Berkeley Parents Network: Perinatologists at Kaiser

Berkeley Parents Network

Perinatologists at Kaiser

The Parents Network > Reviews > Health & Medical > Kaiser Doctors > Perinatologists at Kaiser

April 2004

Can anyone recommend a perinatologist outside of Kaiser? I'd particularly like to find one with extensive knowledge of (and treatment for) pregnancy and lupus anticoagulant antibodies.

I had a very difficult pregnancy with my first child and I was in the Kaiser system. I think Jeffrey Maier out of Kaiser Walnut Creek is excellent. He was the first one to accurately diagnose the problem with my pregnancy and I felt I was in really competent hands. Lee

March 2003

Does anyone out there have experience with the perinatologists at Kaiser-Oakland? My child was born two months premature, and now that I am pregnant again, Kaiser wants to put me in a special program it has for women at risk for premature births. I'd love to hear about people's reactions to the program in general and to the two perinatologists at Kaiser-oakland -- Dr. Newman and Dr. Walton. Thanks!

I've had Dr. Walton for both my pregnancies and highly recommend him. In my first pregnancy I had HELLP Syndrome (severe preeclempsia) and delivered by emergency c-section at 31 weeks (baby was IUGR and in NICU for two months). I was hospitalized three days prior with my condition undiagnosed and once on duty Dr. Walton was the one who worked with the doctor monitoring my condition; he took an aggressive course once it became clear that immediate delivery was the only option. During such a scary time he was extremely supportive, patient with our numerous questions and fully explaining everything, but at the same time being realistic about the seriousness of the situation. He was not scheduled to be present at the surgery but at my request he assisted (and allowed my spouse to be there as well). Prior to this my only contact with Dr. Walton had been that he had done my amnio earlier (he also has a reputation for being a highly skilled technician).

When I was pregnant 2.5 years ago I didn't hesitate to request Dr. Walton again since I was considered high-risk (reoccurence of HELLP). I had some anomalies show up in my blood work and needed follow-up tests every month. During this time Dr. Walton again was very informative, patient with questions and answers, and reassuring. He didn't always have answers to my questions but would research and get back to me with detailed information. He also didn't hesitate to make referrals when needed, e.g., he referred me to hematology for during- and post-pregnancy followup. Dr. Walton was very accessible via email and would call me at home in the evenings to discuss my test results. I was also conflicted about whether I should try for a VBAC or have a c-section so we would discuss this (along with my birth plan) at length as well. About week 25, protein in my urine showed up and I additionally had to be monitored by the pre-term center in Santa Clara. This meant that I checked for protein in the urine every morning, checked my blood pressure twice a day, and spoke to a nurse daily. Needless to say I ended up carrying to term with a normal delivery.

In my experiences with Dr. Walton I always found him extremely competent, professional, knowledgeable, and funny (he has a dry sense of humor). When I found out I was pregnant with #2 I was extremely relieved to find out that Dr. Walton was still at Kaiser-Oak. I highly recommend him. Feel free to email if you want to discuss anything else. dafong

I went to Dr. Jeffrey Maier at Kaiser Walnut Creek. While Dr. Maier is fairly business-like, he is extremely competent, he told me my options and kept his personal views out of it, he was the first one to identify the problem with the pregnancy. I would recommend taking the trip to Walnut Creek. By the way, he is now a gorgeous 3 year old who is pulling on my arm as I write. Lee

I am a medical professional who has worked with many perinatologists over the past twenty years and can give the highest recommendations for Drs. Walton and Newman at Kaiser Oakland. I saw Dr. Walton for my pregnancy, and in addition to being incredibly up to date in his knowledge of this field (which is highly technical and changes at a fast pace), he bent over backwards to listen to my concerns and do his best to do what was necessary to reassure me about my growing baby (who turned out to be perfect, in spite of my worries). Dr. Newman is also one of the best, and has been doing this for a long time. They are both committed professionals who care a great deal about their patients. bellarose

I've had experiences with both Dr. Newman and Dr. Walton regarding my two breech babies, born 2 years apart. I had unsuccesful external versions with both, and still wanted to try for natural childbirth. With my first, Dr. Newman seemed to think a vaginal breech delivery was possibly and not unduly risky. He supported my desire to try, and even arranged for a CAT scan of my pelvis to see if the baby's head would fit. When the time came and I was in labor for 72 hours, he did not agree to assist the vaginal delivery (he was the Dr. on call) and we went ahead and had a c-section. I never called to find out why - I actually think it was a good decision, since 3 days of labor had exhausted all my physical resources and I did not have it in me to push the baby out.

I felt like Dr. Newman was experienced and knowledgeable, but quite short on bedside manner - barely looked you in the eye.

Dr. Walton is much more personable and also more cautious. He recommended against having a VBAC at my 4 month visit (at that time I wanted one, not knowing my second baby would also turn out to be breech!). I definitely was not up for trying the vaginal breech birth the second time around, so that didn't even come up, but he did perform an external version on me that was pretty gentle and ultimately unsuccessful (he didn't want to ''bust my scar.'')

I don't know if this is relevant information - I hope it helps. 2 breech babies - 2 c-sections

Hi; I had a high-risk pregnancy also and was assigned to Drs. Walton & Newman. Of the two, I preferred Dr. Walton. They do see each others patients so are a bit ''interchangeable'' in that way; you'll probably get to know them both. I wouldn't describe either as having a great bedside manner, though I would definitely give Dr. Walton higher marks in this regard than Dr. Newman. I did feel confident in Dr. Walton's abilility to manage my high-risk pregnancy, though his communication (both content, and style) could certainly improve. Basically, I would just ''accept'' that this is what you have given your high-risk pregnancy; you do want the specialists. I remember some of the nurses as being quite helpful and competent. Best of luck, Mom of a preemie at Kaiser Oakland

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