Dr. Bajaj at Capital Womens Care in DC

[Anonymous]

I was very happy with this practice. Like everyone else, I agree that the office/admin staff could be improved. But, my experience with the physicians - particularly Dr. Newman was excellent. Yes - all of the physicians are fairly quick with their physical examinations, but they are professional, and knowledgeable. I highly reccomend them, but, if you want a doctor who will spend lots of time holding your hand, this is not the practice for you. In the end I had an easy delivery and I have a beautiful baby boy and plan to use the practice again for my next pregnancy.

[Anonymous]

I agree with 15:24. I've been going to Dr. Picco for years now and like her very much. Yes, she talks 100 miles an hour and if you don't have your list of questions on hand, there is no 'chatting' time to think about them. But I am a little like that myself at work, so I take it as a sign of professionalism. She is always knowledgeable, keeps me at ease by sharing enough information that I never feel lost or uninformed, and has never acted like a question is stupid. The practice is a bit chaotic, but if you expect to wait 30-45 min (and I think most Dr's in DC have wait times that long) and don't take it personally, it's fine. Very convenient location and takes most insurance. Lots of moms to be in the waiting room. (in the interest of full disclosure, I am having my 1st baby in Sept, but have no qualms about having what ever kind of birth the dr. on call thinks is best for me and the little one once the situation gets going. Which means I felt like we were exactly on the same page when Dr. Picco said "we'll do everything we can to help you have a normal vaginal delivery, but we can't really predict what will be best for you until you are in labor.")

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you are going to move to the alexandria for your care you might want to look at Physicians for women which are upstairs from P and M. They are a smaller group and it is also the group that Hibshman moved to. She was at the old office but left. I switched over to her new group and it is night and day. Very happy with my choice. Also it is so much faster to get to her office on 395 corridor than in DC.

What is the name of Hibshman's practice? What does P and M mean?

[Anonymous]

Dr. Bajaj delivered my son via c-section. It is true, it all depends on how the labor goes. I went in for a scheduled induction because I was a week late and had not dilated. During the night, my son's heart rate dropped but later was stabilized. The next morning, I still had not dilated. Dr. Bajaj told me that I could either attempt "natural child birth" or go ahead and have the c-section. The reality is that I would have spent many hours in childbirth to later be taken to the ER for a c-section anyway because it was clear that I was not dilated and that my son's health was more important. Since his heart rate had dropped the previous night, the last thing he needed was to endure a troublesome labor for the sake of "natural childbirth." You can tell a doctor your wishes ahead of time, but the reality is that they can't promise anything one way or another as it all depends. So, I think that Dr. Bajaj is not only nice, but very knowledgeable as are her partners and I think that the idea of calling one birth natural over another is condescending and pretentious.

[mpeluso]

I actually have an appt with Dr. Bajaj in an hour. I LOVE her! She delivered my son via c-section in March of 2007 and will be delivering my daughter in October. I had initially seen Dr. Newman but after talking to Dr. Bajaj I felt more at ease. Yes, sometimes it's hard to get past the fact that she is young and cute and can talk to you like one of your girlfriends but she has always been 100% supportive of all of the decisions I have made with my birth. I switched from Dr. Brandon Burke in Chevy Chase (who I really loved as well but he stopped taking insurance) and was worried I would not find another doctor I liked but have been very happy with Dr. Bajaj and Newmann (who assisted in the c-section).

[Anonymous]

I wanted to second the PP and mention that I love Dr. Bajaj too! She has delivered me for both of my pregnancies (a singleton vaginal/natural delivery) and twins (c-section due to breech positioning). I found her to be very supportive of natural child birth (she actually would have let me try a vaginal delivery if the first twin was vertex since the second sometimes turns around). As PP said, her youth and engaging/girlfriend manner can be disconcerting but it actually makes the office checkups and even delivery somewhat "fun" - I joked and laughed with her through both deliveries.

