Why Dr. Newman is great

[Anonymous]

I had a wonderful experience with Dr. Richard Newman (of the 2141 K Street practice) today, and I wanted to share. The practice has been much maligned by many on DC Urban Moms, and I personally admit to posting several negative things about them.

But things have changed. While not working perfectly, the office is running much more smoothly and the office staff much more friendly.

As for Dr. Newman, he really listened to me today. I'd had a difficult pregnancy, delivery, and hospital stay, and I'd attributed much of that to Dr. Newman and his practice. While they could've handled things better, ultimately, I now believe that they're listening to patients who are upset and trying to better their practice.

The one thing that really strikes me about Dr. N is that he does OB, even though others in his practice (and many OBs generally) are foregoing that part of their practice and just doing GYN. This is because of malpractice costs. But Dr. Newman still does OB despite potential liability because I think he truly loves delivering babies and helping moms.

And he helped bring my happy, healthy DD into the world. I will be forever grateful.

Just some food for thought...

[Anonymous]

Op, can you provide more specifics? What are they planning on changing? Did Newman acknowledge his and the practices' shortcomings? Did he have an explanation on why the OBs don't find it necessary to sit down and listen to their patients BEFORE their difficult deliveries and hospital stays?

Don't get me wrong, I am happy that you two had a good conversation, but without concrete action, it strikes me as too little, too late.

[Anonymous]

OP here:

Fair enough, PP. I'm hesitant to give too many details about my own experience because of privacy concerns, but the main thing for me was that I was questioning whether an intervention that Dr. N did during my delivery was necessary. I had questioned his motives, but after talking to him, I realized my own assumptions about him and his motives were completely off base. I think we all do that, right? When you don't know why someone acts the way they do, you attribute things to them that may or may not be true, based on the information you have at the moment and your own biases. After talking with Dr. N, I'm now convinced that he had my and my baby's bests interests in mind when he did what he did.

As for the office, it used to be that when you called, you couldn't get a person on the line, and if you left a message for a doctor, they didn't always get them. Now, their phone answering tree has improved, and I've twice called during my postpartum recovery and had either the Dr. or his nurse call me back within an hour. Also, during my pregnancy, every time I came in, there were new forms to fill out. But today, I just checked in, paid my copay before the visit, and got taken right back. And after the visit, Dr. N spent at least 20 minutes with me discussing my concerns.

Perhaps the thing that made me feel best today, was that Dr. N said "I'm sorry" for the pain (both physical and emotional) that I'd experienced over the course of being his patient. He was not apologizing for anything he had done -- in fact, he didn't do anything wrong (except perhaps hire the wrong office staff). But he was sorry that I'd suffered, and that is so important. I know most doctors are afraid to apologize because they think it's admitting wrongdoing and therefore opening them up to malpractice liability, but Dr. N realized that I needed to hear "I'm sorry" so he said it. It made a world of difference.

Hope that helps...

[Anonymous]

While you're posting this, I'm just going to chime in and say that I know many people have an intense dislike of Dr. Picco, but I really trust her and love having her as my doctor.

For me, Dr. Picco always took time out to listen to me and to answer my questions. She also supported me fully in decisions I made when it came time to deliver. Like Dr. N above, she ALWAYS said "I'm sorry" when she knew I was not feeling well and esp when she knew she was going to do something that would not be pleasant for me (checking my cervix, etc). When I had terrible postpartum, Dr. Picco called me back after I left a msg and made an appt for me to see her the next day (right there on the phone). And she called to check up on me after that, too.

I like Dr. Picco so much that when we were torn on a name for our daughter and we told her our two "finalists," she immediately smiled at one of them and said how much she liked it and that's the name we went with!!!

So for what that's worth, I wanted to share it. I know many, many people just don't fit with her personality wise, etc. But I really do like and respect her.

[Anonymous]

Dr. Newman is great, if you want a c/section. That's what he does best, and he does TONS of them. And, if you're lucky, your birth will be managed in such a way that YOU can wind up with a c/section, too!!

