Finding a doc...what should I do?

Ok, so I just got a positive pregnancy test last week. This morning, I was searching through a list of doctors, and quite frankly, I'm not sure if I'm approaching this right!

Should I see a family practitioner first? Or should I just straight up find an Ob? How do I find a good doctor? When should I have my first visit? What did you ladies do?

My last pregnancy was so long ago. All I remember is that it was hard to find an ob gyn because very few were accepting patients. So I was more or less forced to take any doctor that was available (which turned out alright).

Also, are you ladies more comfortable with a male or female doctor? The last few female gyn I've had just kind of weirded me out. My favorite was the doc who delivered my son, but only because he was quick and business like. I think I will go for a woman this time though...

I had an OBGYN for my first pregnancy and a family physician for my second. The family physician has been my doctor for the last 22 years but didn't accept my insurance during my first pregnancy so I had to go elsewhere.

I think you should start by calling your insurance company (if you have coverage). Find out if you are required to get a referral from your PCP. If it's a requirement, that will answer your question :) They can also provide you with a list of doctors in your network.

There are pros and cons for each kind of doctor. OBs have a higher level of training in the pregnancy area. They know how to care for high-risk pregnancies and can perform a c-section if necessary. Family physicians CANNOT perform major surgery so if you were to need an emergency c-section, an OB would have to be called in. However, a family physician can take care of both mom AND baby after the birth. I was required to have a c-section with my second pregnancy and had to have a different doctor perform the surgery but my physician cared for myself and my son afterward. It was nice not having to see multiple doctors.

My OB was a woman and my physician is a man. I'm not weirded out by either one but I definitely feel more comfortable with my physician because of our long-term relationship. Personally, I would go with my physician and possibly a midwife.

Do you have friends or family that could refer you to someone? My top two priorities are my ability to be comfortable around the doctor (friendly, open, takes their time, etc.) and their ability to practice medicine (duh, right? I research a lot and taking some time to explain things to me is a big deal). I feel much better about doctors if someone I trust thinks highly of them.

You can always set up appointments to interview them without having to go through an examination.

Good luck!

Edit: When trying to become a new patient with a doctor I was referred to, I have a little trick I use. I call them and say, "Hi, my name is Erica and I'm a friend/relative of so-and-so who is a patient of Dr. ______. S/he referred me and I'd like to see if the doctor is accepting new patients." In the past, when I have dropped a patient name as a friend or relative, they were willing to take me on even though they weren't actually taking new patients. A dirty little trick, I know!

Hi!  And, congrats!

I think the best bet would be to talk to your family doc and have them refer someone to you if you don't have a regular OB/GYN.  I have a male doc for the past 10 years, and he delivered my Julia.  I'm very comfortable with him.  But, i do know that some women prefer women OB's.  You can go online to your Healthcare Provider and do a Doctor search-  and it should indicate if they are accepting new patients.  You should start your pre-natal care asap though-  vitamins and the like. 

good luck!

Congrats!

With my first pregnancy, I had no idea what I needed to do.  I went to my primary care physician after a positive home test.  After she confimed my pregnancy, she recommened several Ob/gyns.  My insurance dictates that I use a specific clinic.  So I went to the clinic website, selected the location I wanted to use, and started researching the Ob/gyns at that location.  I picked a female doctor, and I liked her a lot.  However, she left that clinic to start her own practice halfway through my pregnancy.  Since insurance wouldn't pay for her any longer, I had to pick someone else.  I picked a male doctor, and I love him!  He was also my doctor for our second baby.  I never had a problem seeing a male doctor.  I figure he's seen it all, so no need to be shy.  Not to mention, he never even looked under the gown at any of my exams.  He just did what he needed to do and never broke eye contact with me. 

Another thing to think about...besides looking at a doctor's credentials, look into what hospital they will be using to deliver (if they're not alredy officing within a hospital).  Make sure it's a hospital you trust.  Most should allow you to tour the birthing facility before hand, and you may want to do that before you make a decision. 

Thanks, this helps a lot! I'm calling the insurance first, and go from there. I'm newly married, with new insurance, so it will be good to know the policys for both primary physician and ob/gyn.

Pretty excited about the first exam! Thanks again!

Oh, something else I thought about...after you check with your insurance provider, you may want to start looking into pediatricians.  In all the paperwork I had to fill out with the hospital prior to having my kids, they want to know what pediatrician you'll be using because he/she will have to come to the hospital after your baby is born (at least, that's how it works here).  I didn't interview anyone, but you can do that if you feel it necessary.  The clinic my family uses has a list of all their doctors and a full bio on all their education and credentials, so it made choosing very easy.  :)

Here's an update:

So, my husband always feels ripped off whenever we see medical professionals (eye doctor, dentists, etc) because they never tell you up front what you will expect to pay. We end up with unexpected bills and he gets upset. Unfortunately, I feel that is the ways of the medical business. He feels it should be straight forward, just like if we were to go car shopping. If that were only so...

