OB/GYN in Brooklyn/Manhattan for a nervous patient
February 13, 2015 7:12 AM Subscribe
My husband and I are trying to get pregnant. After some really traumatic experiences, I would really rather not take a shot in the dark to find a good OB/GYN. We have an insurance that's pretty widely accepted.
Anyone have any recommendations in Brooklyn or Manhattan? I need a regular GYN and also a OB for the future (hopefully) so together would be great but if you've got a great one that just does one or the other, send them right over.
So I need a lady-parts doctor.
I need to make an appointment for a yearly, but we're also getting very close to the time were we're going to want to find out why there has been so little luck getting pregnant. We've had one horrible 11 week miscarriage and every GYN I've had in the past six years has been really bad: from just terrible bedside manner to actually refusing to prescribe birth control because I "shouldn't be having sex anyway".
Ideally, the doctor would be female, but if you know of a male doctor that really outstanding that's cool. The biggest thing is they need to be knowledgeable and above all KIND and PATIENT. I get flustered and I hate it, but if a doctor is short with me I get really upset and unable to advocate for myself. I'm actually working on that in therapy.
Please, tell me all about how awesome your doctor is.
So I need a lady-parts doctor.
I need to make an appointment for a yearly, but we're also getting very close to the time were we're going to want to find out why there has been so little luck getting pregnant. We've had one horrible 11 week miscarriage and every GYN I've had in the past six years has been really bad: from just terrible bedside manner to actually refusing to prescribe birth control because I "shouldn't be having sex anyway".
Ideally, the doctor would be female, but if you know of a male doctor that really outstanding that's cool. The biggest thing is they need to be knowledgeable and above all KIND and PATIENT. I get flustered and I hate it, but if a doctor is short with me I get really upset and unable to advocate for myself. I'm actually working on that in therapy.
Please, tell me all about how awesome your doctor is.
With the caveat that I've never been or attempted to get pregnant, I love my ob/gyn Dr. Helaine Worrell. In my expereince, she is practical, sympathetic, and has a great bedside manner and examination technique. Her office is in Murray Hill, just south of Grand Central.
posted by Caz721 at 7:33 AM on February 13, 2015
posted by Caz721 at 7:33 AM on February 13, 2015
Dr. Fiorelli has been my OB for 2 pregnancies and I like her a lot; she is very kind and patient and caring. I've also seen Dr. Shin in her practice and he's great, too (he might even be better when it comes to detailed explanations of things). Something you might think about, though, is where you'd want to give birth and find someone with privileges there- not sure you'd want to come this far uptown for a birth.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 7:38 AM on February 13, 2015
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 7:38 AM on February 13, 2015
I can't speak to the OB aspect, but Dr. Ruth Lesnewski has been both my GP and my GYN for about ten years now and is lovely. And so is everyone else I've dealt with there - another Doctor there, Dr. Ginger Gillespie, is also sweet and knowlegeable, and GYN-conversant, and even the one male doctor I saw there on a walk-in for strep throat, Dr. Teets, was also great.
They all are in two different clinics, but the one you want is 13 East 13th Street (which is - unsurprisingly - on 13 East 13th Street in the East Village); it's always been nice and calm when I've gone, and I've rarely felt rushed or been kept waiting. Even the nurses there are all also lovely - my favorite is an absolute whiz at needles, which is good for me as I'm a bit of a big baby with shots and blood draws and things like that. Best of all - 13 East 13th has a thing where you can sign up for an online account, and you can use that to book your appointments online, and even email your doctor questions - there are some health issues that I've not even had to go in for a consult, I've just emailed Dr. Lesnewski ("so, here's what's happening, do you need me to come in?") and she responds within a day, or sometimes even just a couple hours ("Oh, yeah, that - you just need x prescription, I've just emailed it to your pharmacy on file and you can go pick it up at any time after 3.")
They're affiliated with Beth Israel, and most of their locations are in Lower Manhattan and Brooklyn.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 8:10 AM on February 13, 2015
They all are in two different clinics, but the one you want is 13 East 13th Street (which is - unsurprisingly - on 13 East 13th Street in the East Village); it's always been nice and calm when I've gone, and I've rarely felt rushed or been kept waiting. Even the nurses there are all also lovely - my favorite is an absolute whiz at needles, which is good for me as I'm a bit of a big baby with shots and blood draws and things like that. Best of all - 13 East 13th has a thing where you can sign up for an online account, and you can use that to book your appointments online, and even email your doctor questions - there are some health issues that I've not even had to go in for a consult, I've just emailed Dr. Lesnewski ("so, here's what's happening, do you need me to come in?") and she responds within a day, or sometimes even just a couple hours ("Oh, yeah, that - you just need x prescription, I've just emailed it to your pharmacy on file and you can go pick it up at any time after 3.")
