Edward Wolanski, MD

I feel as if I have done the «round robin» of area OB/​GYNs. I have seen Dr. T, Jefferson OB, and Wolanski.
I was looking for a doctor who was willing to let me have a VBA2C. The only person was Wolanski. He is kind and straightforward and is fully committed to your well-​being as well as that of your child. He is very into making sure you stay healthy and will encourage you to work out and to be careful about how you are eating during your pregnancy.
Highly recommend.

I have been seeing Dr. Wolanski for 5 years now after several wonderful recommendations that he is the best OB in Charlottesville. Yes he is quick to point out where you stand, weight wise, and how much weight you gain. But he never ever made me feel terribly criticized.
Every single appointment I have gone to with Dr. Wolanski, has been welcoming and comfortable. He always takes the time to find out how I am doing personally in addition to the physical portion of the exam.
To say that «the medically recognized guideline of 25 – 35 pounds» (direct quote from Christa’s review) is the only correct recommendation fails to take into account the ACOG’s table of weight gain recommendations which bases its recommendation on body mass index and varies anywhere from 11lbs to 40lbs. (
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Dr. Wolanski was very supportive of my attempt to have a VBAC (which was unsuccessful but very well supported).
I also question the context of the reported quote of Dr. Wolanski in Christa’s review. I wonder if there was a follow up discussion about what exactly he meant. I think this was more of a communication issue regarding his quote about anorexic patients.
Bottom line: Dr. Wolanski is wonderful and will do his best to support you during your pregnancy.

I just read a negative review about Dr. Wolanski because he recommends a woman only gain 20 – 25 pounds while pregnant. This is absurd. He is hands down the best ob gyn doc in charlottesville, that is simply his recommendation, he doesn’t berate you mock you or their wise criticize you for your weight gain. If that will stop you from seeing the best doctor in charlottesville you need to grow a thicker skin. I researched every doctor in charlottesville, this is THE ONLY ONE not in a huge practice. If you want to know who will deliver your baby he is not only the only option he is the best. He delivered my baby at 2 am on a Sunday morning with cheer, despite me waking him up at midnight, don’t let one woman’s petty review about weight prevent you from having the gold standard of care in charlottesville.

Bottom line: ob/​gyn Edward Wolanski came pretty highly recommended to me, with the one caveat that he has an unhealthy, critical view of weight gain during pregnancy. It turns out that’s true. But it also seems to be true that for other criteria like a low-​intervention approach to birth, he’s the best ob/​gyn in Charlottesville (by default — he seems to be the only low-​intervention ob/​gyn here!). So, you have to pick your poison. Or maybe enough women telling him we don’t like his unnecessarily strict, critical stance could influence the way he relates to patients? One can dare to hope.
Context:
I moved to Charlottesville about two months ago and began asking for recommendations for a good ob/​gyn. Edward Wolanski was a name that kept coming up. Friends and friends-​of-​friends recommended him because they said he tends to be low intervention — he serves as the back-​up for a midwife, which is rare and usually indicates an appreciation for a natural approach to childbirth.
The one nuance to all the glowing reviews was that he could be brusque and unnecessarily strict about weight, having once told a patient, «We don’t want a chubby Christa!» (Except he used her name, of course.)
I took this info with a grain of salt, but sure enough, during our consultation visit, one of the first things Wolanski brought up was his recommendation that pregnant women should only gain 20 – 25 pounds during a pregnancy: this goes against the medically recognized guideline of 25 – 35 pounds for women who, like me, are in a healthy weight range at the start of pregnancy. I questioned whether his adapted guidelines set up potentially harmful expectations for women who have struggled with eating disorders, and he actually responded, «I’ve had many patients who have dealt with anorexia, and they tend to do quite well during pregnancy because they watch what they eat.»
Uh, yeah, that’s what anorexics do, but I think our definition of «doing quite well» are not the same.
That’s the bad news. The worse news is that Wolanski may still be the best (only??) ob/​gyn in Charlottesville for women like me, who value a low-​intervention approach to childbirth. In the past week, I’ve researched ob/​gyns in Cville like it’s my job, and while Martha Jefferson Hospital is more advanced in terms of holistic care of mama + baby, I have yet to find another ob/​gyn practice that is recommended for being accepting of a more natural approach to childbirth.
I’ll update this if/​when I do (and if you have recommendations — message me!!)