Dr. Carolyn Downs Hoekstra, MD

I wouldn’t recommend this doctor to my worst enemy. To start this woman has such awful bedside manner she should be ashamed of herself. I came to Mercy hospital in Springfield at about 9PM as a Home VBAC transfer. I had been in labor for 3 days and stopped progressing, I had dilated to a 5. I came to the hospital so I could get an epidural and continue to labor while my body was simultaneously able to relax. Due to COVID 19 my husband was home with our 3 year old and my doula came with me to the hospital. From the moment Dr. Hoekstra walked into my room she wanted nothing to do with listening to what I had to say. She talked through me, ignored my questions and talked to me as though I was an idiot. She wanted to do a repeat cesarean from the minute my butt sat on the bed. I convinced her to let me get an epidural, which wasn’t an easy feat, and to labor for a few hours relaxed to see if I progressed. After I got my epidural, approximately 10PM, I told my doula to go home and… shower, she had been with me since 5am and was more than deserving of that time!! My doula left me about 11PM. A Nurse came in to check me not even 5 minutes later, she stated I was still at a 5. Dr. Hoekstra came in before 11:15pm and told me that because I was not progressing, we needed to do the c section right now, and if I said yes she could do it and have it done in the next hour. I was #1 confused why it was so urgent baby and I were monitoring fine. And #2 not understanding how an hour was allowing me time to labor. I requested that we wait for my doula because I didn’t want to be alone. She was visibly annoyed the eye roll gave that away. I called my doula to come back, and then my husband to tell him what was going on. My doula arrived back around midnight and by then I was so annoyed that when the nurses came in to prep me for the c section I told them if anyone tried to take me back for this c section I didn’t want I was going to hit them. ( I want to add here my nurses were fantastic but I was feeling unheard and ignored so I wanted to make sure my point was clear) I spoke to the charge nurse explained how I didn’t want the c section and how I didn’t want that doctor on my case at all. She proceeded to tell me that Dr. Hoekstra is a former military doctor and abrasive, neither of which should matter because it is MY labor MY body and MY Choice. She was supposedly removed from my case and I was told I could continue to labor until the next doctor came on shift in the AM. A new doctor ( I wish I could remember his name) came on in the AM and he told me as long as baby and I were okay we could continue to labor. By that evening I had dilated to a 9.5 but had stalled there. Dr. Hoekstra was again the OB hospitalist and within minutes of her coming on shift she is telling the nurses I need to have a c section. I was once again annoyed that she was my doctor after being removed from my care team not even 12 hours before. And more annoyed that she is STILL pushing for a c section. I explained my frustrations to the nurses and eventually the charge nurse that I wanted to do whatever I can to attempt VBAC. I have dilated to a 9.5 we have ½ cm left to dilate. I requested my epidural be stopped so I could get up and move around to get that last half centimeter of dilation. She argued with me through the nurses, because I still hadn’t seen this woman since the night before, and finally agreed. Baby and I were both still stable, laboring again with no epidural. But within 5 minutes of being able to partially move around she stops my Pitocin. Did not have any dcells or any change in baby or I, she then proceeds to tell the nurses to tell me that she will not turn my epidural on unless I have a c section. I had been in labor for over 100 hours at this point, my body was tired, and once the Pitocin was stopped my contractions stopped being regular or increasing in intensity. I called my husband upset that I felt I was being forced to do something I didn’t want to do. But I was also aware that my water had been broken for over 100 hours and the risk of infection was high. I opted for the c section with the hospitalist that came on at 10PM. I requested I be able to FaceTime my husband during the c section because I was alone, he was at home with our 3 year old. The nurses told me they would check with the doctor, I wasn’t asking to facetime the surgery, I was asking to facetime my husband so I didn’t feel completely alone. As I was being taken to the OR I was sobbing, I had tried so hard for my VBAC and I felt I had to fight the doctor every step of the way. When we get into the OR I realize that Dr. Hoekstra is the doctor, which is not what I agreed to. The anesthesiologist gave me the spinal but I was still able to feel and partially move my legs. I had repeatedly told them this and the next thing I know Dr. Hoekstra is cutting me. And I can feel it. Not the pressure, I can feel this woman cutting through my skin. I hang up on my husband as I throw up, and I start screaming that I can feel that she is cutting me. Crickets. No response from her or anyone else in the OR. I say again I can feel what she is doing, please stop. Still silence. I scream many vulgar words and beg her to stop because I can feel her cutting. The anesthesiologist tells me he “I can give you something that will put you to sleep and you won’t remember what is happening.” I tell him no, because I don’t want my baby being born alone. The next thing I feel is her trying to pull my baby out of my incision, she says something about how he is too big to fit through the incision, so she pulls harder. She pulls so hard I can feel my butt lifting off the table. Baby still won’t come out, so she tells two nurses to push on my stomach to force him out. I see the two nurses’ heads pop up above the divider and then I cannot breathe. Th

Competent and caring. She was there for me when I had my baby and she was excellent