Kaiser Pediatricians
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Dec 2011
Does anyone know of a pediatrician at Kaiser open and
knowledgeable about veganism ?
Or at least someone who you feel is not too ''Kaiser'' ? I am
also doing an alternative vaccine schedule, skipping some, etc.
I have had 2 different pediatricians so far and I hate that
everytime they really try to scare me about the vaccines and
are completely useless as far as nutrition for a vegan child
(beside telling me he needs milk and protein).
Thanks !
Vegan mum
I wouldn't ask your Pediatritian about nutritional advice, they aren't
trained in nutrition. I found myself very frustrated in your same
situation. The fill out questions I found especially annoying and
geared towards a certain bias. I debated whether to even answer the
questions truthfully. Seek out your own nutrition answers. I found the
book Don't Drink your Milk and the film Forks over Knives especially
convincing in the dangers of cow milk and casein. As far as kaiser
doctors go I would't bother trying to get support from them. I found
after several dissaponting experiences that the Residents were the
most open, supportive and don't have the same time constraints. You do
however have to get a new doctor every so often since they often move
on as they are only doing their residency at kaiser. I have been much
happier with them. My child has been super healthy and hasn't even
missed a day of preschool in 3 years despite all the other kids being
sick. I have Kaiser for any emergency and despite their recent phone
call reminder have never given my child a flu shot either. We also
co-slept which a lot of mainstream doctors don't support. A wonderful
experience I am so glad to have had. Don't let the doctors discourage
you, stick to your convictions.
Anon
We've seen several Kaiser pediatricians over the years who were quite
good, but I doubt you'll find one who will make you feel OK about
skipping vaccines and having a toddler/child on a vegan diet. It is
unethical to fail to vaccinate your child and it is the pediatrician's
responsibility to try and help you see why you should. You are
relying on others to vaccinate their children so you don't have to. I
think you will have to use alternative health care to find someone who
would support vegan diet choices for your baby/toddler. Sign me
skeptical that Kaiser is right for you
I hope your baby is getting adequate protein and fat, because children need
a lot more than adults for their rapid growth and brain development during the first
five years. You will have to work very hard for your child to get enough on
a vegan diet. The adults in the family will be fine on a vegan diet, but maybe not the chbild,
so please take this very seriously.
Aug 2011
We just switched to Kaiser and I'm looking for a ped who is
pro-attachment parenting. Any city around Oakland is fine, Richmond,
Hayward, Walnut Creek, Alameda.
I'm looking for somone who won't stare blankly at me about breast
feeding, co-sleeping, positive discipline, home schooling, etc. I am
a biology researcher and want an intelligent conversation based on the
latest research, including Sears and McKenna, instead of outdated ideas
that science/formula is better than mother.
Thanks,
R C
Good luck finding a single pediatrician in a 100-mile radius who
recommends formula over breastfeeding. Even when my first child was
born at Kaiser 28 years ago, no one was recommending formula. Not sure where you
got the impression this is the status quo - maybe outdated parenting books?
At any rate, I would wager that you would be very happy with just about any of the
pediatricians at Kaiser, and if you are not happy, you can always change.
We have Dr. Phan Phu thru Kaiser Oakland.
Kaiser doesn't give you much
choice especially when the ones that come highly recommended are not
taking new patients. However, I did find an old recommendation for him
and when I read his bio - I thought ok why not. We have been very very
pleased with him. I was surprised, since this was Kaiser after all. We
are an attachment parenting family - cloth diapers, co-
sleeping, extending bf..etc. He had NO problems whatsoever..including
our choice to follow an alternative vaccination schedule. He had even
suggested at 6 mos old to try and put our son on the potty. We always
wanted to EC so we did and it had worked great up until we put him into
a daycare that wouldn't accept cloth . Anyway, he listens to you and
answers questions and he sometimes will give his opinion but does not
push mainstream AAP statistics. He really does have a conversation with
you. Also, when our son had a double ear infection - he did not push for
us to use antibiotics without any prompting from us at all!
Anon
I would highly recommend Dr.