..............From yet another mom who wound up with a truly unnecessary c/section at the hands of Dr. Newman.

[Anonymous]

OP here -- PP, I'm so sorry you feel that your C-section was unnecessary. That's what I thought, too, but after talking to Dr. Newman, I realized I was wrong. Now please realize I'm not saying that your C-section wasn't necessary, I'm just saying that it might be good for you to talk with Dr. Newman if you want some clarity on your situation.

Dr. Newman actually wasn't my OB on the day of delivery. Because of a mistake by their office staff, I switched to another, less experienced doctor in the practice because I felt like she had a better bedside manner than Newman (who I thought was blowing me off because he never got my messages). That doctor ended up leaving in the middle of my delivery, and Newman had to take over.

So that's why I questioned his motives about my C-section -- he had to take over for another doctor to take care of a patient who had switched away from him in the middle of her pregnancy. But after talking to him, I realized I was attributing motives to him that were incorrect. I now think (not based on anything Newman said, but just from my own research) that the other doctor was the one who messed up -- given my medical history, I probably should've had an elective C-section, and not an induction. I now think, although I'm not sure, that if I'd stayed with Newman, he'd would've recommended an elective C-section and I would've been spared the experience of pushing with no result, and then having to undergo an unplanned C-section.

[Anonymous]

Dr. Newman recommended an elective c-section for me because my baby was thought to be huge. I had one and she was born a healthy 7 lbs, 13 oz. It was entirely unnecessary and I wish I had listened to Dr. Hibshman who told me to do it the old fashioned way. He put the seed in my head, though, that I couldn't deliver the baby and so I was scared to try. Just something to watch out for, ultrasound size measurements in the late weeks can be very far off.

[Anonymous]

OP again --

PP, I'm so sorry you had to go throught that.

But what I've learned recently is that medicine is an art, not a science, and no one is perfect. I think doctors, like everyone else, do the best they can with the information they have at the time. Again, not to minimize your difficult experience, but unfortunately, mistakes are sometimes made and unforeseen consequences result.

If you don't mind my saying, I think we both need to focus on the fact that we had beautiful, healthy babies. I know that helps me when I get upset about my experience.

[Anonymous]

I am the second poster (not the one who wrote about her C-section for her 7+ lb baby), but OP, in regard to your last comment:

It seems PP was just responding to your characterization of Newman as "great," one, frankly, I take issue with as well. In addition, telling her to focus on her baby (even as gently phrased as your post) is pretty dismissive, particularly in this context. She can focus on and be joyful about her baby and still feel she was subjected to an unnecessary procedure. One doesn't erase the other.

As you said, OP, medicine is an art not a science. However, OBs do vary on how they chose to interpret that information. How did the docs come to the conclusion that PP's baby was huge? A sonogram? These are notoriously inaccurate and not a measure of whether one can birth her child vaginally. Yet, doctors continue to make predictions and recommendations based on information known to be inaccurate.

Again, I am glad that you have made peace with your experience, but I hope you understand why others might take issue with calling him "great."

[Anonymous]

OP here:

To PP -- your points are well taken. I didn't mean to be dismissive, and I'm sorry if it came off that way.

It's funny to me, because almost everyone on these boards thinks that Dr. Hibshman is great -- in fact, I had a terrible experience with her.

Two days before my induction (scheduled for medical reasons), Dr. Hibshman told me that I didn't have to worry about having a C-section, because I was 2cm dilated and baby was so low in my pelvis. Then, the morning of my delivery, she predicted my baby would arrive by 2pm. In fact, I didn't start pushing until 5pm. Dr. Hibshman left right before I started pushing because she said she needed to pick up her kids (this was after she once told me in an office visit that she never leaves her patients during delivery). She said that if I was still in labor when her kids were settled at home with her father, she'd come back. In fact, she never came back, nor did she ever contact me again.

