Kris Yogam, MD

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Sept 2007

Hi, has anybody seen Dr.Yogam (Krishnamoorthy) in Oakland? She's an ob/gyn affiliated with Alta Bates (Berkeley) and I was wondering if anyone could recommend her (or not)? Thanks! MS

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Dr Yogam was my midwife's backup OB and did my c-section. She's very good at surgery, but can have an abrupt bedside manner. For example, when I was ready to go home I was kept waiting all day because the nurses were afraid to page her again (turns out she never got the first message). A few days later I developed antibiotic allergies and when I called her office I found out she was on vacation in India and no one else was available to see me. It may have been a special case since she wasn't my regular OB but I didn't have a great experience overall, and it was partly my midwife's fault for not having another backup OB. caught in the middle

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Dr Yogam has excellent surgical skills and will work with patients that other dr's may not want to, regardless of insurance, etc, but during my emergency D for a miscarriage she yelled at me that if I scarred and couldn't have more children it was my fault for not coming sooner (I'd been sent home from the ER 3 times because of no insurance), and that my fate was not in her hands but God's. wouldn't go there again

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I'm sorry to say, but I had an extremely bad experience with Dr. Yogam. At a post-partum visit after the cesarean birth of my first child (about five months later), I mentioned to Dr. Yogam that sex had been and continued to be extremely painful for me since the birth. She said with contempt--and these are her words exactly--''It's been long enough. Go have sex with your husband.'' I was very distressed about the situation and left feeling worse. (After a visit to another doctor, I was told that vaginal dryness is a common side effect of nursing and that mine was particularly severe. It cleared up when my baby started nursing less.)

Additionally, Dr. Yogam inserted my IUD and the insertion was so painful, I screamed. A nurse-midwife did the same procedure after my second child (also born via c-section with no dilation to speak of) with almost zero pain. Unhappy Patient

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We had a good, if unusual, experience with Dr. Yogam 9 years ago. My wife had arrangements with a midwife and Dr. Yogam was assigned as her backup doctor, but we never met her until the night our daughter was born.

Unlike our first child, this second one arrived in a rush and we barely made it to the hospital in time. My wife was staggering down the sidewalk in front of Alta Bates, when someone (who turned out to be Dr. Yogam going home for the day) yelled to get a wheelchair. The wheelchair appeared as if by magic, and Dr. Yogam grabbed it and ran pushing my wife up to the labor and delivery department. The nurses thought it was great, ''transport by doctor''. Dr. Yogam went home, the midwife took over, and the baby arrived about 10 minutes later. Only later did we find out that our mysterious rescuer was the backup doctor!

I was impressed that she could recognize imminent delivery in semi-darkness from 20 yards away and that she didn't stand on ceremony but took action herself. Everything else I've heard about her is that she is good doctor and advocate for women. Happy customer

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Well, I had to have a 2nd C-section at Alta Bates last year for a (2nd) breech baby, and Dr. Yogam K. was the doctor on duty on the weekend when I was due to have my staples from surgery removed. She responded to many of my very routine questions (some of which included: ''How long until I can drive? How long would I be expected to be needing pain meds?'') with a very annoyed, ''The nurses can cover all this for you!.'' Well, sure, but I did want a doctor's opinion on some things, anyway, and didn't need to feel like answering a few five-second questions was too much bother for her! I already had ideas on most of the answers as a Ph.d. candidate mom who over-reads and over-asks as it is, but asking a doctor always seems worthwhile since they have so much more training and experience, and so I was very put-off by her shortness. But, worst of all, she was rough removing my staples (which should be painless, and was in the past!) and to top it off, she failed to remove THREE of them, so I had to return later for this after taking off the final bandages and finding out her oversight. Ugh! And, in one of the spots where she was rough, the area was slightly torn back open, and became somewhat infected, and I had a high fever for about a week and almost had to have it re-opened and treated, had to return to the doctor three more times, with new baby and 1 year old in tow, thanks to that. My recovery from my second C was significantly more difficult than my inconsequential first recovery. Alta Bates is a GREAT place to have a baby, but if you have to schedule a C section, I'd do it earlier in the week so you will be less likely to have one of the on-call docs on staff to do your staple removal! Roughed Up Momma

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I only had Dr. Yogam as the on-call doctor for my midwife when I had fetal distress during labor and she did my C-section. She had almost non-existent bedside manner, but I think she is, on the technical end, very skilled and competent. She handled my situation with flexibility (respecting my wish to try for a vaginal delivery) but in the end made a good decision that I needed the C-section. I was told by many of the nurses that I had the best possible surgeon in her (indeed, I healed really well), but they also implied that she can be harsh interacting with patients. I would not pick her as my OB/GYN, but as far as the interpersonal goes, you should judge that for yourself.

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I used to see Dr Yogam and I liked her a lot. She delivered both of my kids and everything went well. I liked it that she was there for the delivery. Another og/gyn once told me that Dr Yogam has a good reputation for very fast C-sections. She has a lot of experience and seemed to be very good at ob/gyn. The only reason I stopped seeing her was that it became difficult to get appointments with her, at the time she was traveling a lot and never seemed to be available. This was several years ago and may no longer be an issue. The office was a bit challenging because she often ran late. I learned to call and find out how the schedule was running before heading out to an appointment. The office was very helpful and will tell you if she's running late and suggest a time to check back or reschedule if needed. She does (or did anyway) all of her own deliveries so that can mess up an appointment schedule. But it's great if you're the one delivering -- she'll be there! former patient but liked her

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I had Dr. Yogam during my second delivery.

