Anyone Go to Kaiser in South Bay?

Hi J.,

I didn't have a baby there but my best friend did 4 weeks ago and had a great experience. In the beginning she didn't like her Dr. so she did change that but Kaiser itself was good. As everybody else said, the new facilities on Vermont are really nice.

Good luck!
S.~

I had my daughter 2 years ago at Bellflower Kaiser...great! I now see a great OB at Long Beach, Dr. Nelson...she is awesome!
Best of luck...the vermont new facility in Harbor City is beautiful too!
Best of luck!

hi, i am 48 & was born in kaiser in fontana california. in 1980 i had a son at kaiser south bay. it was o.k. but back in the day the doctor on duty delivered your baby, not the doc you were seeing. i had never even met this man. it went well, i do like the nursery set-up, being able to pull your baby in through the wall like a drawer ( basinette is like a drawer into nursery ) i hear many complaints about kaiser. i have a few myself. my in laws have had both complaints & successes...i think you need to be persistant with them on some issues to make sure you are heard. too many times you have to go through a nurse practitioner to get to a doc. i am o.k. if kaiser was my only option but it would not be by choice. since having a baby is a natural process, not an illness. i would be o.k. with that. good luck!!! C.

Kaiser SB has midwives. One bieng Pat Chism. Request one. Good luck.

I had my little girl there. Mostly it was a wonderful experience. The only problem I had was during my labor, I felt like there may have been a bit of a language barrier with one of my nurses and we didn't communicate well with each other. Other then that, it really went well. The doctor's and nurses were all very attentive to us. My daughter was in the NICU for 3 days and I felt very comfortable with that as well. Good luck to you.

Well, it sucked for me! My husband wanted to cut the cord and we told them this, but after she came out, the doctor(not the doctor I saw the whole pregnancy, as you get whoever is there that day)said he couldn't because his hands weren't sterile. They told us he could at first, so what the hell? Also, they did the usual, weighed her, measured her, and 30 minutes later I still hadn't seen her. What happened to laying the baby on my chest like we discussed, as this was important to my breastfeeding plan?!? It was 47 minutes later, after a quick sponge bath thing and then they put a shirt on her, and THEN I got to see her. I mean, she was dressed when I held her for the first time!! The first sight I got of her was a cell phone picture my husband took. I kept asking for her (she was in the same room) but they said they had to check this and check that...she was 9lbs. 9oz. and 21 in. She was super healthy. I just feel like they ignored my birth plan and stole my dream of bonding with my baby immediately after birth. I decided to switch to my husband's insurance after the whole experience.

Up until I was out of college, I was under my parent's health plan and I went to Kaiser South Bay. My parents like it and still go there. I never liked it. As soon as I got under my own health insurance, I went elsewhere. I haven't been to Kaiser recently but my sister did give birth there 10 years ago and I still wasn't impressed with their service. It took forever to get a nurse to help her when she was in labor and needed it. The nurses were also very cold and rude. Maybe we were just there at a bad time but this lasted for the duration of my sister's labor and her stay there. I know, 10 years is a long time ago but that was my most recent experience there. Hopefully they have gotten better. If you are located in the South Bay, I really like Little Company of Mary. I've also heard good things about Torrance Memorial as well. Good luck!

Hi J.,

I had a horrible time going through my insurance, Torrance Hospital IPA, to have a traditional hospital birth; long waits in the office, rude staff and bossy, know-it-all doctors (I tried 3 different ones) We finally decided to pay out of pocket for a home birth. The experience is amazing! Giving birth is something you want to do right because it is such an important event in a woman's life. After my first son was born the insurance company ended up paying 100% of the fee. We are still waiting for a payment from our second son's birth after appealing their denial of payment.

Good luck,
S.

My niece had her baby there in Nov of 07. Her OB was very professional and she felt taken care of. How has it been a nightmare? If it's a personality thing you can always choose to change providers (Dr's). My niece had an emergency c-section and she was well taken care of. As with any place of business there are always circumstances that can make it a negative experience but give it a chance and address whatever the problem is.

Susy

I had my son at Kaiser Harbor City, and most of the staff (other than an isolated nurse) were wonderful and super caring! Plus the new labor and delivery wing is wonderful. I also went for all of my prenatal care at Kaiser Harbor City with Dr. Joshua Berger--he's the best. I'm now pregnant with my second and am continuing care with him. I suggest you get recommendations if you're having issues with specific doctors/techs and definitely file a complaint if need be (I've found that Kaiser is great with follow up on any of your concerns).

I had both of my boys (and my husband) have been born in South Bay. I had Placentia Previa and I was young and naive 10 years ago but they took very good care of me and I learned a lot from my doctors. With my second son we tried a normal birth and again the doctors were very patient and helpful but I ended up with another c-section because I just wouldn't dilated and good thing he was a 9lb baby. I originally had Dr. Atkins but he became a specialist and I got assigned to Dr. Stekol both great doctors. I have never had any problems and my both my kids have had some problems, heart murmur, asthma, and regular childhood problems. You can always go to other doctors and if you have a problem go through the customer service - we did once and got a great response from it. Nothing is ever perfect and you have to do what is best for you and your family....good luck.

I had my baby there 2.5 weeks ago. We were VERY happy with everything. I loved the nurses they were all very attentive. I never felt like I couldn't ask a question. The new ward is really nice too! How has it been a nightmare for you? Good luck!!

I had my son there and everything was great.

I had both my girls there. The birthing staff was all great. It's true, your ob/gyn may not be the one delivering your baby, but does it really matter? As long as the doctor is capable and good, I didn't mind. In fact, my OB did not deliver either of my girls. My first birth was delivered by on OB who'd just given birth 3 months earlier herself and she was GREAT. She took great care to make sure I didn't tear and I only had a minor tear because I pushed at the wrong time. My second baby was delivered by a very experienced midwife who was also fantastic. The nurses are very supportive and helpful. The thing I like about Kaiser, you have so many choices. If you don't like any one doctor's philosophy, change doctor. Also, nobody is pushy. I gave them my birth plan and the doctor and nurses made a point of looking at my birth plan and making sure nothing they do conflicts with it. Email me, if you have further questions. Enjoy your pregnancy!

I had both my boys (ages 2 and 4) at Kaiser South Bay without any problems and they were both c-sections. Now they have the new birthing facility on Vermont that I hear is nice. My ob/gyn is actually at the Gardena offices. Her name is Maria Capaldo. She is absolutely the best. How has it been a nightmare for you?

J.,
Yes I go to kaiser Harbor City...and I had my baby at kaiser Bellflower...It was a good experience...not like the bad things you hear about kaiser. Don't worry!

Kaiser in Harbor City has a new maternity section...and it's really really nice. The nurses there are nice too.

:o)Congrats
Christina

I had my baby at Kaiser Harbor City but my OB/GYN was at the Gardena office. I suggest if you don't like your doctor, request a change. It's okay to change. You're entitled to change your doctors. We had a good experience at Kaiser Harbor City. The nurses were great and so was the doctor that eventually delivered the baby. (The doctors are on rotation on being on call at the hospital, so you may not necessarily get your own Dr. to deliver your baby.) I even had a midwife visit me at the hospital while I was in the Labor room. Good luck!