Anyway, so he was like "Make sure you ask (this and that) about money and insurance and deductions" and I was like "I don't understand your insurance in the first place, so you do it." So he did!

What a great hubby: he called and made my first appointment. He was able to get an estimate from them about how much the medical bills are throughout the entire pregnancy and what is deductable under insurance. He was pleased about the  estimate annd I am pleased with the doctor. Yay!

Wow, what a great question and what great answers! We actually got an estimate from our clinic right when we told them we were pregnant.

My question is a little different, but since there were so many experienced answers on this thread, I thought I would add mine.

I am 9 weeks pregnant and wondering whether I should go with an OB or with a midwife. My family physician is female, but doesnt do OB stuff, so thats out. I really respect and trust my current OB, who I started seeing when I miscarried my first pregnancy. He is part of a practice and the clinic really tries to get you to rotate between the doctors during your pregnancy since they may not all be around when your water breaks. So far I have only seen him and both hubby and I trust him implicitly.

The midwife question came up only because I have had so many friends who had C-Sections recently and I really dont want to have one unless I absolutely have to.  I have heard that its far less common with midwives. But I really like and trust my OB.

Any ideas or thoughts?

Original Post by lsami:

Wow, what a great question and what great answers! We actually got an estimate from our clinic right when we told them we were pregnant.

My question is a little different, but since there were so many experienced answers on this thread, I thought I would add mine.

I am 9 weeks pregnant and wondering whether I should go with an OB or with a midwife. My family physician is female, but doesnt do OB stuff, so thats out. I really respect and trust my current OB, who I started seeing when I miscarried my first pregnancy. He is part of a practice and the clinic really tries to get you to rotate between the doctors during your pregnancy since they may not all be around when your water breaks. So far I have only seen him and both hubby and I trust him implicitly.

The midwife question came up only because I have had so many friends who had C-Sections recently and I really dont want to have one unless I absolutely have to.  I have heard that its far less common with midwives. But I really like and trust my OB.

Any ideas or thoughts?

 

 

 I used an ob/gyn for both of my pregnancies, so I don't have anything to compare to.  But if you're really comfortable with your current OB, I'd probably stick with him since you've already established a patient/doctor relationship, and you like and trust him.  :) 

I delivered both babies naturally, so again, I can't really comment on the C-section factor.  Maybe discuss it with your OB and get his thoughts?  Some doctors do seem to be C-section happy, while others will wait it out.  And can you speak with any of the other doctors at the clinic that may or may not deliver your baby?  Find out what their views are in regard to a C-section in case you have to use one of them?  I saw the same doctor throughout my pregnancy, but a different doctor was on call at the hospital on any given night/weekend.  I had both of my kids on Saturdays, and my doctor was not on call either of those times.  In both intances, I went to the hospital when my contractions were 1 1/2 minutes apart, and the doctors showed up shortly after.  Of course, I had very quick deliveries both times, so I guess I can't really say if they would've tried to talk me into a C-section or not. 

Original Post by lsami:

The midwife question came up only because I have had so many friends who had C-Sections recently and I really dont want to have one unless I absolutely have to.  I have heard that its far less common with midwives. But I really like and trust my OB.

Any ideas or thoughts?

 

 

I am struggling with this, too.  It sounds like you will be able to count on seeing your OB or another that you are familiar with, something that is important to me.

All the hospitals near where I am are large teaching hospitals, and my doctor warned me that I will be being seen by residents and various doctors.  He used the euphemism "team care" but was nice enough to explain it too me.  He also let me know that while these hospitals have the best most up to date care, the docs there are pretty busy with complicated pregnancies, since regional and periphery hospitals transfer patients there if needed.

This is leading me to want a midwife, but I've learned since starting to look for one that demand is greater than supply here, and it's hard to book a midwife.  All the  midwife practices here are associated with big hospitals, so that's where I'd give birth.

I gotta say it... I'm pretty happy to be living in Canada.  I don't have to think about how all this is going to get paid for.  Even midwifery is fully covered. 

I forgot to add...

I read about a study that compared low risk pregnancies under an OB's care and  pregnancies under a midwife's care.  The c-section rate for low-risk patients using the OB was 13% vs 8.5% for midwife.  Also, operative vaginal delivery (no exactly sure what that is but it sounds bad) rates were 17% for OB and 5% for midwife.

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=Arti cleURL&_udi=B6T8N-4G0105T-V&_user=10& amp;_rdoc=1&_fmt=&_orig=search&_s ort=d&_docanchor=&view=c&_searchS trId=1017604811&_rerunOrigin=google&_ acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersio n=0&_userid=10&md5=fad68c0e3ebf4559f7 66633c1228a0a0

Here's the link, I only read the abstract!