Has anyone delivered yet with the team at Liv by Advantia?

[Anonymous]

The new(er) Women’s clinic Liv by Advantia in DC has an obstetrics team that delivers only at Sibley. Anyone have recent experiences with the Liv OB team and any recs, comments? I love the idea of a smaller practice to support me but was not wanting to deliver at Sibley.

I have strong preference for least interference, natural birth which GW did great at - their admin in their giant healthcare system just sucks and makes for some miserable experiences.

[Anonymous]

Is this the same as Reiter Hill Advantia?

[Anonymous]

Oh interesting. I hadn’t heard of Reuter Hill but they seem to be part f the same parent company Advantia. But Liv is a different office in Shaw. No sharing of docs, they are separate.

[Anonymous]

Reiter Hill covers them for on call deliveries, so there is potentially sharing of doctors for delivery if your provider is not available.

[Anonymous]

I used Liv by Advantia (U St.) for my first and had a really disappointing experience. I’m also not alone—I referred friends to Liv because they seemed great at first, but we have almost all had bad experiences. I could go on and on, but here are a few points:

-Dr Kressel can be kind of dismissive. When my friend and I asked, on separate occasions, about a two-week pre-birth leave that we had the option of taking, she essentially said “Well, I don’t disable people, and I worked right up until I delivered.” She is an OB around medical professionals in a job that she doesn’t take home with her. My friend and I work in fields where we get assignments at all hours, can be asked to travel at a moment’s notice, and we work with lots of people who know nothing about pregnancy. It felt judgmental and inconsiderate. Also, when my PP mental health screenings kept scoring too high, she’s just jokingly say “I don’t know why you keep failing these screens! But you have a therapist, right? You have it covered.” What the heck?! So utterly dismissive.

-Their admin team was a nightmare. Angel lost and incorrectly completed several pf my leave forms, and this also happened to two of my friends.

-Sibley couldn’t find my records and barely even knew what Liv was. They know Reiter Hill but not Liv. I also didn’t see a Liv dr until day 3 PP. Not a single doctor I knew for the birth or days PP. What’s the point of going to Liv as its own practice if it’d really just Reiter Hill?!

-The doctors all joked that my baby seemed “juicy,” but not once did we discuss that this might mean I’d need a c-section. I ended up needing one and felt really out-of-the-loop once I understood more about why.

-They don’t have a room new moms can use to nurse before/after PP visits.

These are just a few of many examples. I strongly recommend going elsewhere. Dr. Boddu was fine, but she is leaving, so I really have no idea what is happening at Liv now.

FWIW, Liv’s sonogram tech is AMAZING. Loved her and hope she continues doing such great work.

[Anonymous]

Apologies for typos above. Wrote it while rushing between things at work.