Welch OB/GYN

Worst personal manner I can imagine for this experience. Self-centered, harsh, mocking, condescending- basically made me feel like sh*t. more

I visited Welch Ob/Gyn when I moved to the area and needed to find a new doctor. While Dr. Welch seemed outgoing and friendly, he was very condescending when I mentioned my desire to stop taking hormonal birth control in favor of a combination of barrier methods and FAM (my insurance had changed and I could no longer afford the pill I was on previously). As I was walking out of the office, he said, ""See you in six months when you're pregnant!"" He also did no bloodwork despite the fact that I have a history of low thyroid function. It has been well over a year since that visit, and I have not been back (nor have I gotten pregnant). I will be looking for a new Ob/Gyn over the next few months as I prepare to TTC. I would not recommend this doctor. more

I had a very normal and healthy pregnancy. Upon moving to the area at 30 weeks pregnant I went to see Dr. Welch and transferred all my paperwork. I had my doubts about how natural he wanted to let things progress, but after my initial interview with him, and taking a couple of weeks to think if he was a good fit for us, it became too late in the pregnancy to switch doctors. When my due date neared, he seemed to be very anxious for me to have my baby. At 38 weeks he said I could have my membranes stripped. I didn’t know anything about that, other than what he said, that it could help naturally induce labor. I said okay, only to find out from friends later that it is not usually done until closer to 40 weeks. Thankfully labor did not happen then, but at my 40 week appointment, he insisted I needed to be induced the following morning. At my insistence, he ran a BFF, and the numbers were in normal range, but he still held firm to the belief that I should be induced that next morning and scheduled me without my consent an appointment at the hospital for that morning. Just before the appointment when the nurse brought me back, she said I was the longest hold out in my pregnancy she had seen in her time there. I was 40 weeks and 2 days. Pregnancy can go to 42 weeks. Thankfully, I wound up going into labor naturally that night when my water broke and I did not wind up with and induction. I saw Dr. Welch twice during my delivery, which was more than enough for me at that point. I wound up needing vacuum assistance at the end to deliver my son (which Dr. Welch must not have looked at my records, because up to the day before he apparently wasn’t even aware of the sonogram’s pictures and the notes stating I was carrying a boy). I had 2nd degree tearing and Dr. Welch stitched me up. I can be understanding that maybe it was difficult to sew me up correctly after tearing, but what is my biggest complaint against him is that at my 6 week follow up appointment when I was in tremendous pain still, not just if that area was touched, but even standing or sitting would leave me in pain and Dr. Welch failed to address my complaint of pain. He took a brief moment to look, said everything looked great, and I could resume sex with my husband, just try to relax and have a couple drinks if I needed help the first couple of times. I could not resume sex with my husband without extreme pain, and the daily pain continued for an additional month before I got a 2nd opinion. This doctor upon immediate examination saw that the poor stitching had caused fissuring and I was over-stitched beyond my normal anatomy. He also recognized vaginal atrophy that can happen due to hormonal changes with nursing and postpartum and prescribed an estrogen cream to help. This doctor had to go in and cut and redo the stitching where I had originally torn. I had another 6 weeks of recovery and finally healed. It was amazing the day of this surgery, despite the pain of the actual surgery, for the first time in more than 2 months I actually felt better. I wouldn’t write this review if it had been just for the irritating pressure to induce, or even if he had only stitched me up wrong. I write this review because he either failed to diagnose what was quite easily and quickly diagnosed by another gynecologist, or he lied and tried to cover up his mistake. Either way, I won’t be seeing him again, and I hope you won’t either. more

I say ""NO"" to Dr. Welch\r I am looking for a new OBGYN and at this point I would take anyone over him. I can think of a million adjectives I can use to describe my horrible experience with Dr. Welch but I won't. Just want to let it be known that this Doctor is not someone I would recommend to anyone.\r \r \r \r more

