How did you/will you pick your OB?

[musicalsilver]

So I'm under a different insurance plan than I was for my last pregnancy, and can go back to the drawing board for OBs.  I only had one option last time (which was okay), but I'm considering branching out this time (and trying to figure out if midwives are covered, as I might go that route).

How did you/will you pick?  Dictated by your insurance?  Recommendations from friends?  Something else?

[tkford216]

I asked women who live in my area who they would recommend and then did a meet and greet at one of the smaller offices that got good reviews. I felt good talking to my OB and got the feeling that they really focus on the needs of the patient instead of automatically following "standard guidelines" (something I had a problem with my last doc). After my second loss, I decided I really liked her because she came in on her "on call" day and just sat and talked with me for an hour.

I would suggest trying a few meet and greet appointments if offered.

[ang32]

Mostly friends and insurance. She came highly recommended by friends and my insurance company listed her as a premium provider.

[LeaD1108]

I've been using my dr for my yearly check-ups/BCP already, so I just switched to the OB side instead of GYN. I've been using him for years, know his nurse, and he's basically the only dr in my town that delivers babies. So, it was either him, or travelling an hour or so to another dr/hospital.

[lemoncupcake]

I joined my old practice based on recommendations from friends. My favorite midwife left for another practice that I had also heard great things about, so I followed her over. The timing worked out that I was able to have a regular annual exam with them a few months ago, so my 8w appointment won't be the first time I see them.

[morwen]

I already know which hospital I want to deliver at so I'll go with their OB team. I've also requested care from a midwife and if that comes through may go that rout instead.

[dreadpiratebuttercup]

I picked a couple hospitals I liked based on their L&D and postpartum policies. I then looked at a few doctors that deliver at both hospitals and found one that comes recommended on a few local boards and gets good reviews. I've been going to her for paps and an RE referral since we moved here a couple years ago. I like her so far, at least for non-pregnancy stuff.

[apunicorn]

I had to pick mine at random with the help of the internet because I don't have any friends in the area that are/have been pregnant. I actually picked one that was super close to my house but he was terrible (I had to walk through the waiting area full of people with a lid-less cup of my pee, he dismissed my CP as "maybe I had a faulty pregnancy test", etc) so I quickly switched to another and I love them. Sometimes it takes "shopping around" to find someone you like and that is 100% fine. What's important is that you're comfortable with this person.

[kelle017]

I didn't have an ob/gyn until after my second c/p (my pcp had done my paps). I looked who was covered by insurance and had decent reviews. I like my ob. He's not the sit and chit chat type (not that he's not friendly) but he's matter of fact and does a good job so I'm happy with him. I do wish I had picked someone a little closer to home though (it's 30 minutes away).

[kelle017]

I also knew which hospital I wanted to be at and picked a doctor part of that network so that it was easier to have information shared and on file if need be.

[EatsRitz]

I pretty much just found one that was in-network with my insurance when I was 32 weeks pregnant with DS and we had just moved here. Luckily, I like her a lot, so I'm keeping her for this pregnancy. A lot of my friends have gone to a different doctor that they like, but for some reason, I just like having female OBs so I'll stick with mine.

[EatsRitz]

I'm kind of jealous of all of you who get to pick from a choice of hospitals to deliver. I live in a small area with only two hospitals, only one of which actually has L&D.

[chocolate]

Jun 5, 2015 16:57:39 GMT -5 EatsRitz said:

I'm kind of jealous of all of you who get to pick from a choice of hospitals to deliver. I live in a small area with only two hospitals, only one of which actually has L&D.

I live in a small-ish town with 1 hospital and 3 doctors to choose from.

[mishy2010]

I actually got a postcard in the mail when I graduated from college for a new ob/gyn at a local practice. I thought she looked nice so I made a new patient appointment. Several years later I decided to stick with the practice for my previous pregnancy and will do so again.
When deciding to stay with her I made sure the practice she works out of aligned with my beliefs. She was very open and explained to me her thought process when making clinic decisions which made me very comfortable.

[bee]

I picked a hospital first. Then I called the office that is connected. I asked for someone who was VBAC friendly and the nurse immediately recommended someone to me. I met her a few months ago and I think it'll be a good fit.

[chocolate]

Jun 5, 2015 18:59:47 GMT -5 bee said:

I picked a hospital first. Then I called the office that is connected. I asked for someone who was VBAC friendly and the nurse immediately recommended someone to me. I met her a few months ago and I think it'll be a good fit.

I'm going to have to travel about 90 miles to VBAC, unfortunately. But I really want to so I'm going to go for it. Our hospitals are affiliated so I can at least do some of my appointments locally but I'm debating just finding a doctor there and sticking with it so I'm more familiar and comfortable when the time comes.

[alpies]

I also live in a small town with limited choices, but I have the advantage of working side by side with all of the OBs I had to choose from it's their standard that all patients see all 5 of the doctors in the practice during their pregnancy, but I already know which one is going to be my primary because our attitudes/beliefs are the most aligned.

Obviously not everyone has the advantage of watching their potential OB "in action", but my recommendation would be finding someone who makes you feel comfortable enough to ask questions no matter how silly, someone who doesn't rush through appointments, and someone who acknowledges and respects your birth plan, whatever that may be.

Keep in mind also that you are evaluating the practice as a whole because most OB groups do rotating call which means "your" OB might not be there for your delivery. Look at their c-section rate. Find out how they handle concerns after hours.