My first labor and delivery took 3 hours from the first contraction to the birth of my son. With my second pregnancy my OB/GYN told me to call him as soon as I noted contractions-unless I wanted to have a baby in the Kitchen floor, car, or on the steps to the hospital entrance. I noted from the very beginning that things were going different with my second baby, but still, at some point before the shift-time when I knew my OB/GYN would not be on duty, I called him and said I had contractions but that they were very mild. He still recommended to go to the hospital to be checked.

When I got there the receiving nurse said ''You must not be in labor if you have such a big smile and are laughing that day.'' So, when another nurse was examining me in the triage room, I explained to her why I was there: my first delivery was very rushed, so my doctor told me to be prudent with this one... but probably I was not still sufficiently dilated to be taken in. The nurse sort of panicked when I told her the story and called Dr. Yogam right away--I really didn't think it was necessary, but! Anyway, it turned out I was sufficiently into labor to be admitted.

Dr. Yogam was the Dr. on duty that night. She came in about 45 minutes later, and told me I had not breaken waters and she was going to break my waters so the process would speed up. I asked her if that was the only choice and asked some questions about it. After a few Q, I told her I'd prefer to wait longer and see if the waters broke naturally. She told me: ''So you make me get out of bed on my only night off and now you are going to make me wait?'' I was speechless and wasn't sure how to respond... but I didn't have a chance to because she told the nurses ''I'll be in XX, wake me up when she's ready'' and stormed out of the room. I felt really bad...

About 5 hours later, when I was 8.5 cm dilated and still the baby wasn't even getting into the canal, and in consulation with the attending nurse (who, on the other hand, was FABULOUS!) we decided to have the doctor break the waters. Dr. Yogam came, not in a very good mood, but by then I wasn't really focused on anything other than managing the pain. She broke the waters and left. A couple of contractions went by, and felt the urge to push. The next-shift nurse came in, checked, said I was ready, and called Dr. Yogam, who came in. I pushed 1-2 more times, and the baby was born. The nurses were saying how good I was at delivering babies and at that point I thought even Dr. Yogam was a little bit nicer--or maybe I was just too happy with the birth of my baby and rejoicing in the positive enforcement from the nurses! (the nurse who spent the night with us stayed passed her shift time to be there when the baby was born...)

In any case ... Both of my pregnancies were healthy and both of my labors and deliveries were natural, but in my opinion this was only because my husband was there to support me and because of the great nurses I got. I did not feel any support from Dr. Yogam during my labor/delivery.

To end on a positive note, I'd like to express my appreciation for the Alta Bates maternity nurses: they rock!! EP

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I am a pediatric hospitalist, which basically means that I attend alot of normal and abnormal deliveries (approximately 500-700 deliveries/year). I have worked with Dr. Yogam for 8 years. My first interaction with Dr. Yogam was not positive. She screamed at me for getting in her way or something that she didn't like. Many nurses are afraid of her. It is true, she does not have the best bedside manner. However, when I am called to a delivery, I am always relieved if Dr. Yogam is the doctor for that patient or the doctor on call. Why??? I have worked with all the OBs in the Berkeley/Oakland/Walnut Creek/San Ramon area. Why would I want to work with someone that is so MEAN? Because she is the best DOCTOR to save the mother and the baby. She has the best clinical skills in the business. She may not be the warmest doctor but if you want a doctor that would be the best advocate for your life and your child then SHE IS THE BEST. Most pregnancies and deliveries are quite uneventful. Unfortunately, there are many problems that can arise that can threaten your life and your child's life. If you want a doctor that will hold your hand and shower you with affection, don't choose Dr. Yogam. If you want a competent doctor that can work under pressure with precision and provide the best outcome for you and your child, then choose Dr. Yogam. But just be prepared to have thick skin.

My experience with Dr Yogam is not strictly professional. Three years ago I decided to have a child...before 40. When it was time to choose a doctor, the decision was very easy...Dr Yogam. I and many nurses have chosen her for the reasons above. Dr Yogam was beyond my expectation. Unfortunately, my pregnancy was complicated by a lethal fetal bladder defect diagnosed at 13 weeks gestation. We had to terminate the pregnancy. Dr Yogam was beyond compassionate. She was warm and very caring. That experience was painful but with Dr Yogam by my side I was able to survive that difficult time in my life. And unexpectedly. Dr Yogam supported me emotionally. Now 30 months later, we are blessed with a very healthy 20 month old daughter. When she is your doctor, she takes care of you completely.

She has a busy practice because she is GOOD. Perhaps she doesn't have a partner due to her difficult personality. She works more than any doctor I know. She is almost at Alta Bates everyday. I am thankful for that because my job is easier knowing that Dr Yogam is there. I realize that she doesn't have any bedside manner (although not my personal experience). But you must realize that she is often placed in a position that is difficult (failed home birth, failed birth plan, failed vaginal delivery, fetal distress). I see her as a doctor constantly putting out fires. She doesn't have time to hold your hand because ther are lives that need saving. As far as her frequent trips to India, she goes there because she is the sole supporter of a village. Dr Yogam is saving lives 24/7 365 days a year. What more do you want! happy mom and doctor.