At my
ultrasound on Monday, the nurse asked me if I have an OB picked out yet. Uhhh no.
I did see a primary care physician in January, but she is not an OBGYN
so I currently don’t have anyone. I
guess I don’t have much time to find one though- I have another ultrasound this
Monday with my RE’s office, and then one the following week. After that if everything is still good I’m released
to an regular OB.
How the heck
do I go about finding an OB?
I emailed my
nurse asking if the doctor had any suggestions, and she said that I need to
figure out where I want to deliver and then I can pick an OB based on the
hospital. Really? It feels way too early to pick where I want
to deliver when I am still coming to terms that the IVF actually worked.
Honestly? I just want a doctor that is well-versed in
C-sections. Due to my fibroid surgery, my uterus has been weakened and I sadly will only be allowed to have a C-section
in case my uterus ruptures in the middle of giving birth. Even before I was pregnant, I had to come to
terms that I won’t have a natural birth.
But all I want in the end is a healthy baby and for me to be alive to
take care of it, so a C-section it is.
Is there a
hospital rating website? How do I figure
out who is the C-section guru in the Chicago area? And how many times do I have to go to the
hospital prior to a C-section? I ask
because if we pick a hospital that is downtown and we live in the suburbs, it
could be hard for CP to come to the appointment. Most if not all appointments are at the
doctor’s office, right? And if you have
an emergency, you don’t just have to go to the hospital where you are going to
deliver, right?
These sounds
like stupid questions in my head, but I am clueless. Help me!!
15 comments:
OK, you should really be able to get a few recommendations from your RE if you specify these concerns -- just ask if he/she knows any doctors at either x, y or z hospital who specialize in cases like yours? And also ask for his/her thoughts on the pluses and minuses of delivering at each of the nearest hospitals. It's pretty lame for your RE to not weigh in with any opinion on this... we also asked a few of our friends who are doctors and have had babies (and one who's a pediatrician) for their opinions.
It feels early, but really, hospital choice is going to be your key if you go looking on your own. Since you know you have to have a c-section, you can look for hospitals that are c-section/baby friendly if you want--do they allow for baby to be with mom in recovery or not, do they have a nursery or rooming in, that sort of thing--to go along with what the hospital ratings might be. I know in California there is a hospital ratings website (oh, I don't remember what it is now...), and I think consumer reports has one, as does US News http://health.usnews.com/best-hospitals/area/chicago-il.
But honestly, I'd call your RE back and get either a different nurse, or ask at your next appt--they should have recommendations, which will make your life easier.
Most of your appointments will be at the dr's not the hospital--you should only need to go to the hospital a few times for orientation, if you do any breastfeeding/baby care classes, and registration. So you don't necessarily need to have your hospital as easily accessible as your dr.
I think the suggestion to find the hospital that will work best for having a c-section is a great idea. You may try to see if you can find a local parenting group to tap into. There tends to be a lot of knowledge (and a lot of opinions on where to deliver!) on those type of forums.
No real advice since we had different considerations, and my ob/gyn only delivers at private clinics (i.e., not our chosen hospital!), but just to say congratulations on this milestone! I'm sure it feels like a million months away, but that end goal is in sight. Yeah!!
I really struggled with finding an OB, but I agree that you want to start with the hospital and work your way from there, if you can. Looking at hospitals' websites can help - I know where I live they provided a lot of information about rooms, policies, etc. With a C-section, you'll be there for a while, so you definitely want to be at one you're happy with. Most of the time, you'll be dealing with the nurses that work there, so you want to be at one with a good staff. You may also want to look at the level of NICU - you may not need it, but it's something I factored in, just in case.
That said, the doctor I ended up selecting doesn't deliver at the hospital I really wanted. I was ok with going with my second choice for a hospital to get the type of care I wanted throughout my pregnancy. My RE recommended a few practices (one at each of four hospitals), but I wasn't 100% happy with the ones she suggested. They were either too large, too small, or didn't deliver at the hospitals I wanted. In the end, I asked my gynecologist (who no longer practices as an OB), and went with her recommendation. If your RE won't suggest any, maybe your primary care dr. could? Do you have any friends that are or were recently pregnant?
The main things I considered were the size of the practice, reviews (on yelp and from people I knew), and the way they handled appointments (whether you see the same dr. each time, rotate dr's, or see a nurse practitioner), and how they handle being on call for deliveries (which may not be as much of an issue for you, if your c-section is scheduled in advance). I really wanted continuity between appointments and wanted a medium sized practice. I've been happy so far! I found it hard to transition from my RE initially, so I went with what felt right at the time.
