Midwest Obgyn Midwifery

Where there’s smoke, there’s usually fire is right! I am a former 5yr patient as of today due to the lying and incompetence of Dr. Moriera.
I had a 9am appointment with Dr. Moriera this morning, scheduled purposely so that I did not miss a lot of time off from work. I arrived at 8:50 and assisted staff in hauling in office supplies that were delivered outside their office door. I advised the staff that I had new insurance upon which I was furnished with a medical questionnaire to fill out. I completed it in 5 minutes and gave it to staff.
At approximately 9:05 a man walked in the office and told the office staff that he was there to deliver a car to Dr. Moriera. He was told by staff that she was not in yet. REALLY??? 9:05 and not even in the building yet? They proceeded to call her on her cell phone and she answered and advised her staff to send the man to the parking garage, where she was waiting for him. By this time, there are 5 women in the waiting area. While I’m sure that not all had appointments with her, I DID!
At about 9:15 I was called into the office. I was weighed and blood pressure taken and asked several questions all of which I had just answered in the medical questionnaire that I filled out. I was then told to change into the examination robe and wait for Dr. Moriera.
15 minutes goes by and no Dr. Moriera. I opened the door, 9:40am by this time, and asked where the doctor was and advised staff that I had to be at work. They said they would get her for me. 5 minute later Dr. Moriera appears. She apologizes for the delay telling me that the staff had doubled booked the first appointment. REALLY??? Um, no. You were too busy in the parking garage retrieving your car while knowing you had patients waiting to see you.
It all went downhill from there. She started to pepper me with, again, the same questions that I was asked to answer on the medical questionnaire that I filled out when I arrived. You should be reading the questionnaire BEFORE you greet your patient. We got on topic about birth control (I won’t go into details). She was completely clueless about my birth control prescription history. It was pretty pathetic as at one point she started to stutter when I asked her a question about the prescription.
At this point, I advised her that I was cutting the cord right then and there. I proceeded to get dressed and she walked out of the examining room, not even making sure I was out of view of anyone who might be standing on the other side of the door.
She has proven time and time again to have absolutely no respect for her patients. Seems to be a common theme for this practice.

I’m appreciative that they were able to see me considering I don’t have insurance or a ton of money. But I had a coloscopy done and I was extremely nervous and I felt the doctor was just in a hurry to get in and out. I was distraught and needed someone to talk to and explain it all to me. Not just smiles, hand me papers, and tell me this process is common. The nurse was very sweet, but I felt like I was brushed off by the doctor because I was poor. I left feeling like crap, alone, scared, and uninformed.

