Getting pregnant - when do you research doctors?

[PrincessAtta]

If you know what hospital you're thinking about, I'd call and see if they have classes for people planning to get pregnant. I took one before I got pregnant, and it was hugely informative, including recommending taking folic acid before I was pregnant.

I ended up seeing the doctor who did the presentation and had a wonderful patient/doctor relationship with him, it really was a great use of an hour. Because I saw him before I tested positive, it was a much warmer welcome when I went into the practice. Also, if you're shopping doctors, I'd ask what their policy is regarding first appt after testing +. Some really busy practices don't have you even come in for a blood test until 10 weeks, and I would find that frustrating.

Good luck!

 

[emh1129]

That is a fantastic documentary. Good recommendation

 

[rt2dz]

Even if you do see an OB for your prenatal care, it's generally a toss-up as to who will actually be on call for your delivery. Most OBs share call, so it could be someone you've never met before (not always, but usually).
This was a huge reason why I went with a midwife the second time around. It's nice to know who will actually be there when you're in labor. And I was guaranteed it would be one of the two CNMs in their group.
And there is always an OB on call for the hospital, so even if you've seen a midwife and a complication arises that would warrant a c/s, there is someone there for that.

I think the most important thing a woman can do for herself and her baby is to become educated.. read as much as possible and know your options.

It depends on your practice, which was the whole point in my post on that area of discussion. In my OB's practice, the on call Dr is paged. The on call Dr then generally pages your actual Dr. 9 times out of 10, the actual Dr shows up, but sometimes that's not possible (i.e., the Dr has been out to dinner and been drinking or is out of town) and the on call Dr comes in. In my OB-GYN practice, it would always be one of the Drs associated with the practice, never a stranger. All the Drs make sure you at least meet each of the other Drs just in case. As I stated before, 2 out of 3 times, my Dr was not on call when I went into labor, but my OB showed up to deliver. I know of other practices like that.

That's why I switched GYN when I was thinking of having my first. I didn't even get to see the same GYN when I went in for regular exams--they didn't make appointments with specific Drs. It's just another question to ask when you interview an OB how those things are handled.

My OB-GYN practice also has a midwife for those who prefer a midwife.

I agree that you need to educate yourself and ask lots and lots of questions. Each practice is very different. Find one that makes you feel comfortable.

 

[emh1129]

It depends on your practice, which was the whole point in my post on that area of discussion. In my OB's practice, the on call Dr is paged. The on call Dr then generally pages your actual Dr. 9 times out of 10, the actual Dr shows up, but sometimes that's not possible (i.e., the Dr has been out to dinner and been drinking or is out of town) and the on call Dr comes in. In my OB-GYN practice, it would always be one of the Drs associated with the practice, never a stranger. All the Drs make sure you at least meet each of the other Drs just in case. As I stated before, 2 out of 3 times, my Dr was not on call when I went into labor, but my OB showed up to deliver. I know of other practices like that.

That's why I switched GYN when I was thinking of having my first. I didn't even get to see the same GYN when I went in for regular exams--they didn't make appointments with specific Drs. It's just another question to ask when you interview an OB how those things are handled.

My OB-GYN practice also has a midwife for those who prefer a midwife.

I agree that you need to educate yourself and ask lots and lots of questions. Each practice is very different. Find one that makes you feel comfortable.

Sorry, I was just writing in response to the part where you talked about your complications. I just meant that there is an OB on-call at the hospital if you need one, even if you have a midwife. So if there is a midwife you click with, I wouldn't write her off just because she doesn't practice with an OB

I think we made the same points regarding who shows up to deliver. I agree- it can vary from place to place. In our small town, the 4 or so different practices all shared on-call hours, so imagine my dismay when I was in labor with my first baby and an OB showed up whom I had never met before!

 

[mom2princessj]

It depends on your practice, which was the whole point in my post on that area of discussion. In my OB's practice, the on call Dr is paged. The on call Dr then generally pages your actual Dr. 9 times out of 10, the actual Dr shows up, but sometimes that's not possible (i.e., the Dr has been out to dinner and been drinking or is out of town) and the on call Dr comes in. In my OB-GYN practice, it would always be one of the Drs associated with the practice, never a stranger. All the Drs make sure you at least meet each of the other Drs just in case. As I stated before, 2 out of 3 times, my Dr was not on call when I went into labor, but my OB showed up to deliver. I know of other practices like that.

That's why I switched GYN when I was thinking of having my first. I didn't even get to see the same GYN when I went in for regular exams--they didn't make appointments with specific Drs. It's just another question to ask when you interview an OB how those things are handled.

My OB-GYN practice also has a midwife for those who prefer a midwife.

I agree that you need to educate yourself and ask lots and lots of questions. Each practice is very different. Find one that makes you feel comfortable.

that's kind of how it was at my ob/gyn practice. You had to see every dr at least once and then you could choose which drs you wanted to see or just see your primary dr the rest of your visits. But if you went into labor and your dr wasn't on call you may not actually get him/her although in my dr's case he told me to just tell them to call him and he'd be there.
I had one dr that I absolutely HATED. She was a *itch! At the time I was in my last tri there were only two drs delivering babies...mine and the not so nice aforementioned lady. They were basically on call every other day. My dr was on call the night before because I had a dr appt that day so the next morning when I went into labor I was beside myself thinking that the not so nice dr was going to deliver my baby. LUCKILY he ended up on call for two days in a row and ended up delivering my baby. I had an emergency c-section after laboring all day so when was to be born he then was a scheduled csection. My dr told me to pick whatever day I wanted and even if he was off he'd come in to deliver my son. It was just the kind of relationship we have. I don't think its like that for everyone. But that's why I loved having him as my dr so much. He was ALWAYS there for me when I needed him and was willing to be there for me even when he wasn't working or on call. Not all drs do that and I think its important for any woman to know whether her particular dr is going to be there or if you just get the luck of the draw.

 

[mjkacmom]

that's kind of how it was at my ob/gyn practice. You had to see every dr at least once and then you could choose which drs you wanted to see or just see your primary dr the rest of your visits. But if you went into labor and your dr wasn't on call you may not actually get him/her although in my dr's case he told me to just tell them to call him and he'd be there.
I had one dr that I absolutely HATED. She was a *itch! At the time I was in my last tri there were only two drs delivering babies...mine and the not so nice aforementioned lady. They were basically on call every other day. My dr was on call the night before because I had a dr appt that day so the next morning when I went into labor I was beside myself thinking that the not so nice dr was going to deliver my baby. LUCKILY he ended up on call for two days in a row and ended up delivering my baby. I had an emergency c-section after laboring all day so when was to be born he then was a scheduled csection. My dr told me to pick whatever day I wanted and even if he was off he'd come in to deliver my son. It was just the kind of relationship we have. I don't think its like that for everyone. But that's why I loved having him as my dr so much. He was ALWAYS there for me when I needed him and was willing to be there for me even when he wasn't working or on call. Not all drs do that and I think its important for any woman to know whether her particular dr is going to be there or if you just get the luck of the draw.

That's how our practice was. At my appointment, my OB told me we had to deliver that day, and cancelled all of her appointments, so she could deliver my twins, even though there was another OB in the practice on call.