How to pick an OB?

[murrt]

Hi ladies,

I'm wondering how you went about (or are currently going about) choosing an OB? I'm going to have to select someone before I'm comfortable telling friends that I'm pregnant, so asking friends or family is out. Also, many of my friends are in the city or north of the city so their recommendations would likely be for locations that wouldn't work for me.

I can ask my reproductive endocrinologist, but I'd love to find one additional source for info, and was wondering how you all went about selecting your OBs. I also asked PAIF if they have thoughts. 

While were on it, how are you going about deciding what hospital to deliver at?

Also, for those of you who happen to live near me and might have a specific recommendation, I'm in Boston in the South Shore area.

Thanks!

[dinahdrake]

Subbing. I have one for now but my old and all of the other ones left the practice so when I called I told the lady on the phone to flip a coin and just get me an appointment. I think I like this guy but I've only seen him the one time so I have yet to establish a full opinion.

[ameliapond]

I am sticking with my current OB/GYN office. A friend recommended one OB in particular and I have seen him a couple times in the past. But overall my office makes you rotate between the different OBs in the practice. I am going to see how my first couple appointments go, but if I don't feel comfortable I could always switch to another practice later on.

And for the hospital, if I stick to my current OB office, I do not have a choice in the hospital. They are exclusive to one. But I really like that hospital, so I am okay with that.

[adouces06]

I asked my Primary who she suggested. She told me to go through the OB practice in their building. To decide an actual OB, I went off of reviews. I made sure I was comfortable seeing a few different doctors though, because sometimes my OB didn't have available appointments for the times I wanted.

In the end it didn't matter. I didn't even see my OB when I was in the hospital, and a random male OB was the one to deliver my son.

[Martinis&Medicine]

For now I'm sticking with my OB that I've seen in the past for my lady bits and initial testing (before we moved on to an RE). I may end up switching, though, because I photographed a birth at another hospital and was incredibly impressed with it.

[becole]

Most OBs only deliver at a certain hospital, so if you have a strong preference for hospital, find an OB that will deliver there.

[k2tog]

I can't give any advice about choosing an OB... here in Ontario, we must be referred to an OB by our family doctor, so the first time around I just told her what hospital I wanted and she picked one for me. It worked out great, so I'm going with the same OB as last time.

As for hospital, my one recommendation is to pick the hospital that is as close as possible. Mine is 5 minutes away and I'm so grateful it was so close because driving with contractions would have pretty much been one of the worst things ever. I actually had a terrible time at that hospital, post-natal, but I'm going back for the closeness factor.

[becole]

I think hospitals have a lot to do with the nurse that gets assigned to you that day. My sister gave birth 3 times at the same place- two good experiences and one bad.

[dke2010]

I chose my OB/CNM based on reviews I had heard from others (when I was pregnant with DD). I live out in the country, so everyone around me has to drive to the nearest city for care. I also checked out their online reviews. As for the hospital, that practice only delivers at one hospital and I had also heard good things about it. My experience won't really help you, but good luck!

[littlelanes]

Mine was solely based on my RE's recommendation. I have to change to a new OB this time because mine moved (so rude of her). This time I'm picking based on hospital privileges. I LOVE the hospital I delivered DD at and it also has rave reviews. It isn't a level 3 NICU (it's level 2) though so I might not have a choice.

[macaronmama]

When I had to search for an OB/GYN in my area, I searched who was on my plan near me (proximity was big because my last one was majorly inconvenient to get to). Then I looked up reviews for the practice, which were good. I liked my regular doctor, and so far met with two of their other doctors, and liked them as well. Even the male OB/GYN made me feel comfortable, I was surprised. So I'm pretty okay choosing them for our delivery.

There's really only one hospital nearby anyway, and it has a good rating - they deliver some of the highest rates of newborns in the country, so their NICU is top notch should we have the sad necessity of using it.

Definitely don't just ask after a doctor, ask after the practice. For my OB appointments, it's whoever is available and same for my delivery. Just in case, better make sure you are comfortable with all of the practitioners there.

[ellabee]

I found the hospital I wanted to deliver at based on the following criteria:
- Close proximity to home
- Good reputation (on internet and in anecdoetes from family and friends)
- High success rates of natural births and low c-section/episiotomy rates
(I'm in MA too and found this Interactive Map super helpful)

From there, I looked at the OB practices who deliver there. Then I chose one that was close to me and had good online reviews (healthgrades.com, etc).

I LOVE my OB and LOVED the hospital I delivered at. I'm in the city, so you probably don't want my recommendation, but if you do, feel free to PM me.

[sanibel21]

murrt ygpm

[murrt]

Hey sanibel21, I didn't get your private message.

[hikingmama222]

Feb 18, 2016 12:00:16 GMT -5 k2tog said:

I can't give any advice about choosing an OB... here in Ontario, we must be referred to an OB by our family doctor, so the first time around I just told her what hospital I wanted and she picked one for me. It worked out great, so I'm going with the same OB as last time.