I completely concur with prior reviewer, Rebecca. Now, full disclosure… I am a man writing about my wife’s 1 single appointment at this place. Also, full disclosure. I am a medical malpractice attorney and former paramedic. I have actually delivered a couple babies myself (still a little scared of women from those experiences… mad respect). So, while I certainly do not claim to be an expert, I also have a fairly solid understanding of the subject.
Back Story:
Our first child was born at Northwestern Lake Forest Hospital. Dr. Michael Hubbel did the delivery. Now that man gets 10 stars. Our daughter was born 9 lb 1 oz. Big, but not huge. My wife is a small, fit woman with no gestational diabetes during her first pregnancy. However, there was a complication with shoulder dystocia. I know! The horror! A stuck baby and a lawyer in the delivery room. lol. However, Dr. Hubbel was calm, collected, and professional. Did his job with me sweating down his neck the whole time. Baby had a slight clavicle fracture that healed normally (as the vast majority do). I didn’t sue; I shook his hand. My wife recovered quickly, and now we are pregnant again. Sadly, we since moved and Lake Forest is too far.
So enter present situation. We have been with one practice in Schaumburg for 28 weeks. My wife consistently complains that they are just pushing and pushing for c-​section delivery. No reason given. I even meet with the PA who starts talking about my wife’s high risk for gestational diabetes. She’s 125 pounds pre-​pregnancy, no GD history or family history. There is no risk. It’s been a whole lot of rhetoric about prior complications and risk of the baby dying in child birth. So, we decided to consult these «midwives» to get a different perspective.
We met with nurse Ford (Janet). Our very brief visit was identical to Rebecca’s above. As soon as we mentioned prior shoulder dystocia, she began a scripted response entailing the horrors and risks of SD. I asked about c-​section rates, and she said the «national standard of care is to perform a c-​section if prior deliveries had a shoulder dystocia.» She further said that «because your first child was so large, you have a much greater chance of having a large baby, which increases risks for dystocia, brachial plexus injuries, and permanent injuries or death to the baby.» She started talking about all the legal reasons, malpractice, and how they make their patients sign some form of legal consent saying they will hold the practice harmless if they have a vaginal delivery against doctor’s recommendations!” She lectured for a few minutes all about the law (because she used to work in the legal field I guess). Finally, I just walked out and said I’d wait for my wife outside.
Here is the rub. There is no accurate method for judging the baby’s weight. There is very little scientific evidence to suggest that a past large baby has any direct medically relevant link to future shoulder dystocia outcomes. Moreover, there is vast literature that suggests there is far greater harm from doctors trying to predict shoulder dystocia and perform unnecessary and elective c-​sections than from dystocia itself.
Following the visit, I immediately called a friend who is a consulting physician in Virginia who often reviews my cases. I explained what I was being told and his initial reaction was, «yup. defensive medicine. C-​sections are better for doctors, but a good old fashioned vaginal delivery has less complications and better outcomes in the long run… provided you can do it safely of course.»
In short, a professional must be competent and know how to handle the range of possible scenarios that come with their profession. Choose an experienced doctor who is not afraid to handle a delivery. Dr. Hubble I am sure was nervous. I’m sure he was under pressure. And hell, he probably even had fear of being sued. But over his long career he appears to have developed the ability to manage that fear and has thus become very proficient. This means that he is capable of handling the tough decisions on the spot rather than relying on the certainty of a surgical room.
If you want a doctor (or «midwife») who can do 1 think — cut — then feel free to call these folks. They don’t track their c-​section rates, because frankly, it sounds like that’s all they want to do. But if you want a doctor who is competent and lets his patients lead the discourse because he knows how to adapt on the spot, go to Lake Forest OB-​GYNE!!! We will be traveling. It’s worth it.

When it comes down to it, you want a birth professional that you can put your trust into for your labor and delivery. In case of complication, you want to be confident that the practice will steer you toward an option that you would have chosen yourself if you weren’t a hormonal mess.
At Midwest Midwifery, I met with Janet for the «meet and greet» appointment they offered. She was friendly, experienced and seemed competent and knowledgable about pregnancy and birth.
But she lost me at, «We don’t really keep track of our c-​section statistics,» especially given that Alexian Brothers has a high c-​section rate overall. For me to trust any organization (or person for that matter), they must show me that they are thoughtful and self-​reflective.
I interviewed three midwife practices in the further western suburbs (West Suburban Hospital is too far from my house, so none that practice there) and had a set of questions that I asked all of them. I cared less about their answer than about how their answers demonstrated a philosophy of care that walks the line between maintaining current best practices and treating me as the primary stakeholder in my birth experience.
Beyond the major set-​back, there were several things that made me uncomfortable with the level of personalization I would receive. The language in the welcome packet dictated several things that «would» happen over the course of my pregnancy, such as STI testing, rather than using words like, «recommend» or «we offer.» Janet detailed several policies of the hospital such as mandatory vitamin K injections for my newborn and that they won’t allow midwives to attend VBAC labors, even though that’s legal in Illinois. I don’t have a particular problem with any of these policies in theory but a dynamic where any choices are taken away from me doesn’t bode well for future choices that must be made.
Finally, I know from being pregnant twice before that midwives’ appointments sometimes run late because of the level of personalization they should be giving. I don’t want to spend that time in a waiting room full of advertisements on the walls for a laser spa, thinning lash therapy, 3D ultrasound, botox and various portrait photographers, especially with a sullen receptionist, no wifi and a TV blaring terrible daytime TV. Now, I can’t un-​know what cute little thing Leeza Gibbons’ dog does.

Though relatively new to this practice (only 1 year), I too am surprised by the negative reviews. The staff were very friendly and helpful, and Dr. Moreira was extremely patient with my numerous quesions, and took the time to thoroughly answer them even though she was clearly having a very busy day.