Robert Schaff at Kaiser Pinole. We are a
breastfeeding, co-sleeping, baby-wearing, cloth diapering family and
have been with Dr. Schaff since our son was born. When he moved to the
Pinole office we followed him, even though it was slightly farther for
us (we live in Berkeley). He is excellent- kind, caring, energetic,
nonjudgemental, and best of all, he will discuss your child's care with
you in scientific terms trusting that you are educated enough to be a
part of the dialogue and never talking down to you or condescending.
love our ped
I would say that Kaiser in general is very pro-breastfeeding
so I don't think any Kaiser pediatrician would try to push
formula on you. They have free lactation consultants
available in person or by phone. I breastfed my son well
past 2-years and never got anything but praise from our main
pediatrician and any others we saw. We also co-slept until
around 6-months and never had any problem discussing this
with our pediatrician. anon
It never ceases to amaze me how many people on BPN think that most
pediatricians have missed the message that breastmilk is better than
formula. And I'm sure if you're a biology researcher you're aware of
the scientific quality and relevance of Sears' and McKenna's research
vs. studies that look at large numbers of SIDS cases (the relevant
endpoint) while attempting to minimize confounding factors. I know a
lot of Kaiser Oakland and Alameda pediatricians and most of them are
up-to-date and open-minded, so unfortunately I can't narrow it down to a
specific recommendation.
pro-attachment parenting, anti-AP movement's smug tone
After going to 4 different pediatricians through kaiser, we have finally
found a truly pro-AP doctor: Dr. Casey Brown,
at the Richmond Kaiser. We
randomly saw her after our son had an ear infection and our regular
pediatrician was out. After that visit, I switched all of my kids to her.
Her panel is open (Aug 2011) since she is new to kaiser. She was not just
neutral about us co-sleeping, still night nursing (at 10 months), etc,
but she was supportive and encouraging, which I had never felt from
another kaiser pediatrician. (I even had one tell me I should try to
limit night nursing at 3 months of age!). Best of all, she has kids of
her own and interacted with my baby and my older son (who was along for
the visit) in a caring, playful, and friendly way that made us all feel
at ease in her presence. She helped me make an informed decision about
antibiotics too. I can't recommend her highly enough and feel so blessed
to have randomly discovered her. Totally worth the 15 minute drive to
Richmond- considering parking is a breeze there, it really isn't much
longer to get there than going to the Oakland kaiser from our house in
Berkeley. Happy with our pediatrician- finally!!!
July 2010
Re: Looking for a hassle free pediatrician's office
Kaiser.
No billing. No insurance snafus. No waiting. No hassles
making appointments. 24/7 pediatric emergency room. Doctors
answer your emails. Pharmacy onsite. Lab onsite. Everything
is easy.
Recent Kaiser convert
April 2010
We are having a home birth and are wondering if folks know
of pediatricians that are open to non western ways of caring
for children that do not automatically result in
prescriptions and who are also supportive of
breastfeeding,breastfeeding and returning to work as well as
attachment parenting methods. Thoughts and suggestions are
very much appreciated, thanks!
CM
We have been very happy with
Dr Tenney at Kaiser. We didn't
have a home birth, but we've found Dr Tenney to be VERY
supportive of our wishes to use an alternative vaccination
schedule, avoid prescriptions, etc. In fact, she even
expected we would have done our research and come to our own
decisions about how to approach our child's medical care.
As for breastfeeding, she's also been nothing but
supportive. Kaiser Oakland has an office of lactation
consultants on the same floor as the main pediatrics office.
The consultants are wonderful (especially Nneka!!!) and
will meet with you as often as you need. They're also
available by phone if you have questions and can help with
everything from latch problems to supply issues to work and
pumping.
Good luck!
Nov 2006
I would like to hear any positive/negative experiences with Kaiser's Richmond or
Oakland pediatric services, mainly regarding appointment availability in ''urgent''
cases. Can you get an appoinment for the same day if needed? We've not chosen our
doctor yet, neither are not sure whether to take Kaiser or United Health Care, so I'd
be happy to hear recommendations on any other pediatric services in/near Berkeley
MM
My kids are older now and Kaiser periodically changes their operations, so you might want
to call and check, but as of a couple of years ago, you could get same day app'ts every day
of the week, incl weekend days. And evening appt's. And major holidays, as they have
doctors of different faiths so they can work around each other's holidays. That has been
one of the most important features of Kaiser, for which we have endured other shortcomings:
same day (they're called ''Urgent Care'') appointments, evening app'ts, and holiday
app'ts. I even had the need for stitches in the evening for one my kids falling down on a
pool deck, and they took him in and performed the finest little stitches surgery under his
chin. You can't see the scar. A mom very pleased with Kaiser Oakland Pediatrics
This is exactly where Kaiser shines. You will absolutely be able to get a same-day, urgent
care appointment in Pediatrics. That includes weekends, as long as it is a truly urgent
matter (and they err on the safe side in defining ''urgent''). My experience with the
advice nurses (who do the phone screening before the appt.) is that if you are concerned,
they are concerned, and it's generally the case that they are talking us into a visit more
than the other way around! The Peds advice nurses are available 24/7. You won't
necessarily get to see your ''regular'' doctor if it's a same-day appointment. Don't know
about Oakland, but if you go with Richmond, you're pretty much guaranteed a good
pediatrician no matter who you see
More responses to this question are posted under
Oakland Kaiser Pediatricians and
Richmond Kaiser Pediatricians
Sept. 2004
I'm due with our 1st child in a month. I called Kaiser to sign
up with a pediatrician (based on all my friends' advice to find
a pediatrician now), but was told I can't sign up with anyone
until the baby is born. I think the rep's exact words were ''you
can't sign up for a doctor without a Kaiser number, and your
baby doesn't have a Kaiser number until she's born, so you can't
sign her up with a doctor.'' Oy.