I'm still trying to process this and I'm finding that holding on to hurt feelings isn't helping very much. I'm finding that when I focus on past events over which I had little control, it's hard to focus on the future (i.e., my DD). But I'm trying.

[Anonymous]

I, too, had a great experience with Dr Newman. He delivered my dd in '05, and, according to many people on this site, I "should" have had a c-section - I induced (on my request), I pushed (actively) for 3 hours, I had no birth plan except to avoid tearing - but he hung in there with me and I delivered vaginally. He was fantastic during delivery. I waited a while before I asked for an epidural and he never pushed meds on me. He delivered my sister's three kids, and the same was true for her. To 16:32, if you really feel he took unnecessary acts that caused you mental and physical anguish, you should seek a legal recourse. Otherwise, and I'm not being flippant, it sounds like you need to talk to a therapist because something else may be going on. Oh, and Dr N told me that he thought my baby was big, too, but that later stage u/s were notorious for being wrong. He just said it was something to be aware of - never even brought up the word c-section.

[Anonymous]

"She said that if I was still in labor when her kids were settled at home with her father, she'd come back. In fact, she never came back, nor did she ever contact me again."

Right OP, Dr. Hibshman was no longer on call and left you in the hands Dr. Newman. She DID take care of you and did not abandon you.

"And he helped bring my happy, healthy DD into the world. I will be forever grateful."

That is nice that you are grateful. However, I don't see where Dr. Hibshman would owe you anything. She did her job and your results show that. Dr. Newman does not need you to hold a torch for him. Really, it's okay. I can tell you this and I don't even know the guy! Time to move on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here:

To PP -- your points are well taken. I didn't mean to be dismissive, and I'm sorry if it came off that way.

It's funny to me, because almost everyone on these boards thinks that Dr. Hibshman is great -- in fact, I had a terrible experience with her.

Two days before my induction (scheduled for medical reasons), Dr. Hibshman told me that I didn't have to worry about having a C-section, because I was 2cm dilated and baby was so low in my pelvis. Then, the morning of my delivery, she predicted my baby would arrive by 2pm. In fact, I didn't start pushing until 5pm. Dr. Hibshman left right before I started pushing because she said she needed to pick up her kids (this was after she once told me in an office visit that she never leaves her patients during delivery). She said that if I was still in labor when her kids were settled at home with her father, she'd come back. In fact, she never came back, nor did she ever contact me again.

I'm still trying to process this and I'm finding that holding on to hurt feelings isn't helping very much. I'm finding that when I focus on past events over which I had little control, it's hard to focus on the future (i.e., my DD). But I'm trying.

Can anyone else hear that? Is that a violin?

[Anonymous]

OP here:

To address PP's contentions:

Right OP, Dr. Hibshman was no longer on call and left you in the hands Dr. Newman. She DID take care of you and did not abandon you.

I never said she abandoned me. I just said she left and I never heard from her again.

However, I don't see where Dr. Hibshman would owe you anything. She did her job and your results show that. Dr. Newman does not need you to hold a torch for him. Really, it's okay. I can tell you this and I don't even know the guy! Time to move on.

I *am* trying to move on. That's the whole purpose of this thread -- I'm going through a process of trying to help myself recover. With all due respect, I'm guessing your doctor never left you in the middle of your delivery. Until you know what that's like, it's not fair to presume how I should feel about it. And if you don't think that Dr. Hibshman did her job and doesn't owe me anything, that's your right. I feel differently, and that's *my* right.

The reason I didn't mention Hibshman's name in earlier posts on this thread is that this is what I was afraid of -- people LOVE Hibshman, and they have good reason. She's a wonderful, caring person, but I believe in my case, she messed up. It just goes to prove that no one is perfect and mistakes are often made in the medical field.

[Anonymous]

What these posts are telling the OP is that no one is following your reasoning. I had the same reaction from my experience and it sounds to me like you may be having a case of PPD. You might not be able to get to the other side of this unless you get some help. I had to get help and it made for a happy family in the end. Please consider it. These hurtful feelings can errode the quality of your family's life. It's serious.