diff --git a/node/pod.go b/node/pod.go
index e2a720226..7fa15f3af 100644
--- a/node/pod.go
+++ b/node/pod.go
@@ -16,6 +16,8 @@ package node
 
 import (
 	"context"
+	"fmt"
+	"time"
 
 	"github.com/google/go-cmp/cmp"
 	pkgerrors "github.com/pkg/errors"
@@ -24,6 +26,7 @@ import (
 	corev1 "k8s.io/api/core/v1"
 	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/api/errors"
 	metav1 "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/apis/meta/v1"
+	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/util/wait"
 	"k8s.io/client-go/tools/cache"
 	"k8s.io/client-go/util/workqueue"
 )
@@ -36,6 +39,10 @@ const (
 	podEventDeleteSuccess         = "ProviderDeleteSuccess"
 	podEventUpdateFailed          = "ProviderUpdateFailed"
 	podEventUpdateSuccess         = "ProviderUpdateSuccess"
+
+	// 151 milliseconds is just chosen as a small prime number to retry between
+	// attempts to get a notification from the provider to VK
+	notificationRetryPeriod = 151 * time.Millisecond
 )
 
 func addPodAttributes(ctx context.Context, span trace.Span, pod *corev1.Pod) context.Context {
@@ -234,21 +241,72 @@ func (pc *PodController) updatePodStatus(ctx context.Context, podFromKubernetes
 // enqueuePodStatusUpdate updates our pod status map, and marks the pod as dirty in the workqueue. The pod must be DeepCopy'd
 // prior to enqueuePodStatusUpdate.
 func (pc *PodController) enqueuePodStatusUpdate(ctx context.Context, q workqueue.RateLimitingInterface, pod *corev1.Pod) {
-	if key, err := cache.MetaNamespaceKeyFunc(pod); err != nil {
-		log.G(ctx).WithError(err).WithField("method", "enqueuePodStatusUpdate").Error("Error getting pod meta namespace key")
-	} else {
-		if obj, ok := pc.knownPods.Load(key); ok {
-			kpod := obj.(*knownPod)
-			kpod.Lock()
-			if cmp.Equal(kpod.lastPodStatusReceivedFromProvider, pod) {
-				kpod.Unlock()
-				return
-			}
-			kpod.lastPodStatusReceivedFromProvider = pod
-			kpod.Unlock()
-			q.AddRateLimited(key)
-		}
+	ctx, cancel := context.WithTimeout(ctx, notificationRetryPeriod*maxRetries)
+	defer cancel()
+
+	ctx, span := trace.StartSpan(ctx, "enqueuePodStatusUpdate")
+	defer span.End()
+	ctx = span.WithField(ctx, "method", "enqueuePodStatusUpdate")
+
+	// TODO (Sargun): Make this asynchronousish. Right now, if we are not cache synced, and we receive notifications
+	// from the provider for pods that do not exist yet in our known pods map, we can get into an awkward situation.
+	key, err := cache.MetaNamespaceKeyFunc(pod)
+	if err != nil {
+		log.G(ctx).WithError(err).Error("Error getting pod meta namespace key")
+		span.SetStatus(err)
+		return
 	}
+	ctx = span.WithField(ctx, "key", key)
+
+	var obj interface{}
+	err = wait.PollImmediateUntil(notificationRetryPeriod, func() (bool, error) {
+		var ok bool
+		obj, ok = pc.knownPods.Load(key)
+		if ok {
+			return true, nil
+		}
+
+		// Blind sync. Partial sync is better than nothing. If this returns false, the poll loop should not be invoked
+		// again as it means the context has timed out.
+		if !cache.WaitForNamedCacheSync("enqueuePodStatusUpdate", ctx.Done(), pc.podsInformer.Informer().HasSynced) {
+			log.G(ctx).Warn("enqueuePodStatusUpdate proceeding with unsynced cache")
+		}
+
+		// The only transient error that pod lister returns is not found. The only case where not found
+		// should happen, and the pod *actually* exists is the above -- where we haven't been able to finish sync
+		// before context times out.
+		// The other class of errors is non-transient
+		_, err = pc.podsLister.Pods(pod.Namespace).Get(pod.Name)
+		if err != nil {
+			return false, err
+		}
+
+		// err is nil, and therefore the pod exists in k8s, but does not exist in our known pods map. This likely means
+		// that we're in some kind of startup synchronization issue where the provider knows about a pod (as it performs
+		// recover, that we do not yet know about).
+		return false, nil
+	}, ctx.Done())
+
+	if err != nil {
+		if errors.IsNotFound(err) {
+			err = fmt.Errorf("Pod %q not found in pod lister: %w", key, err)
+			log.G(ctx).WithError(err).Debug("Not enqueuing pod status update")
+		} else {
+			log.G(ctx).WithError(err).Warn("Not enqueuing pod status update due to error from pod lister")
+		}
+		span.SetStatus(err)
+		return
+	}
+
+	kpod := obj.(*knownPod)
+	kpod.Lock()
+	if cmp.Equal(kpod.lastPodStatusReceivedFromProvider, pod) {
+		kpod.Unlock()
+		return
+	}
+	kpod.lastPodStatusReceivedFromProvider = pod
+	kpod.Unlock()
+	q.AddRateLimited(key)
 }
 
 func (pc *PodController) podStatusHandler(ctx context.Context, key string) (retErr error) {
diff --git a/node/pod_test.go b/node/pod_test.go
index f365b589c..5eadd7854 100644
--- a/node/pod_test.go
+++ b/node/pod_test.go
@@ -53,6 +53,7 @@ func newTestController() *TestController {
 			done:            make(chan struct{}),
 			ready:           make(chan struct{}),
 			podsInformer:    iFactory.Core().V1().Pods(),
+			podsLister:      iFactory.Core().V1().Pods().Lister(),
 		},
 		mock:   p,
 		client: fk8s,
diff --git a/node/podcontroller.go b/node/podcontroller.go
index 331928471..fe4902271 100644
--- a/node/podcontroller.go
+++ b/node/podcontroller.go
@@ -83,7 +83,8 @@ type PodNotifier interface {
 	// fashion. The provided pod's PodStatus should be up to date when
 	// this function is called.
 	//
-	// NotifyPods will not block callers.
+	// NotifyPods must not block the caller since it is only used to register the callback.
+	// The callback passed into `NotifyPods` may block when called.
 	NotifyPods(context.Context, func(*corev1.Pod))
 }