[EatsRitz]

Jun 5, 2015 20:50:28 GMT -5 chocolate said:

Jun 5, 2015 18:59:47 GMT -5 bee said:

I picked a hospital first. Then I called the office that is connected. I asked for someone who was VBAC friendly and the nurse immediately recommended someone to me. I met her a few months ago and I think it'll be a good fit.

I'm going to have to travel about 90 miles to VBAC, unfortunately. But I really want to so I'm going to go for it. Our hospitals are affiliated so I can at least do some of my appointments locally but I'm debating just finding a doctor there and sticking with it so I'm more familiar and comfortable when the time comes.

Being in labor in a car for 90 miles sounds like an extremely special kind of hell. More power to ya.

[kh59]

I am trying to get in with the only midwifery practice in my city that attends homebirths. Three of my neighbors recommended them to me. I'm hoping it's a good fit for us. If not, I'll go back to the midwives who I used with LO--I love them, just not hospitals. (They're also in network for my insurance.)

[chocolate]

Jun 5, 2015 23:27:20 GMT -5 EatsRitz said:

Jun 5, 2015 20:50:28 GMT -5 chocolate said:

I'm going to have to travel about 90 miles to VBAC, unfortunately. But I really want to so I'm going to go for it. Our hospitals are affiliated so I can at least do some of my appointments locally but I'm debating just finding a doctor there and sticking with it so I'm more familiar and comfortable when the time comes.

Being in labor in a car for 90 miles sounds like an extremely special kind of hell. More power to ya.

Lol, yes, yes it does. There are a lot of people from my town that choose to doctor there and I think some even go down a week early and get induced. That's not really something I want to do, and maybe they don't like to induce with vbacs, but it's just something I'll have to figure out down the road! We have friends and a family member who lives there, so if all else maybe I'd go camp out with them for a few days if it looks like I'm close.

[mrsred09]

I picked my OB a few years ago after reviewing some online comments and having "meet and greet" sessions with the 5 docs I liked best. I ended up choosing my OB because she was the most cut and dry of the group. Even during our meet and greet she said "I'm not a fluffy doc who will feed into your concerns. I will tell you the truth in a very direct way." That is exactly what I wanted and what I needed being high risk with all of my pregnancies so far.

[allegro55]

With my first I got recommendations from our clinic on campus. It worked out great. There is a possibility that we will be moving soon, so this thread has been helpful.

[ishihara]

I'll be using the same OB that I used when I was pregnant with my daughter. I liked her care during my pregnancy. She did not end up delivering my baby (she was out of town when I went into labor earlier than either of us expected) and I didn't love the experience that I had at the hospital, but it was overall fine. I think it will go better this time around simply because I am more experienced.

[rivers and roads]

Sorry if this is a silly question, but can someone explain this process to me? This is all new.
I have an OB here (who I didn't care for much), and a CNP/Midwife who works at the same office and I really liked her when I met her for a consult last month.

Do you choose a hospital where you'd like to deliver and then find OBs who deliver there, or find an OB and just go to whatever hospital they work with (or is it typically any local hospital)?

[lemoncupcake]

Jun 7, 2015 16:51:47 GMT -5 rivers and roads said:

Do you choose a hospital where you'd like to deliver and then find OBs who deliver there, or find an OB and just go to whatever hospital they work with (or is it typically any local hospital)?

I think that will depend on how many hospitals you have to choose from and how strong your preference is for one of them. Here, there's one hospital with a big women's center in my part of town. so most of the bigger practices deliver there. I was able to just focus on finding an OB practice since the hospital was pretty set.

[rivers and roads]

Jun 7, 2015 17:21:15 GMT -5 lemoncupcake said:

Jun 7, 2015 16:51:47 GMT -5 rivers and roads said:

Do you choose a hospital where you'd like to deliver and then find OBs who deliver there, or find an OB and just go to whatever hospital they work with (or is it typically any local hospital)?

I think that will depend on how many hospitals you have to choose from and how strong your preference is for one of them. Here, there's one hospital with a big women's center in my part of town. so most of the bigger practices deliver there. I was able to just focus on finding an OB practice since the hospital was pretty set.

Thanks, I figured it was more contingent on priorities. Makes sense!

[musicalsilver]

Jun 7, 2015 17:21:15 GMT -5 lemoncupcake said:

Jun 7, 2015 16:51:47 GMT -5 rivers and roads said:

Do you choose a hospital where you'd like to deliver and then find OBs who deliver there, or find an OB and just go to whatever hospital they work with (or is it typically any local hospital)?

I think that will depend on how many hospitals you have to choose from and how strong your preference is for one of them. Here, there's one hospital with a big women's center in my part of town. so most of the bigger practices deliver there. I was able to just focus on finding an OB practice since the hospital was pretty set.

rivers and roads I agree with this.  I live in a town with a ton of different hospitals to choose from.  I wound up asking around for opinions on various hospitals to pick one of those first, and then finding OBs that delivered there.  Having too many choices is good in a way, but I hate making decisions, so it's just hard!

[britterrss]

MH and I literally use Yelp for everything. I got my OBGYN's name from a friend, yelped her, and went ahead. Luckily she's been seeing me for GYN for the last 3 years (and helping with infertility issues), so I've developed a relationship with her.

[lvlyldybmp]

dreadpiratebuttercup, how did you find the L&D policies from the hospitals? I think I know which one I want to deliver at, but I want to read them first to be sure!

[hippos11]

I definitely picked a hospital first then the OBGYN practice. Our practice has you rotate thru all of the doctors since any one may be on call when you deliver. It worked out well because we liked all of the doctors.