My first impression with Dr Welch was that he was very professional. He seemed so personable, looked me in the eye, etc. His staff was also always very kind (perhaps they are the ones giving five stars...?). However, as my due date drew near things began to change. I was due Thanksgiving weekend and had been very clear about not wanting interventions that were not medically necessary. When he asked about an epidural I told him that I wasn't opposed to one per se, but I would like to see how things go first. I knew that having an epidural increases the chance of slowing down labor and needing pitocin. And that pitocin increases the risk of birth complications. At 36 weeks he told me I was 2 cm dilated, at 37 I was 3cm, and at 38 weeks he told me that because I was 4cm, I had no choice but to go directly across the street to the hospital and there was no time to go home. He used a medical term that I hadn't heard before - later I found out that it simply means that the baby's head is not staying engaged in the pelvis and is NOT a valid medical reason for an emergency induction. As I was walking out the door, I said ""no pitocin, right?"" Dr. Welch said ""Oh, you're going to need pitocin, but don't worry, we'll go slow."" So I get to the hospital and they begin the pitocin drip. I work in healthcare, so of course I'm paying attention to how much/often the nurses are turning up the drip. After returning to work I looked up the drip rate and found that Dr. Welch used HIGH DOSE pitocin induction, not low dose as he implied. After 4 hours of high dose pitocin, the nurse checked me and told me that I was 4cm. I now believe that I was never 4cm in his office, and that he lied to me in order to ensure that I delivered before the holiday. Anyways, a few hours later when Dr. Welch came to check on me, I was 7cm and he said that I HAD to have my water broken and he couldn't believe that I hadn't requested an epidural yet. I had been tolerating the contractions just fine, but since artificially breaking the water greatly speeds up labor, the hour between my water being broken and getting the epidural was sheer hell. Our bodies are designed to tolerate a slow increase in contractions, not a sudden shift into high gear. It turns out that it was all too fast for my LO, as his head became stuck in the sunny side up position. After a little pushing with the nurses, Dr. Welch came in and said that he would need to use suction. One contraction later, he pulled my son out, tearing me to shreds. After reading some of the other posts, I guess I should be grateful that I still had the epidural while he sewed me up, but I was still horrified that he stopped stitching to take a call from his wife on his personal cell. The extensive tearing led to a very long painful recovery. My LO was very bruised as a result of the suction. The bruising led to jaundice and he required a bili blanket at home and daily heel pricks/blood tests for a week - not the best way to begin a recovery from childbirth. At my follow up visit, I was placed in a room where I hadn't been before. I realized that I could hear just about everything that was said in the other exam rooms. I overheard Dr. Welch use the same reasoning to send another woman to be induced well before her due date and I heard another woman scream in pain as he placed an IUD. If you want a doctor who will be very personable and you plan to see him once a year for pap smears, by all means, go see Dr. Welch. But if you are having a baby and you can think for yourself, Dr. Welch is not the doctor for you. more

I have never had a bad experience with Dr. Welch. I followed him from his old practice and have had both my children with him. Since he is practices by himself, I really get his full attention and he always treats me like a person, not a number like some of the larger groups I have been with in the past. He is relaxed, compassionate, and always ready to answer my questions and needs. He spent as much time with me as I needed to make me comfortable with my deliveries and even when things were a little complicated with my first son, I felt I was in good hands. Nothing bad to say. I have recommended several of my friends to him and they have had the same experience. The office may be small, but it is inviting and it all feels personal. Like it should!! Pros: Personable, relaxed more

Oh...I am so glad I found these reviews... I was a patient of Dr.Welch at Blue Ridge OBGYN in 2003.\r He delivered my first son, which he made a complete nightmare. He came very close to a lawsuit. If I had only taped 3 mins or more videotaping I would of caught the bedside manners he thinks a patient should receive. Let me just start by saying any ne who has had a baby knows that when your epidural wears off, you can feel everything. While Dr.Welch is stitching me .....(remember I can feel this) and I jumped everytime he sticked me, (close to 40 stiches) he then leaned up and told me"" If you don't be still, I will leave you like this, or you can go to surgery"". Because I was so small I tore inside and out. So I am crying, and upset and on so many drugs I did not react the way I should have under normal conditions. The nurses asked him multiple time if they could please give me another epidural for the paid....and he replied NO. He cut me so bad, and didn't care how he stiched me up at all. I then had to be put to sleep to be stichted up.Saw my new baby son for 5 mins, and didn't see him until 5 hours later. And really I was suppose to have a C-Section to begin with. All the other doctors in the practice told me, I was too small to pass a baby. Well Dr.Welch didn't suggest I have a C-section, he took upon hisself to say...no I was not having it vaginal, that I would deliver that day. So he induced me at my last visit, two weeks early of my due date. I was 4 cm at the time. After I delivered my son, I also started bleeding to death, and my legs were shaking, my body was completely pale. But overall he had the worst beside manners that I had ever seen. What a surprise it was at my 6 weeks follow up visit, that they told me he no longer worked there. When I signed in at my appointment for the follow up, all the staff knew exactly who I was, and they felt so sorry I was treated so hateful during labor. And Dr. Gunter told me don't worry honey you will never have to see Dr.Welch ever again. Dr. Welch caused me to have horrible post partum depression, because he made my experience so bad. He took the chance of braking my tailbone, or risking my childs life. If I had, the comments he made to me on tape now, he would not be practicing. I am so sorry, I haven't told you'll about him until now. I can only hope he never treats another women in labor the way he treated me. My suggestion to you'll, never let him deliver your babies. I just wish I could split his dick in half and tell him to just hold still , and not move while he is stichted up. He lost his job at BlueRidge OBGYN after he delivered my son.....go figure. Cons: Life Threating more

