor! Momma of 5, varied experiences; tons of hours of research and experience on pregnancy, birthing, attatchment, & parenting - BEST WISHES - They (and the processess) are a blessing!!

A.,

I would recommend Dr. Shanon Forseter. His office is on New Ballas and one of the many great things about him is that he can deliver at several area hospitals including St. John, Missouri Baptist, St. Lukes and Barnes, so you can take your time deciding on a hospital. I have recommended him to several people who have all loved him. He is knowledgable enough to feel completely comfortable and young enough to still be so excited to be delievering babies. He is always willing to answer the many questions new mommies to be have by e-mail or phone and I always go a response the same day. I hope this helps in your search. Good luck.

Dr. Shanon Forseter
456 N. New Ballas Rd
Suite 220
###-###-####

Dr Jeff Thompson, he has an office at St. Lukes and an office in Winghaven. He has delivered all four of my children and my nieces, he has awesome bedside manor, he really makes you feel like you are his only patient. He is rated one of St. Louis top doctors in St. Louis magazine. He really cares for his patients and it shows, after I went to him and my family and friends met with him during my delivery/pregnancy, my mom, sister, and best friend all switched to him and they love him as much as I do. I could not reccomend a better doctor for such an exciting time in your life. Congratulations, Good Luck and I hope you enjoy living here, it really is a great city!

This is responding to an old post, but I want to second (or third) the recommendation for Dr. Shanon Forseter....a caring, personal, lighthearted, amazing doctor! the website is here: www.shanonforseter.com

I love Dr. Janet Matuszek! She has an office at St. John's Mercy and one at St. Lukes hospitals. She delivers at St. Johns, Missouri Baptist and St. Lukes. Ironically, I have several friends that go to her and my sister and SIL also. They all love her too! I can recommend St. John's Mercy Hospital. I had my second child there 2 years ago and everything was fabulous! People say it's a "baby factory" b/c it's a large hospital...but the rooms are very nice and the food is awesome. And it has the best NICU facility in the area. It didn't seem any busier to me than any other hospital. Congratulations on your pregnancy and soon to be arriving baby!

I would highly recommend Dr. Paul LaPointe, at St. Luke's out in West County. My oldest daughter went to him for her premarital visit and then moved about 2 hours away. She drove here for checkups because she liked him so much. She even had her first of 3, driving from there! He's delivered 2 more since and she has moved to Belleville, which is much closer. My next daughter had her premarital exam there and would never consider anyone else. He was so caring and nice with her. She was a nervous wreck and he calmed her. Oh, and the older daughter had 2 miscarriages. He was so nice and helpful. She just loves him!

Congrats A.! You have a ton of responses to this, but I couldn't help but put in a plug for my OB. His name is Dr. James Boedeker. (Someone below actually mentioned one of his partners, Dr. Baumann.) I can't even begin to explain how much I like him. He is very relaxing, comical, fun, and entertaining. Yet, he gets down to business and is very serious when needed. He doesn't overreact ever, so when he says you need to do something, you know it really is in your best interest. I had pre-eclampsia with my first pregnancy and feel he did a great job treating that and explaining what the options/complications that could occur. With my second pregnancy there were no difficulties and he was supportive of me attempting to have a natural labor and delivery. (I ended up with a c-section after 36 hours of labor.) Finally, he was/is great with helping right now. My youngest son died of SIDS almost 7 months ago and he has been very supportive and helpful. Finally, his nurse Jeannie ROCKS! She has a direct line that she answers personally and calls back quickly if she doesn't answer. (Sorry this rambled on and on, I just love him that much!) His number is ###-###-####. He goes to St. Joesph's, MO Baptist, St. Mary's and St. John's. His office is in Sunset Hills very close to 270 and 44. Good luck with your decision and pregnancy!

