Homefirst???

i just used Homefirst to have my second child at home, and they were great! I go to the naperville office and use Dr. Zumhagen most of the time. He is really balanced on everything. Dr. Schattauer seems really balanced as well; he is just very matter of fact and straight to the point. I laugh at Dr. Rosi; he is extremely all natural, but a great doctor...was great with my 4 yr old. The nurse midwife, Christina, is wonderful. She delivered my son, and was so great. I enjoy all the nurses and doctors there. They are laid back and casual about things; I really like that. I highly recommend them.

I started going to Homefirst after the birth of my son who is 5 years old now. Before he was born, we decided not to give our child vaccinations. We noticed how were treated starting with the hospital after he was born. I was questioned by the nurses, given propaganda papers from the CDC, etc. When we took our son to his first pediatric appt. through the hospital (Northwestern), we were questioning the doctor about the safety of vaccinations and it ended up in a heated discussion and I was forced to feel like I was a terrible mom! Through a friend's referral, I then went to a pediatrician in Olympia Fields and same thing. I then noticed that the only reason for all of those pediatric appointments were just to get vaccinated. I had developed a yeast infection on my breasts while breastfeeding. It was very painful and my lactation consultant told me to visit the pediatrician and ask for something for myself and my son. He refused giving anything for my son and did not seem too concerned about my problem. So, my mother told me about Homefirst and I was relieved to find a medical facility who was more homeopathic focused and pro-breastfeeding. When I visited them, they were in Oak Forest at the time, it was a huge relief. I didn't have to argue about vaccinations, in fact I was supported (even though if you do want to vaccinate they offer that too). They were so supportive with my breast feeding problems and I felt I all my needs were met. Whenever I felt something was wrong with my son or that he was sick, I would always get an appointment the same day. There were a few occasions where the only availability was at one of the other locations and I would just go there. I started seeing one of the doctors for my female needs as well. Overall it's a great place for the whole family. I've probably seen almost all of their doctors, but the one I like the best is Dr. Shelanda Hayes. She is now at the Orland Park office and I believe she works evenings some days. I appreciate the staff's efforts on finding natural remedies first before prescribing anything. Other than Homefirst, I don't know where else I would go.

I love them. We go to the Naperville office I did have an unpleasant incident with one of the doctors but I just stick with the one I like Dr. Zumhagen. They are very open minded and encouraging that you know what is best for your child. I recommend them to everyone I know.
Nicki

Hi!

Congrats on your new baby!

I currently go to homefirst and have good things to say as well as bad things to say.

Good things...They are all very nice and are balanced, which other readers have mentioned. I have met with Schatauer as well as Zumhagen and my personal preference is Zumhagen. I did decide to utilize homefirst when deciding I would not vaccinate my child for at least his first two years of life, possibly never. They are extremely supportive of this, but do not push a view either way. It is totally up to you to do what you feel is best and they will support you in that decision, whatever it may be. You will not receive any pressure, as I did utilizing "mainstream" pediatricians before finding homefirst.

That being said, there are some negatives, again simply my opinion and how it was affected by being a new mom. Like I stated earlier, I did utilize other pediatricians before finding homefirst so I was able to see the flexibility of many hours, nurses on hand to speak with when calling office to ask a question or someone to bounce things off of. You will not receive this at homefirst. First of all, they do not have nurses. Second of all, you can never call the office. They have a main number that everyone calls with receptionist who either take a message for the doctor or schedule an appt. THats it. Being a new mom, that was very frustrating for me. If your child is sick, you call the main number and get whatever md is on call. My first sickness, was vommiting and diarrhea,......which the doc on call simply sent me to the er. I am a new mom,,,,did not know any better and the people in the er said to me....and you are here why? Just go home and wait it out. Very frustrating. Also, I do feel that they pressure you to give a home birth.

Another drawback is they take your credit card at every visit, and charge your card whatever insurance does not pay. You will never see a bill, just a charge to your credit card. So it is up to you to check your eob and make sure it was processed right. As a woman living with leukemia, I can tell you almost 40 percent of my bills are never processed right. So be diligent about knowing what coverage you have and checking your eob. It took me 2 months and many irate phone calls to get a bill corrected by homefirst. That was extremely unprofessional to me.

Another negative is they never keep your chart at the office. Every time you go, it is a new slip of paper in which they ask the same questions, what are you feeding him, how much is he taking, etc. I feel like he never really knows my son and I constantly have to remind him of the things we struggle with, ie,,,,reflux because he does not have a history in front of him.

Needless to say, they are always nice, which means a lot. If I did not have such a strong, personal stance against vaccinations, I would not be utilizing them. Until I can find another doctor that feels the same way, will I switch. I have yet to find one. If you do, please pass along the info!

Also....they are all family doctors, not pediatricians. I do not know if that is something that matters to you, but thought I would mention. If you have any other specific questions, feel free to email. Just wanted to comment on the negative, as well as the positive so you could see another side.

Good luck and congrats!
B.