I was pregnant with my first child and I had always known I wanted a midwife for my care. My SO and I were unsure from the start because there were only 2 midwives in the practice and 3 obgyns. The main thing I wanted was the «midwife experience», I wanted things to be more natural and just the general midwife approach. Well these midwives were just like obgyns– and not good ones. I felt they kept blowing off my requests for going a more natural route. Once we got closer to my birth I felt they were preparing me for medical interventions already. My SO and I just never felt comfortable leaving that office. There were also issues like when I was screened with the 1 hour non-​fasting glucose tolerance test for gestational diabetes my levels were slightly high, a couple points over, I think my score was 144, when you are considered diabetic if your levels are over 200. They called me and said, «Your gestational diabetes levels are abnormal, you need to make an appointment at the hospital.» I freaked out, thinking I have GD. My SO called back, since I was a nervous wreck, and he found out it was really no big deal, I shouldn’t worry because it was very unlikely I had GD, they just wanted to find out more how I processed sugar. There was also one receptionist that both my SO and I just could not stand! And the ultrasound tech was just rude.
I would not recommend these midwives! Thank goodness I switch at 30 weeks to Shirley Moore and Mary Saracco, out of Elmhurst Memorial Hospital, who are absolutely AMAZING! Whether you want all the meds in the world or you want a completely natural birth I would strongly recommend them!

I’ve been part of this practice for years, so I’m completely shocked by the previous review. I have never had an negative experiences with any part of the office. The staff has been consistently pleasant and courteous with me. The fact that they can always find a way to squeeze me in if I am having an urgent issue has been a God sent at times.
As for the practitioners, I LOVE them! I’m dying to know who the previous reviewer was referring to because I cannot imagine that anyone currently there would act like that. It must have been someone who is no longer there, because the current 2 midwives and 2 physicians are super sweet.
I have referred countless friends and family to this practice and everyone is always very pleased. I am still just a gyne patient for now so I can’t say anything personally about the OB part. However, my cousin just delivered with the female doctor and loved her experience. Overall, I highly recommend this practice to everyone :)

Midwives, hooray! Right? Well, not so much.
I was so happy to have found hospital birth midwives. It was my first pregnancy, I wanted to birth in a hospital «just in case», but I also wanted 100% natural (unmedicated, self-​guided labor). So I went about my research and found that midwives would be my best bet to attain that.
I know I caught this group during an awkward transition from their large dozen midwife practice, to this small three (two and a half?) midwife plus an OB group. I had multiple clerical transgressions occur for prenatal appointments – wrongly scheduled appointments, unacceptably long wait times (sometimes an hour or more) both in the reception area and in the exam room.
But the worst part was that I felt I was duped. «Signing up» with this practice I was told that they would act as my labor support, at my side from 4 cm on, helping me do something I’d never done before. I wasn’t encouraged to take classes or hire a doula, just to read books if I felt like it. I was welcomed to my third trimester by being informed that they were too overloaded with clients, they would be unable to offer much – if any – labor support, THE OB MIGHT BE THE ONE TO CATCH MY BABY, and that I really should hire a doula if I wanted an all-​natural birth.
WHAT?!
Cue me rushing to find a doula, working the balls up to say that I did not want the OB (nothing against him, he was nice to say «hello» to and all, but I had never ever seen him for medical care!), and my husband was left to calm me down. They did agree to make an exception and have one of the midwives, for sure, be the one on-​call for me.
But then, oh then, I go in for my 39 (and some change) week appointment where I foolishly consented to an internal exam, and I’m pretty sure my membranes were stripped without my consent. Internal exams are never comfortable, so I can’t judge by that, but I was immediately cramping and having irregular contractions for days after that. Irregular contractions = no sleep = very tired by the time real labor started up. Also, «you may have some spotting and cramping,» is a pretty good tip off now that I remember those words she warned me *after* she had her hand in there. I’m still furious about that.
Blah, blah, natural labor, blah, very tired, get told I’m 10 cm so it’s time to push. Directed pushing was very much on my birth plan as something I did NOT want, but there I find myself propped up on my back, a nurse on one leg, husband on the other, and a midwife threatening to cut me if I didn’t push harder despite no medical complications indicating any need for such urgency. Yes, those actual words, «don’t make me cut you,» came out of her mouth when I was trying my hardest to get my daughter into the world.
I cannot with good conscious recommend this practice. I understand that they are doing a service, offering midwife services in a hospital setting, but I think they have perhaps drifted from the midwife ideals and fall much closer to OBs these days. I really truly wish I could say otherwise, but this is my story, and I would never go back to this practice.