Welcome to the area. I hope the transition is easy and congrats on your little one. I was in the same situation 1 year ago.I'm sure you'll get tons of recs for OBs, but I love mine. Andrea Stephens is with Barnes/Wash U. She was written up in St. Louis Magazine as one of the top docs. She's energetic, easy to talk to and laid back. She is also very busy (any good doc will be), but I had no trouble getting appts.
Good luck. There are lots of good Obs out there.

My OB is the chief of obstectricts at St. Luke's Hospital. His name is Dr. Carlton Pearse. He is wonderful. I have been going to him since I was 18 and I feel very comfortable with him. He treats me like a person, and he talks to my husband as well, not talks around him. He has two females in his practice. Dr. Caroline Morgan and Dr. Karen Voegtele (pronounced Veckle). I have never met either one of these women, but if they have the same philosophy as my doctor you will love them! Good luck and congratulations on your upcoming new arrival!

Congratulations, A.! You should probably think about where you want to deliver your baby before you choose a doc and make sure that the OB delivers at that hospital.

I would fully recommend Barnes Jewish, especially if you live in or near the city. I delivered there last June and my OB/GYN is Dr. Gray-Swain, she is a partner of Dr. Turner at Barnes. She is in her early 30's and very cool. Very relaxed, yet completely professional, Dr. Gray-Swain made me feel at ease and quelled my first-time mom-to-be fears through all the tests and check-ups.

I wish you all the luck and a happy and easy pregnancy and delivery!
M.

I have had good look with Dr. Klabi at the HealthCare Group for Women. I am pretty sure that all of the MDs there are women. They are out of Missouri Baptist hospital at 270 and Hwy 40. Their phone number is ###-###-####. I have been with that group for about 6 years know. I found the entire experience of pregnancy through labor/delivery with them to be a good one.

Dr Jacqueline Turner is an excellent OB/GYN doctor. Her office is located at Barnes Hospital and Missouri Baptist. She is a very good doctor. I was 41 when I had my first child. I had a beautiful pregnancy. She was up on everything with being pregnant at my age. Good luck on finding your OB doctor

Ok, I loooooovve my OB. Her name is Teresa Knight and she delivers at St. John's Mercy (where I delivered and loved it) and Missouri Baptist (also heard good things about). She just moved her office, but it's near both St. John's and Missouri Baptist I think. But she is very good at what she does and just so nice. She made me feel so great and tried to make me feel better about gaining a whopping 70 pounds when I heard some friends of mine say that their (male) doctors told them to stop eating so much. All of her staff was very nice and helpful. And now she has a new facility that is supposed to be much better. I would recommend her to anyone. I just had the greatest experience with her. She never made me feel stupid for any of the questions I asked and was good at making me feel calm even when things might have gone a little awry.

Hi A.,

I think you will probably get a lot of responses to this.

My three daughters and I all see Dr. Stacey Clancy. She is a wonderful Doctor and when my daughter was pregnant with my granddaughter she took excellent care of them both. There was a lot of pre-term labor and some other issues, but Stacey was NEVER too busy to see her. I have actually never had an OB/GYN that I like so much!

She shares her practice with 2 men (Dr. Behm and Dr. Probst) and they are all excellent Dr.s. I have seen all of them at one time or another, they cover for each other on occasion.

She is just a great Doctor, always takes her time with you and is always available!

Her office number is ###-###-#### and the office address is 10345 Watson Road, 63127.

No matter which Dr. you decide to go with you can check them out on www.healthgrades.com for free.

Good Luck in your search!

N.

ST. JOHN'S MERCY!!!!!! The best hospital in St. Louis to have a baby. There are several practices that use this hospital. They are the most well equipped to handle high risk as well as general OB. My dr. is close to retirement age so he's probably not the best choice but I know there is a woman in his practice who is relatively young so she may take new people. Her name is Kimberly Lmoine and the number is ####-###-####. There are 5 docs in the practice and 2 nure practitioners. The good thing is that when you go thru the pregnancy, you will see all of them once so if your own doesn't make it to the birth (happened to a friend of mine whose labor went too quickly) you are at least familiar with the other docs. They are ALL great. St. Johns is off HWY 270 in the creve coeur area.