Seeking Maternal Fetal Medicine Specialist Recommendations
I am choosing between going to Sutter Pacific Medical Foundation, UCSF Benioff Oakland, or UCSF in SF at Mission Bay for my high risk pregnancy with twins. I would love to hear people's experiences with all three practices - the first two deliver at Alta Bates and the third at UCSF Mission Bay (when East Bay Perinatal Associates split they split into the first two). My twins are likely monochorionic/monoamniotic, which makes them high risk, but I am having trouble figuring out which practice might have the most experience with such things. Any thoughts or experiences appreciated.
Feb 2, 2019
Parent Replies
I had a high risk identical twin pregnancy (mono/di) and got my care through UCSF at Mission Bay. I developed twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome and had to have a very rare and risky procedure that is only done at UCSF and a few other locations in this country. I also spent the last 6 weeks inpatient and the facilities there are incredible (felt more like a hotel than a hospital). You will also likely need to be hospitalized for a few/many weeks at the end of your pregnancy for monitoring and the facilities and medical team at UCSF cannot be matched. (I delivered my next low-risk pregnancy at Alta Bates and I would have gone crazy if I had to stay there more than a few days). I highly highly recommend and got excellent quality care. Feel free to message me if you have additional questions.
I had a high-risk pregnancy birth due to a very different issue than yours (my chronic disease - a blood-clotting disorder), and I cannot recommend UCSF enough for those of us with higher-risk pregnancies. The maternal-fetal medical team there is really top notch - beyond caring well for you as a general pregnant individual, they're also up-to-date on all of the latest research within their specialty, and the nurses are used to handling more complicated patients and procedures. The facilities are also top-notch.
Please take this with a grain of salt as I delivered my first child 10 years ago (!) and it was not high risk, aside from my age (37). I also developed polyhydramnios later in the pregnancy but it was not a big issue aside from being extremely uncomfortable. That said, I loved the care I got from UCSF (at the time they were still at the Parnassus campus) for both my pregnancies, and many of the staff are still there. I had prenatal care mostly with Sharon Weiner and Suzanne ? (I don't remember her last name, but she is no longer there), both nurse-midwives. My daughter was delivered by Dr. Kamali and my son (the younger one) by Dr. Li. The nursing staff was supportive and gentle. Because it is a research institution, I felt secure that if anything went wrong with the pregnancy, they would have the latest advances at their disposal. You should be aware, though, that because it is a teaching hospital, there will likely be lots of folks (residents, students, etc.) in the room. I didn't mind, but some might. Good luck to you -- sending lots of good thoughts your way for a healthy pregnancy and birth!
Hi there! I can only speak to the post-delivery care of the newborns, but if all else is relatively equal for your maternal care, I would absolutely choose UCSF Mission Bay for the NICU there. The providers (MDs, NPs, RNs) are truly top-notch, and that way you're setting the babies up for the best possible care they can receive in the Bay Area. (Hopefully they won't need NICU-level care, but they might.) Full disclosure, I'm a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner (in another specialty) and would absolutely choose to deliver at UCSF Mission Bay. Best of luck to you!