I've been a patient of Dr. Welch's for 10 years and have yet to have a single negative experience. I really think some of the people who have left reviews just have an axe to grind for whatever reason - I mean really, waiting over an hour? Suggesting you get on Zoloft? I find that all very hard to believe. Every time I've gone for a visit over the past 10 years I haven't had to wait more than 15 minutes. I've always received my Pap results within 2 weeks. Dr. Welch and his staff have been nothing but considerate, knowledgeable, caring, and always professional. Every concern I've ever had he addressed it directly with facts and laid out all of the options. I actively investigate topics on sites like WebMd or Mayo Clinic prior to my visits and he is always in line with what I read. He has helped me with issues ranging from modifying my BCP to getting tested for the breast cancer genes. A friend of mine has had him deliver 2 of her babies and neither one was a C-section. I wouldn't trade Dr. Welch for any other OB/GYN and anticipate the day when he will help me deliver a baby too. Pros: knowledgeable, caring, professional more

I am reading these other reviews that state Dr. Welch wants everyone to have a c-section, and he isn't supportive when you have an opinion about your birth plan. This is CRAZY TALK!! Dr. Welch totally supported me in my wishes for a natural delivery, my baby was big and apparently my pelvis is small... I was not progressing in labor and I begged him for a c-section. He was the one that kept telling me that he didn't think I needed one and that I needed to give my body a chance. Finally when we were totally out of options I got my c-section. I assure you it was not his goal to cut me open. He is a wonderful doctor who truly wants what will work best for his patients. His staff is so sweet and I would recommend his practice everyone. Pros: Great staff, short waiting time more

I had been seeing Dr. Welch for two years. At first, I thought he was a fantastic doctor. He kept pushing me on birth control, even though I wasn't sexually active. He kept insisting that they would help my period. Meanwhile, I had history of cancer (and infertility) in my family DUE to birth control and I clearly marked it on my medical history. I would wait in the waiting room for over an hour to see him. Also, he took 3 MONTHS to give me my test results for my pap smear. I called his office and left him messages but never received a phone call back. He also made me feel very uncomfortable and accused me of lying about my medical history (like he would know??) As a young woman, I do not trust a doctor who is so persistent on getting me on medication without knowing the risks it may have on my body. \r Pros: new office Cons: staff, parking, service more

I have been a patient of Dr. Welch for several years. I was seen by him a few times at Blue Ridge OB GYN before he left to open his own practice. I had also seen other doctors at Blue Ridge OB GYN but none of them were as nice as Dr. Welch and they did not care about the issues I was having like Dr. Welch did. I had pelvic pain for years & had been to so many doctors and during my first visit with Dr. Welch he knew right away it was severe endometriosis. I had tried for YEARS to find a reason for my pain and discomfort & after many doctors no one had an answer except him. I had to have a laparoscopy and Dr. Welch did a wonderful job explaining everything to me & I had minimal scars from the surgery that went very well. I had also been seeing him for fertility issues and within 3 months of his recommendations and treatments I became pregnant. I had a wonderful pregnancy, labor and delivery and it is all thanks to the care I received from Dr. Welch and his courteous staff. He is very comprehensive, highly educated and always has a great attitude and sense of humor. I have recommended 3 friends to him & he delivered all of their babies just this past year! Everyone recommends him and he is a wonderful OB GYN!!! Pros: caring, compassionate, highly educated, flexible scheduling, great office staff, good sense of humor & very straight forward more

I have been going to Dr Welch for 3 years and cannot say enough good things about him and his staff. He recently delivered my second child and I was impressed by how calm and cool he was in the delivery room during an emergency. I had indicated I wanted to avoid a c-section and was able to do this because of his expertise and quick decision making. I felt fully supported by him in my decisions about childbirth and my desire to be as natural as possible during delivery.\r He also recomended an IUD for me when I complained of my reaction to hormones in birth control. He informed me that it did contain hormones, just a much smaller dose and I was fully informed that insertion is not so much fun. He was glad to remove it when I was ready.\r Dr Welch will answer your questions with candor and it is true that he does not sugar coat much. I trust him to help me make the right decisions for my body and my health.\r A review on Dr Welch would not be complete without mentioning his sense of humor. He has made me laugh so hard I cried on more then one occasion. And I have to mention Cynthia, Katina and Cece, who always return my calls and answer my questions ASAP. Pros: Sense of humor, excellent physician more