Now I'm wondering if that Kaiser rep. was actually correct. So
here's the question: have you signed your child up with a Kaiser
pediatrician before their birth? If not, have you at least *met*
Kaiser pediatricians before the birth? How willing are they to
meet with parents for an initial visit to see if we like their
style?
Thanks!
This was more than 13 years ago, but when I was pregnant with my
first son, my husband and I made several appointments at
Richmond Kaiser to interview various pediatricians. This was
before the newer phone/appointment system they have now.
No one squalked, but I have to say the Drs. were ALL surprised
because I guess not too many people do this.
Don't even tell them when you make the appointment that it's for
you,just give the name and your Kaiser number. Good luck,
assertive Kaiser member
How great that you are trying to finalize all the details before
the baby arrives. I am also a Kaiser mom and tried to pick a Ped
before my baby was born, too. But you really do have to wait
until the baby is born before getting the M.D. Our baby had some
trouble and was in the NICU at first and so we met quite a few
Kaiser docs. You know, I have liked all of the Drs. we have met
in our son's first year and we have met quite a few given the
other problems that he has run up against. He is super healthy
now, and the thing that you will love about Kaiser is that it is
a great health plan for babies and kids. You will be able to
have so much more assistance with Kaiser than with a regular
health plan, which is why picking out a Ped for a kid with
Kaiser is not so crucial. I have been very reassured by calling
the advice nurse at 2 or 3 a.m. to ask about my son's high temp
or ''croup'' breathing. And the advice nurse has always been
incredibly helpful and has gotten me in to see a Dr. first thing
in the morning. You kind of end up seeing whatever Dr. is
available when your kid is sick. But the convenience and
flexibility far outweigh the drawbacks of not seeing the same
Dr. every time. We still see his original Ped that treated him
in the NICU for checkups and shots. I also love that they have
Saturday hours. The only thing you could start doing is stocking
up on Infant Tylenol, Motrin, a bulb syringe (for nose goobers)
and a thermometer and memorize the pediatric phone number 752-
1200- you will be calling it often. Best wishes to you!
lou
Feb. 2004
I've seen many recommendations for Dr. James Nickelson as an
allergy/asthma expert...but does anyone have any recommendations
for a Kaiser pediatrician with the same expertise? We could go
to Walnut Creek, Oakland, Alameda or Park Shadelands.
Recommendations received:
Caskey Weston NP, Kaiser Oakland
June 2003
I am interested in finding a pediatrician at Oakland Kaiser who
will be open-minded about a child not being fully vaccinated. I
read the archives on this and someone had suggested a dr. at
Richmond Kaiser but none for Oakland and I thought it was worth a
repost. I have also seen the archives on Kaiser pediatricians
parents recommended but I would love to hear from any parents
currently using Oakland Kaiser. I need a dr. for me too so any
recommendations would be welcome. Feel free to email me. Thanks.
Susan
Recommendations received:
Roberta Cunningham Kaiser Oakland
Colleen Shipler Kaiser Oakland
March 2002
Can anyone recommend a Kaiser pediatrician who is not
pushy about vaccinations? Someone who takes their time
and is open to alternative healthcare? A plus if they're
a woman of color.
Melinh
Recommendations received:
Roberta Cunningham Kaiser Oakland
Colleen Shipler NP at Kaiser Oakland
Dr. Karen Sorrey at Richmond Kaiser
April 2002
Can anyone recommend a good Kaiser pediatrician at
Oakland or Richmond that has been GREAT with their
preemie?
Angie
Recommendations received:
Siew Chan-Warner Kaiser Oakland
Ann Tipton Kaiser Oakland
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