They're affiliated with Beth Israel, and most of their locations are in Lower Manhattan and Brooklyn.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 8:10 AM on February 13, 2015
Oh, almost forgot - one big reason I like Dr. Lesnewski is that she's good about not over-medicating, so to speak. The biggest thing I've had to talk to her about is some massively bad insomnia a couple years ago, and before prescribing anything she talked through with me what I'd been doing so far to treat it, and how well things had been working. Then she said that - like me - she didn't want to just automatically prescribe a sleeping pill, and instead suggested a slightly better herbal supplement and vitamin regimen than what I'd been using; she did still write a very small prescription for something as a "absolute last resort" thing, but she also said "you don't even have to fill this if you don't want to, this is just an option if you decide you want to take it". She was REALLY good about making me feel like she was working WITH me about tackling the problem.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 8:14 AM on February 13, 2015
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 8:14 AM on February 13, 2015
Spring OB/GYN is a nice, friendly, all-women practice in Soho.
posted by bobafet at 8:20 AM on February 13, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by bobafet at 8:20 AM on February 13, 2015 [1 favorite]
We used several doctors through Weill Cornell medical on the UES during my wife's pregnancy. They were all great, and there are a lot of them, so if one doesn't work great for you switching to a different one is super easy.
posted by Potomac Avenue at 9:23 AM on February 13, 2015
posted by Potomac Avenue at 9:23 AM on February 13, 2015
If you're looking at delivering in NYC, it's worth backing into a list based on where you want to deliver, which as idssn9 mentioned above is important in NYC. You'll probably want to look at the l&d environments, c-section rate, and various quality metrics, as well as geography.
posted by chesty_a_arthur at 9:55 AM on February 13, 2015
posted by chesty_a_arthur at 9:55 AM on February 13, 2015
Once you have a hospital, you can narrow your list of doctors based on admitting privileges.
posted by chesty_a_arthur at 9:56 AM on February 13, 2015
posted by chesty_a_arthur at 9:56 AM on February 13, 2015
I have been going to this Ob/GYN since my early teens and only a move off the East Coast could convince me to switch. My understanding is they are quite pricey for the initial visit but, Dr. Harris have served me well not only for "lady parts" issues but also general medical needs. There is no way I would have gotten my allergies under control if she hadn't identified that was what was going wrong with me and sent me to her daughter's allergist, and that's not the only time she has gone well above and beyond. Good luck finding an OB/Gyn, there are so many stellar doctors in NYC! http://www.sohoobgyn.com/our-doctors/#harris
posted by palindromeisnotapalindrome at 10:40 AM on February 13, 2015
posted by palindromeisnotapalindrome at 10:40 AM on February 13, 2015
I was very happy with Downtown Women's for gyn and ob support and went to them for many years (until I got pregnant with twins which most smaller practices refer to larger fetal hospital clinics).
I met with many of the doctors there and they were all great.
Importantly, the staff is also really nice and welcoming and you don't wait long. They explain everything to you patiently.
They deliver at NYU Langone, which is one of the few hospitals certified "baby friendly" which basically means they do skin to skin and keep baby with mom as much as possible, and do extra help with lactation.
posted by rmless at 10:57 AM on February 13, 2015
I met with many of the doctors there and they were all great.
Importantly, the staff is also really nice and welcoming and you don't wait long. They explain everything to you patiently.
They deliver at NYU Langone, which is one of the few hospitals certified "baby friendly" which basically means they do skin to skin and keep baby with mom as much as possible, and do extra help with lactation.
posted by rmless at 10:57 AM on February 13, 2015
My spouse has had nothing but love for Dr. Richard Rindfuss.
posted by ThatFuzzyBastard at 12:21 PM on February 13, 2015
posted by ThatFuzzyBastard at 12:21 PM on February 13, 2015
I don't know anything about your area, but you might want to consider seeing a midwife instead of an ob/gyn. Midwives are fully medically trained--even more training than most MDs. Many women see midwives for well-care (annual check-ups, etc.) in addition to pregnancy and birth care. Of course, individual midwives can vary in their care styles, but generally speaking they are more patient-centered and holistically supportive. And most are affiliated with hospitals and/or birth centers so that if you do get pregnant and choose to give birth in a hospital or birth center, your midwife will be able to provide care through them and also be affiliated with urgent care facilities if necessary.
I began seeing a midwife during my second pregnancy and continued to see her for regular check-ups and birth control (IUD) for years after my child's birth.
posted by primate moon at 7:40 PM on February 13, 2015 [1 favorite]
I began seeing a midwife during my second pregnancy and continued to see her for regular check-ups and birth control (IUD) for years after my child's birth.
posted by primate moon at 7:40 PM on February 13, 2015 [1 favorite]
Hi. Having gone through infertility and eventually needing IVF to conceive, let me give you this advice: don't go to an OB to find out why you're not pregnant yet. Go directly to an RE (reproductive endocrinologist). OBs are great at managing pregnancy and birth but their focus is not infertility.
posted by apostrophe at 7:55 PM on February 15, 2015
posted by apostrophe at 7:55 PM on February 15, 2015
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posted by roomthreeseventeen at 7:16 AM on February 13, 2015