Dr Welch has been my doctor for 3 years and during that time he has delivered both of my children. Due to my age and health conditions my pregnancies were considered high risk. Dr Welch and his staff were there for me every step of the way. He was open and honest about the risks, and thanks to his experience my pregnancies and birthing experiences were fantastic. I have always found Dr Welch to be very professional and respectful, especially when addressing my questions and concerns. I was referred to Dr Welch when I first became pregnant and feel very lucky to have found such a wonderful person to be my doctor. I refer everyone I can to his practice and couldn't imagine ever going anywhere else. Pros: staff is wonderful, relaxed but professional atmosphere, little to no wait time more

I have seen Dr. Welch since he went out on his own and I have never had a bad experince in his office. The staff are friendly and helpful. A warm body answers the phone and when I was pregnant my questions were always answered, if not right away at least by the end of the day. Dr. Welch always gave his advice straight -up and without hesitation. I always felt like I was getting his full attention and the best information possible. I, too, ended up with a c-section, but only after we tried eveything we could to have a normal delivery. I was always comfortable with the process and felt like I was always well informed. I could not ask for a better doctor. Pros: Good humor, always available more

I have been a patient of Dr Welch's for 6 years. I have never had trouble being worked in to his schedule if I have a problem. Many times, they have been able to work me in the very same day. When you have a problem, that is a great benefit! Dr. Welch is a caring, understanding doctor. He guides me in the right direction. Sometimes what I want is not a realistic treatment for me. He helps me to understand that. Dr. Welch does not sugar coat anything. He is straight up with your treatment and care. I have all of my questions answered when I leave his office. I am very sure about what is going on. The staff is great. Best thing, when you call the office, a person answers! You do not find that anymore! The ladies are very friendly and professional. I could not ask to have a better GYN. Pros: solo doctor, nice staff, down to earth office, loves kids Cons: parking more

Two of my friends and I went to Dr. Welch and all three of us ended up leaving his practice for different reasons which all related to his being unprofessionally opinionated and manipulative. My personal experience was that he was great until you actually had an opinion on something. I told him repeatedly that my body did not respond well at all to the hormones in birth control pills. He convinced me to try the IUD (which still has some hormones in it). This was incredibly painful to have put in, but what was worse was that the hormones still had a negative effect on my moods. When I told him I wanted to have it taken out and that I needed to use other methods of birth control he got angry and told me that I should just get on Zoloft. I DON'T NEED AN ANTIDEPRESSANT, my moods are completely normal when I'm not on birth control! They can cause major problems for people who don't truly need them. I feel like this was a controlling and very medically irresponsible thing to suggest. I am so happy I switched practices. Pros: Good for annual exams Cons: Bad for everything else more

I have been a patient of Dr. Welch's for over 8 years now and he had always been great. That was before I had a child. He was great throughout the pregnancy as well, that is until I decided to have an opinion about the delivery. I wanted to do hypnobirthing and he was ""supportive"" at first and then slowly started passive agressively making fun of my decision. I firmly stated (a number of times) that I did not want to be induced or have a c-section. At 38 weeks, he told me my pelvis was too small for my ""really big baby"" (who turned out to be 8 lbs 9 oz which to me is not gigantic) and also said he would not let me go past 41 weeks. I did lots of research and talked to lots of pregnant friends whose doctors let them go at least 10 days after their due date. He responded to this by saying (and roling his eyes) ""you did your research"" but basically bullied me into being induced at less than 41 weeks. I was in labor for 2.5 days and finally ended up having a c-section because he waited until I was so tired to tell me that I could either try to push my baby out only to have him ""get stuck"" and he'd have to push him back in and still have a c-section or I could just go ahead with the c-section. I had my son almost 7 weeks ago and I'm still so angry at how it all went down.\r \r If you want to be blindly led by your obstetrician, then go ahead and go to Dr. Welch, but if you want to make informed decisions about something as important as the birth of your child, then please, look elsewhere! Pros: yearly physicals Cons: childbirth; parking more

Dr. Welch has been my OB/GYN for about 6 years now. All I can say that he is the best! Very friendly with me and my children. Scheduling an appointment is always easy. Even though it's a singe doctor office, I only had to wait once 25 minutes when he had a delivery during business hours. Also the nurse and the receptionists are super nice! I'm so glad I found him years ago. I always recommend Dr. Welch to my friends! Pros: Friendly doctor and staff more