[Anonymous]

I third my satisfaction with Dr. Bajaj, I really like chatting to her during my visits. I am expecting my first baby and I have absolutely no complaints. I don't care about her age, she wouldn't have been hired if she was not up to the job, no practice could afford that.

[Anonymous]

I posted in January before having my baby in February and now have a since month old daughter. My main Dr. was Lori Picco, but Dr. Bajaj was on call when my water broke. My experience with my labor and delivery was absolutely fantastic in every way. I was fortunate not to have any complications, but I must say that Dr. Bajaj made the experience relaxed, informal, and I actually had fun! I will always be thankful to her for making the birth of my daughter memorable in the best sense. I am continuing with Dr. Picco, but would also be happy to see Dr. Bajaj. My great experience during birth and afterwards has turned me around on how I feel about the practice.

[Anonymous]

I delivered with Dr. Newman, but also saw Dr. Bajaj along the way.

I never had any problem getting in touch with the doctors after-hours or otherwise. in fact, that is what made the difference for me during my prgnancy. I was a paranoid first-time pregnant person, and Dr. Bajaj always called me back to reassure me. She was very patient and the best thing about her was that she talked me through the exams (i.e. she let me know what she was doing, that it was almost over, etc.). For whatever reason, however, I always got better, more detailed explanantions from Dr. Newman when something was going on. The front office staff also knew me by name and treated me very kindly. They never lost a chart, knew how far along I was without looking at my chart, and even knew my husband's name. I loved every appointment I went to, and even looked forward to them.

Flash forward to week 40-

I too was told that we would see how the labor was going when I expressed interest in a natural birth as well, and was a bit discouraged. However, I educated myself about all of the drugs used during labor and all of the "justifications" doctors have for them. By week 40, I had not dilated and my baby had not dropped at all. Dr. Newman was afraid that my baby was too big, and after going to the radiology lab, they estimated him at around 9.5lbs (+/- 1lb). While I was in the radiology lab, the technician, who was new, gave me all of the stats on my baby, and told me that she measured me to be only 37 weeks. Her supervisor shushed her quickly and stated that they use the estimate given in the first trimester by the doctor. When I brought this up to the doctor, they agreed with the supervisor and scheduled me to be induced at week "41." I went in on a Thursday night, they started the pitocin drip, and I did not dilate, and my baby did not drop. In my thinking, that should have been a sign that I was not ready to go into labor. They kept on giving me more and more pitocin, I had minor contractions that I slept through, and when I woke up, Dr. Newman informed me that his suggestion was to go with a C-section, and gave me his reasoning.

As it turns out, my baby was only 8lbs 7oz. I feel like I could have waited a couple more weeks, and so does my husband. The office has a reputation for c-sections, which, after having one, did not suprise me. My baby is beautiful and healthy, and I am fully recovered, so I am very thankful for that, but had I known then what I know now, my decision would have been slighlty different. The fact of the matter is, however, that it is not just a problem with their office, it is a problem that we have as a society. Women are equipped by the medical industry with a defeatest mentality from the start that convinces them that they need drugs and/or surgery to do what women have been doing naturally for centuries. Don't get me wrong-there are women who need epidurals and/or c-sections and/or pitocin, but there are many who, if they were encuraged to birth naturally, would give it a shot.

Even if you have a doctor who says he will stick to your birthing plan, he may convice you otherwise during labor & delivery, when you are in pain, emotional, and tired. The best advice I can give if you really want to do this naturally, no matter what practice you go to, is to get an experienced midwife or doula. They can truly offer you alternatives, and can intercede on your behalf if the doctors start to confuse or pressure you. If I decide to try a vbac next time around, I will have a midwife there. Some insurance companies help you with the expense of having one if it is too costly for you, and there are some rare practices that even have a midwife on staff. Dr. Newman/Dr. Bajaj/Dr. Picco are all open to having one in delivery from what I understand, so it was poor decision making on my part not to have one there.

Best wishes!