Good luck, and congrats!
If you're considering city hospitals, they all have relatively high c-section rates (see this article: http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/features_julieshealthclub/2009/11/illinois-hospital-csection-rates.html). When I was considering hospitals, I found those numbers disappointing (because I wanted a natural birth). However, that might actually be good news for you.
Also, while it feels early to pick a hospital, it's not early to start establishing a relationship with an OB. For normal pregnancies, most practices require you to rotate through all their OBs, so you've met each of them a couple times before you give birth (which means starting now is actually a good thing). I'm not sure if that still holds true if you know you'll have to schedule a c-section. Might be worth asking as you consider options.
If you are interested in these things, I would look for a hospital that has private rooms and allows the baby to room-in, one with lactation consultants on staff, and a doc or hospital that allows skin-to-skin contact after a c-section. Good luck in your search!
We live pretty much down the street from a very good, well known hospital so we knew we would go there. I found a list of OB's on the hospital's website and had my acupuncturist (who used to be a doula) give me some recommendations based on that. My RE recommended one also. We ended up going with one recommended by a friend who delivered at the same hospital. It's tough to ask friends, though, if you aren't ready to share the news. It can seem like a daunting process but I think if you can pick a hospital it will get easier to narrow it down from there.
don't underestimate the power of WOM - ask coworkers/friends for OB recs and then do your research - zocdocs is a great starting point, and then when you meet with them, ask them how they do with cesareans. I found mine through a coworker and when I later found out I was going to have a cesarean birth, the same coworker who had recommended me to her had also had a cesarean three months prior.
Ask around, not sure how public you're going with friends/family with your pregnancy as of yet, but people are always happy to give recommendations. It's a really good starting point - good luck lady! <3
I have no advice due to lack of experience in this area, but I would still like to wish you good luck!
You have gotten great advice here! I was going to try to summarize what people have already said and try not to repeat too much advice, but I'm too lazy, so I'll just add my two cents and apologize ahead of time for the repetitions:
-Yelp and Google are your friends. I googled really specific things like "west side hospitals labor tubs" and got good info.
-Narrow it down to a few hospitals and search that way.
-But also search backwards. Find doctors you like (again Yelp and Google) and then see where they deliver.
-Remember, every doctor/hospital has someone out there who will say something negative so take info with a grain of salt.
-Pick someone that you LIKE. As in, interpersonally get along with.
And finally, all this being said, I will say that, looking back, I had NO idea how to figure this out and NO ONE to ask and I think I lucked out with my doctor. But, I will also say, there is no "perfect doctor/hospital." Just try to find the best one for you :)
I would start by picking your hospital and then looking at what types of deliveries they have and narrow down to the OB level. Angie's List has recommendations and user reviews as well.
I can give you the info for mine and I love the practice. But, Since they specialize in high risk it may not be who you need.
I would pick the hospital first than look at the OB options and pick the one with the most experience doing C-sections. Interview a few if you have the time and see which one you click with. Don't underestimate the power of word of mouth either! Ask friends, co-workers, etc which hospital/OB they used. Focus on the ones who've had C-sections. It's overwhelming, but you'll find the right fit eventually!
how recently was your fibroid surgery, and who told you that definitely you could absolutely NOT opt for a natural birth? type of fibroid surgery does matter for this (location of fibroids) but keep in mind that many docs will tell a woman who has had one c-section that because the uterus is weakened, as it has been cut through before, that VBAC is not possible, when it in fact is. perhaps now is your chance to get a second opinion on this? just a thought...
other than that, everyone has already given great advice. you somewhere where they are good at this, with low infection rates, where you'll be able to hold your baby to your chest asap and where your husband will be able to be there with you and hold the baby as well. also, if you are interested in breastfeeding, clear those plans and expectations with the hospital first... know their position on supporting breastfeeding, in particular after c-section and the sometimes extra help that that can require given that you will be trying to heal and learn to BF at the same time.
Jak- I didn't see an email address for you so I don't know how else to respond to your comment. I have now asked two different doctors about having a natural birth. My last GYN explained it best this way: during my fibroid surgery in Nov '11, the doctor cut into a weak part of my uterus which allows for quicker healing. When doing a c-section, doctors cut into a stronger part of the uterus which is why some women may be able to have a VBAC. With the weaker part of the uterus compromised, I do not have the option for a VBAC.
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