Richard or Robert Footer?

[Anonymous]

I have been going over old posts, trying to decide which "Footer" to make my 8wk appointment with. In many posts, poster simply wrote "Dr. Footer", so I am having a hard time analyzing all the advice, experiences, and opinions. I have garnered that Richard delivers at HC and Robert delivers at SIB. I have no preference between the two hospitals.

Which would you choose and why? (I am trying to have a natural birth; no meds, no intervention)

[Anonymous]

I go to Robert Footer and like him a lot. He's got a private practice and spends time meeting with patients after each appointment to discuss questions and concerns. I've been going to him as my gyn for the last couple of years and then have been going to him for my OB appointments ever since I found out I was pregnant in January. As far as the no meds, natural childbirth, he has asked me how I want to deliver and told me that it's completely up to me, the patient, and that he's open to anything from coaching patients through natural births or doing c-sections.

[Anonymous]

very informative. thanks for the rec!

[Anonymous]

I also go to Robert Footer and highly recommend him. I'm 11 weeks along and he's been great (was also a great gyn before I got pregnant). I like it that he always meets with patients in his office after the physical exams to go over any questions, etc (even after a routine gyn appt). A friend of mine who delivered with him last year said he was totally supportive of her decision to deliver without meds.

[Anonymous]

Are they podiatrists?

[Anonymous]

Does anyone know if Robert Footer performs his own ultrasounds? are they at least done in the same building? Also, does he accept United Healthcare?

[Anonymous]

Robert Footer does perform his own ultrasounds. He sends you to another place for the 1st trimester screening (nuchal fold test) and I think for the 20-week screening (I'm not there yet). I don't know if he accepts United Healthcare.

[Anonymous]

Highly Recommend Dr. Robert Footer. I went to him after being unhappy with a large/well known OB practice and my friend recommended him to me (she absolutely adores him and credits him for the successful birth of her high risk pregnancy). I had never gone to a male OB before, but I couldnt be happier. He is patient, supportive, answers all questions and takes concerns/issues seriously. I just wish I could find other doctors like him.

[Anonymous]

RICHARD Footer delivered my two girls, both at Holy Cross. He takes all kinds of insurance, as far as I can tell. He has two offices, downtown and Bethesda. His wife is a nurse and is his front office staff, which I liked a lot. She is very knowledgeable when you call with a question and ultra competent. After some bad experiences with other OBs who have bad front office staff, this was a great thing for me.

He will let you try anything you want, but he does make clear that he is in charge and ultimately he is going to do what he needs to do to protect you and the baby. I was ok with this. He also respected my wishes that no interns or medical students could take part in my care (whether you think I should have this view is not the point of this; the point is that he respected it). He intervened whenever I got in wars with the lactation people over various issues and was always very pro-patient.

He is uber-respected at HC and the nurses know he expects their best, which is also good when things get a little scary.

My first delivery was far from ideal, which had nothing to do with him. I will not go into the whole thing here. Suffice it to say he had my back, kept my baby safe, and then kept me safe when I started bleeding out. When the NICU staff gave me unintelligible answers about the state of my little preemie, he went in and got answers, and help, for me. A year later, when some crazy thing somebody in the hospital said to me - that I might have been originally pregnant with twins - hit me hard when my SIL lost a baby to triploidy, Marla took my sobbing phone call and got me through it. To me, these are the things that matter. The reason I chose him as my OB was I had the sense that if things ever went sideways, he would be there and know what to do and fix it. I found out first hand that I was right. Marla was an added bonus. When #2 came along, there was no question who my OB would be.

[Anonymous]

Dr. Richard Footer was my Gyn for years, and I personally would not recommend him. He failed to diagnose my ovarian cancer, even though I came in for all routine check-ups and occassional acute issues. I had a softball-sized tumor that was eventually detected in an ER. Doctors involved in my follow-up care were very surprised Dr. Footer missed it since it had apparently been growing for a year or more and could be felt by them. Also, when I asked Dr. Footer for my records in order to give my oncologists my full medical history, most of them had "disappeared".

[Anonymous]

I see Dr. Robert Footer and have been happy with him so far. He is easy to talk to and always takes time to answer questions. I'm hoping to have a natural childbirth and have discussed this with him--he has said that he will only recommend an intervention when he truly believes it's medically necessary and that he will always discuss it with me first. He is also okay with patients hiring doulas. Dr. DeSouza covers for him every other weekend and I have also heard good things about Dr. DeSouza. My only complaint is that his DC office (on New Mexico Ave. near AU) is not Metro accessible, but the inconvenience has been worth it.