Reviews Wanted for Dr's Benjamin Hamar Henry Roque+ the Beth Israel OBGYN Staff

Hi there. I had both my children at BIDMC with Dr Ben Hamar and ABSOLUTELY LOVE HIM!!

He is warm, patient, kind, gentle, and so knowledgeable. His staff, especially nurse Mary Roody Belmonte, are WONDERFUL. I never once felt uncomfortable with him as a male or as a doctor. A few things I appreciated about him were that for all my stress, he never added to it. In fact, he helped me feel at ease. He also always had time for my questions and always wanted to hear how I was doing personally.

For my son, born 8/24/07, he came to check on me when I was in labour even though he was not yet on call. He said, "if you hold on until 5pm, I'll be able to deliver you". As it turned out, despite arriving at 6am, my son was not born until 11pm. And he was delivered by Dr Hamar. I had a moderately complicated vaginal birth b/c my son's shoulders got stuck behind my pubic bone and he became distressed. And Dr Hamar coached me along. He was direct/firm but not alarmist telling me I had to really focus on pushing b/c we needed to get the baby out NOW. Anyway, he did an excellent job delivering my son.

For my daughter, born 09/09/09, he supported my natural birth plan approach without interference. He supported my decisions at all times, including breaking my water without pitocin, ambulating off the ward, having a light lunch while in labor, etc. He was positive and upbeat. Sadly for me, my labor progressed quickly once it got going and he did not deliver my daughter. Dr Roque did the delivery (only 4 minutes so no big reviews of him as a Dr.).

I had encounters with Dr Roque with both children. I am not as crazy about his personality, but was always confident with his medical knowledge. I was also told by the nurses and other patients that he really really knows his stuff.

Finally, I had TERRIFIC nursing care at BIDMC pre-natal, during delivery, and post-partum. I loved both nurses who labored with me, as well as the post-partum nurses who cared for me and my children.

I'll stop "gushing", but hope you can tell that I highly recommend Dr Hamar & BIDMC. I am happy to speak offline if it helps.

Good luck.
L.

Dr Hamar was my perinatologist with my high-risk twin pregnancy (our boys were born oct 15) and I really liked him. He is thorough, kind, and really takes time to answer any and all questions - without judgement! I go to Essex County Ob/Gyn, but saw Dr Hamar for ultrasounds every few weeks. When I was admitted to BI for preterm labor (too early to stay at Beverly), I saw him regularly during rotations. He is extremely smart and capable, and really easy to talk to. I never had a second thought about my care in his hands. I ended up staying pregnant long enough to transfer back to Beverly hospital to deliver (32wks 3days) but I really enjoyed working with him.
My son, Jake, was also delivered at BI - we saw Dr. Yvonne Gomez-Carrion there (although she wasn't on call when we delivered). She was nice, but I felt a little too laid back. My husband and I decided that we liked her personally, but not so much professionally. For instance, I didn't get bloodwork done at my initial visit (I don't know why) and it wasn't caught until I asked what my bloodtype was, around 36 weeks or so. No one had noticed during my entire pregnancy that I didn't have any labwork on file. That made me a little uneasy, but I was having a completely healthy, normal pregnancy, so I didn't freak out.
So, that's been my experience - loved Dr. Hamar, "eh" on Dr. Gomez-Carrion. Good luck and I hope this helps!

Though I delivered with the midwives at Mt. Auburn, I became high risk at 19 weeks and Dr. Henry Roque gave me an emergency cerclage. We then ended up seeing Dr Roque once a week. I never would have chosen a male doctor, but we loved him. He was kind, patient, willing to answer questions, calm nerves, etc. I thought he was fantastic and would recommend him without hesitation.

Hi there C.,

I'm sorry that you are having to go through doubt and uncertainty during such a special time. I would say that if you have even one bit of scepticism you should consider finding another provider. I work with pregnant women and I find it unsettling that they often don't feel completely reassured in their relationships with their OBs, this should not be! You should be feeling great about the person that you pay and give the opportunity to serve you during one of the most sacred times of your life.

I also prefer a woman, especially when it comes to an OBGYN!! You should not give up looking for what you want. I can help you if you would like to talk more.

If you decide you want to consider another provider at the BI, I can recommend Dr. Lorna Wilkerson who has her office at the Burlington Harvard Vanguard and delivers at the BI. She is a caring woman who will give you the time, attention, and reassurance you need and deserve.

Dr. Kim Cole is also an excellent OB and surgeon but she delivers at Winchester Hospital. Her practice is the Burlington OBGYN which consists of 3 docs and the other two are men. If you are having a sceduled c-section you don't have to worry about the other docs being involved.

Newton Wellesley Hospital is also an excellent facility for giving birth. If you consider NWH I would recommend the practice called About Women By Women. I have heard really good things about them and Dr. Molly Clark in particular.

I'm happy to talk more if you like.

Warmly,

A.

Hi C.,

I had Dr. K Meredith Atkins at Beth Israel and LOVED HER! She was amazing, caring, genuine. It turned out she was on vacation when my darling daughter demanded to be born, so another woman, Dr. Mason took over, who was also exceptional! I did go into Boston for checkups, etc. but it was all worth it. Good luck!

Like Amy, I can also vouch for Dr. Lorna Wilkerson. Her office is at the Burlington Harvard Vanguard and she delivers at BI. If you have a scheduled C section (I'm having a scheduled induction) you can ensure that your doctor will be there and Lorna is great about that. I can also vouch for the entire BI NICU staff. They are wonderful.

K.