Hospitals & Obs in San Jose & East Bay Area

El Camino Hospital (Santa Clara) or Good Samaritan (San Jose)! And Dr. Smriti Nalwa is an excellent OB-Gyn! Hope this helps

I moved to Mountain View, CA during my second trimester. I was nervous because I really loved my OBGYN who delivered my first two kids. I was very fortunate to find Dr. Azad (www.doctorazad.com). She was great. Made me feel at home, was there for my delivery. I heard from the nurses that she has the lowest cesarean rate of any of the doctors there. She only signs out to female doctors, but lucky for me she was there for my delivery. I would recommend her to anyone.

If you move to Pleasanton area there is a great OBGYN in Walnut Creek, Dr Stephen Wells. He is part of the John Muir Network. He delivered both our kids. His whole team is great, they listen to you, unlike most docs. I was with them for 12 years even though I live in Antioch and worked in Pleasanton and Fairfield. Our job only offers Kaiser, looking forward to the day we can switch back.

Congratulations on your pregnancy! I was under the care of Dr. Elisabeth Schleuning and Dr. Lonnie Lin in Oakland, CA. They work with a group practice, OB/GYN Partners for Health. We went to them on the recommendation of friends, one of whom is a pediatrician so we felt that was the best recommendation we could get. I delivered in Jan. 2010 at Alta Bates in Berkeley; we received such god care. We really bonded with the labor and delivery nurses there (even went back with thank you gifts, we were so impressed), so I only have wonderful things to say about my care there. We now live out past Walnut Creek and I plan to hold on to these doctors as long as possible! Good luck to you and your growing family.

you should check out the DR'S at Good Samaritan, I had my 1st son there, but that was 32 years ago, just remember it was a great hospital, it is in Los Gatos...

I've been with my OB/GYN for almost a year. First it was for a gyn problem, she was so patient and nice. She'd return my phone calls and even sometimes save me a visit by communicating by phone. Now that I'm pregnant, it's great to already know her. I'm totally nervous! First baby and all. But she's proven to be the perfect doctor, she took 30 min at my first visit to tell me all the stuff I can and can't do. I'm very greatful to have found her. Dr. Azad (www.doctorazad.com) . Shes in Mountain View and only delivers at that El Camino Hospital.

San Ramon Regional Medical Center is where I had my first. I rally wish I could have had my second there too. They treat you like a princess. All private rooms, and very comfy rooms. A bed for hubby. People at your beck and call all the time. Every time the baby cried, someone came in and offered to wisk him away so I could rest. My last day (after 5 days and a cesarean) they gave me and hubby a congratulatory dinner. 5 course meal, champgne (or sparkling cider) a linen covered table that they bring in to your room, with server at the ready to fill your water galsses etc. The food was good the whole time, but that meal will stand in my mind forever. The whole experience was like that. I had Blue Shield. My OB was Rene Harris. Also in San Ramon. I drove an hour and fifteen minutes for every appointment so I could be there.

We're in the San Jose area and Good Sam was awesome. The delivery rooms are private and all but I think one or 2 came with a private bath that has a jacuzzi tub for moms who want to give birth in water. The recovery room is also private with a TV/DVD, private bathroom, etc. Their NICU is one of the best in the area, if not the best.

Food is much improved since I used to work as a candy stripper and you order however much you want to help you recoop. In fact, the nurses encouraged me to do it.

They have a bassinet for baby and high security to prevent anyone from walking off with baby. All baby care items in the bassinet/storage unit are available for you to bring home when you leave so we made use of a lot of the stuff since it's better quality than what we'll found out there, especially those aspirators.

The staff was helpful and very nice. They have a baby store on the same floor in case you need to get something. When I delivered in 2008 you could have 1 person stay overnight during recovery and as many visitors during visiting hours, and up to 2 ppl during delivery (kids with an adult and not overnight).

The hospital does tours so you can see what the rooms are like and ask questions.

My OB/GYN is Dr. Nilima Parehkji (http://www.womendoctor.com/physicians.html) and she was great.

Hope this helped and good luck!

San Jose/Santa Clara is a very big geographic area. And with traffic, it could take a very long time to get from one end to another. Pleasanton is a slow commute away on one of the worst traffic corridors in the Bay Area.

The suggestions so far cover a very large geographical area. For example, from Pleasanton to Good Samaritan Hospital on the San Jose/Los Gatos Border is about 45 minutes with no traffic. And traffic could easily be stopped with very slow progress. Not sure that kind of commute would make sense when you are in labor....

Or if you go into labor when your husband is at work, and he has to fight traffic to get home to Pleasanton, then take you to John Muir in Walnut Creek, for example, that whole process could take hours.

Hopefully some of the moms can refer you to good OB-Gyns in the Pleasanton or San Ramon hospitals.
Good Luck!
T.

Kaiser Permanente is excellent in that area - we've had it for years and I have really liked the facilities and doctors - we lived in the Peninsula and San Jose area and are now out in Mountain House.
We lived near RiverMart - nice area new and clean but San Jose is so big and spread out I found it hard to befriend neighbors etc.
I worked in Pleasanton for a year - it's very nice and the old downtown area has cute little shops and restaurants.

I'm sure that you already have excellent recommendations, but here's a few of my favorites...Hospitals in the south bay depend on what your needs are and convenience of location. Good Samaritan Hospital located between Campbell and Los Gatos, is one of the best hospitals. If you have Kaiser, they have a new building in Santa Clara (on Lawrence Expressway) that is nice, but can't compare with Good Samaritan's services and staff. I've been to a few since I am in the field..sort of. As for OB's, again, it depends on your situation. Some people like going more holistic, and some people have high risk situations. If you tell me more, maybe I can recommend a someone more suited for you.
I, myself, try to be more holistic so I tend to lean towards open-minded Doctors and Specialists. I hope my little info helps you. Good luck and congratulations on your pregnancy!! :)
...A.