As for hospital, my one recommendation is to pick the hospital that is as close as possible. Mine is 5 minutes away and I'm so grateful it was so close because driving with contractions would have pretty much been one of the worst things ever. I actually had a terrible time at that hospital, post-natal, but I'm going back for the closeness factor.

This is me as well since I'm in Alberta.  We had a new hospital open up 5 mins away, it opened a month after DD was born, so delivering there wasn't an option at that time.  The other one was 15 minutes away which wasn't bad.  Looking forward to the new hospital though, their facilities are amazing!

[raechay]

It's hard to make recommendations because every place is going to be so different. Where I live, there are basically two OB practices in town - the one associated with the (only) local hospital, and a private group. Both deliver at my local hospital. However the private group has much better ratings and patient satisfaction, etc. Plus I've known more people who've used them, so that's how I chose them with my first pregnancy.

Because they're a group, you don't just pick one. Instead you see all of them throughout pregnancy, and get who ever is on call when you deliver. This can suck if there's one (or more) you disliked.

On the other hand, I've had several friends use their family practice doctor (PCP) as their delivery and OB. The people I've known who did this have been extremely happy with this choice - probably more so than people who go to the group I see. I would go with this option myself as I love my PCP, but she has like five kids and only works one or two days a week, and I don't think she'd be willing to be on call for delivery.

It's just so individual to your tastes, your area, and what you have available. The best thing is probably to ask ALL the moms you know locally what they did, and if you hear a name come up repeatedly, check that OB out. HTH.

[sanibel21]

Sorry murrt!! I just tried again

[mamagerman]

I honestly just asked the receptionist on the phone to recommend one for me. She picked someone who has been there a long time and I heard after the fact that she is very good. I chose the hospital that has a better NICU in case a problem should arise, but both hospitals are about equal distance from our house. Keep in mind proximity if you are able to be picky. With my first, the hospital was about a half hour away and I got sent home the first time I went in. I had back labor and making that trip multiple times was tough! The nurses will be a huge part of your delivery experience as well if you end up with a "good" or "bad" one.

[orangepickle]

With my last pregnancy, from 18 weeks on I ended up having to go to the only high risk OB in my area and it sucked - we're talking 3-4 hour waits for appointments every single time, and I had to go at least once a week (2-3 times a week in the third trimester!).

Just keep in mind that no matter which practice you choose, if there's more than one doctor, you likely won't get to pick your specific doctor - and even if you do, there's a chance they might not do the delivery for many reasons (they're with someone else, vacation, etc., etc.). The biggest things for me to look for are friendly staff, delivery options at your choice hospital and low wait times. Keep those things in mind at your first appointment, and if you aren't happy - tell them. If they then don't change or have a good explanation for not meeting your expectations, move to a different one (do it early!)

[murrt]

Thanks for your help everyone. I know that I could deliver with a bunch of different docs at a practice and I'll definately keep that in mind.

I'm fairly certain I know which hospital I'm going to go with.

I just had a really bad experience with office staff last time completely messing up communication of something huge. And I liked my OB but I felt like she was always overwhelmed and I was driving too much of my own care throughout the pregnancy.

I'm sure I'll be seeing an MFM again this time, which is fine, but I want to make sure I get an OB that actually pays attention and office staff that don't completely mishandle things.

I guess my last experience has made me anxious. But, i wanted to thank you all for your advice. I think I'm going to ask the RE and I have two OBs in mind after lots of research. It is helpful to know I can switch too!

Thanks again!

[jr]

I asked my PCP for a recommendation, telling her in detail what I look for in a doctor. I'm currently with an HMO, so there were really only a few local options, but she suggested two, and I decided based on online reviews/availability.

With my first child, I lived in Boston and saw Dr. Gagliardi at Harvard Vanguard Post Office Square. I LOVED her - personable, smart, laid back (but not too laid back!), didn't make me feel rushed when I came in with a list of 20 questions, etc. I did the OB-modwife combo, so I alternated visits between her and a midwife (the same one each time). Post Office Square is probably far for you, but I liked Harvard Vanguard in general. I delivered at the Brigham and had mixed feelings - great L&D (despite a long, long labor that ended in a c-section), but the recovery floor was only okay. The hospital has super progressive official practices, but we didn't feel those practices were supported, and therefore weren't implemented, but a number of the nurses - for instance, we got pressured to send the baby to the nursery when we wanted to room in, etc. I know the Harvard Vanguard Post Office Square group now delivers at BI. I've heard really good things about Newton-Wellesley, but that's the wrong direction for you.

Eta - personable, not perishable! :-P

[meow84]

I've been going to my OB/GYN since I was a teenager, so it wasn't a difficult choice for me. Aside from checking with insurance and which hospitals the doctor is affiliated with, I would look at office hours and location, especially because toward the end you will be frequenting the office quite a bit.