[Anonymous]

I've been a patient of Dr. Blank's at Capital Womens Care for several years and when I first got pregnant I switched to Dr. Bajaj. (Dr. Blank doesn't do OB anymore.) She was nice enough to me -- but as I was getting dressed to leave, I heard her out in the hallway screaming (no exaggeration) at one of the office staff about how she was tired of being booked new patients and that she had too many appointments back to back. She also didn't return my calls for my test results. I didn't feel like I could trust her and switched to Dr. Newman. He's not the friendliest, but he's competent and I like him well enough.

[Anonymous]

It completely depends on each person. My DH and I love Bajaj. Had a great experience with her and would recommend her to anyone.

[Anonymous]

Just to tell a story opposite to that of the PP who had a C section - with my first child, I was also measuring huge and since I am very small statured, Dr. Newman told me that a Csection might be necessary. I basically expected that this would be the case, and was surprised at a late u/s (36 or 37w?) that the baby was measuring around 8lbs so no need for a C. In the end my kiddo was 9lbs plus, no C section and no pressure to have one (frankly I would have been very happy to do that since I had a long, excruciating labor.) I have lots of complaints about the practice but my experience is that they were not pushing C sections at all.

[Anonymous]

My name is Lili DeSimone and I have been going to CWC since about 1997 after trying out a few other practices. I started out with Newman and switched to Picco during my first pregnancy in 2001, for no other reason than that she had smaller hands!! I think Newman is a very professional and caring physician and would recommend him as well. As for Picco, I cannot say enough wonderful things about her. When my first daughter was about to turn 1, I discovered a lump in my breast. I was only 33 at the time. Thanks to Picco, I was quickly referred to a breast specialist when other doctors kept telling me I was too young to worry about breast cancer. Well I had Stage III breast cancer!

Flash forward 7 years and I have since delivered 10-lb Jake and 8-lb Lia, both by VBAC and both with Picco. Neither pregnancy was without its set of challenges, with this most recent one coinciding with a recurrence of my breast cancer (so surgery and scans). Picco was always available to consult with my oncologist, and always checked in on me even from her vacation. Throughout both subsequent pregnancies, I never felt pressured to avoid the VBAC, and both Picco and Bajaj supported my decision. I have never had a problem getting Picco to respond to my calls or emails. I have always felt she spends more time than she needs to with me, babying me through my concerns, never ever rushing me through an appointment. It baffles me to read the posts on this site because my experience has been the complete polar opposite with her.

I have always felt you have to love your doctor, otherwise switch. But I make sure to always voice any concerns, so that they know when something is not going right. I had a particularly bad experience with Hipsham during my second pregnancy, and made sure they all knew about it. She engaged in a terrible verbal lashing to the nurses over something to do with my treatment, right in front of me, making me very nervous. She was rude to the nurses and I later learned had a reputation with most of the Sibley nursing staff for being difficult. But I did not sit on that, I made sure the practice was aware of my experience, and I think if you have a bad experience with any of the doctors, they should be made aware of it immediately.

Bottom line for me, I unequivocally recommend Lori Picco.

[Anonymous]

As a first time mother, we uesed Dr Bajaj during our pregnancy, and I was very happy. I was expecting a bit more "what to expect..." information, however ultimatly I recieved all the care I needed, and was thrilled with my communication with Dr Bajaj, and the delivery. She made us very comfortable, and we even felt like she was a friend in the room with us.

[Anonymous]

I have to chime in and say that leaving this practice was one of the best decisions I have made. Dr Picco was my dr w my first pregnancy and she really was wonderful in the delivery room. But I had always been disappointed w the attitude of the staff, the nurses and often the drs, incl Picco. I never had calls returned within 24 hours and sometimes not at all. I made the switch to a practive at NOVA Hospital Center and the difference in the nurses, drs and staff is night and day. I can't believe I put up with CWC for so long. The day I walked out of there with my medical records was SO freeing! There ARE better practices out there...and I no longer wait 45+ minutes for every appt or pay through the nose to park.