Tentative intro & question re: choosing OB

Lady2010

Hi Ladies - 

I have been lurking for the past week and am doing an intro earlier than I would have thought as I would love to get your guidance and help on something.

We have been TTC#1 since Mar 2012, had 3 IUIs, 2 IVFs and now are FINALLY pregnant - on our first FET - a natural cycle.  It is still VERY early - I had beta 1 (700) and beta 2 (2156) this week, and our ultrasound is scheduled for Jun 3. (we only transferred 1 5 day blast)  I know if this goes well we will have another u/s with our RE 2 weeks later.  Then assuming all is on track we will be released to our OB.

Here is my question - HOW do you choose and ob?  We live in Boston and go to a medical practice (Harvard Vanguard) which is affiliated with Beth Israel Deaconess Medical.  My gynecologist (who I haven't seen in over a year) is an ob/gyn.  Do I just go with her or should we choose someone else, and if so, how do you find the right OB?  In addition, I know the hospital matters too - what do we look at in choosing the hospital (since that will influence the OB we go with - and/or vice versa?)

There are 3 main hospitals here - all teaching hospitals (MGH, Brigham & Women's and Beth Israel)

We are very new to all this - and unfortunately don't have any friends in Boston who have recently had kids (and of course we haven't told anyone yet).  Any advice is GREATLY appreciated.

I hope to join this board more actively once we get through the first u/s.  I recognize several names on here and am hope to be joining you permanently soon!  Many thanks in advance!!!

FishyMom

I asked my RE for a recommendation. I loved her so much and I trusted her judgement. I really like my new OB. I gave only seen her once so after a few more visits I am sure I'll know if I love her also. Good luck!! I also plan on getting a recommendation for a pediatrician from her also.

sunflowermama42212

I stayed with my existing OB because he was affiliated with the hospital I wanted. I chose the hospital with the highest level NICU in my area just in case. My sister had to stay behind while my nephew was transferred to the hospital literally down the street because he needed the higher level nicu. Assuming you aren't high risk, I can't see your siggy, you should just make sure it's a doctor you trust and feel comfortable with. You can always switch doctors at anytime should you change your mind or feel you need a different level of care. My advice, if you find yourself questioning your Doctor way to much then it obviously is not a good fit. My Doctor is very IVF friendly, meaning he understands the emotional aspects that come along with the pregnancy so he has been amazing.

Congrats and welcome!!!

Lady2010

Thanks Ladies for the advice!  I am going to ask my RE for a list and ask if she thinks I should just stay with my current ob/gyn.  They are part of the same practice (and she is the one who referred me to my RE)

I am not sure if I am high-risk - I will ask that at my Jun 3rd u/s and appt with our RE.  I am 36, turning 37 in Oct, and this will be my first child.  And of course we have suffered through infertility for several years (unexplained).  

My DH is actually the one who is questioning whether we should use my current ob/gyn or find someone new - mainly because of the hospital affiliation (he thinks MGH and B&W are ranked nationally while BI is not, or ranked lower).  Of course he has never met my gynecologist so he doesn't know her... I do recall from general appointments it was fast and I felt a little rushed but maybe that is because they were just routine pap exams?

ball.and.chain

Hi @Lady2010 -- I am also in the Boston area and will be delivering at MGH.  I see an OB at MGH West and have been very, very happy with the practice.  I basically started by choosing a hospital -- I hate driving to Longwood, so BI and B&W were out, NWH had a higher c-section rate than most other hospitals, and I couldn't find an OB associated with MAH that had a convenient office location for me.  The fact that MGH is also rated #2 overall in the country kind of sealed the deal.

Honestly, if you like your current OB-GYN I see no problem staying with her, and BI is still a fantastic hospital.  But I'm happy to answer any questions you might have about MGH -- feel free to PM me if so.

whoberry

Congrats and welcome!  When we first started TTC I did a bunch of reading about pregnancy and childbirth (and watched The Business of Being Born) which led me to decide that I really didn't want a c-section and wanted to be somewhere that was not going to push for a lot of questionable medical interventions.  With that info in mind I researched hospitals in the area and picked the one with the lowest c-section rate.  It also happens to be a local teaching hospital and is the closest to where I live so that was awesome.

 Then I found doctors who practiced there.  A friend delivered at that hospital and recommended her doctor who is also ranked as a Top Doctor in our local city magazine.

She is very hard to get in with but I was able to see her for my annual before we started IF treatments so I was already an established patient.  She is very med-free birth friendly and so is the hospital.

With this pregnancy I ended up switching to the midwife group in the same practice.  But I would definitely start with some research about what kind of birth you might want and what hospital and practice group are most likely to give you that result.  Good luck. 

CameraBug131

Welcome! So glad to see you here!

I called my RE and asked for a recommendation. 

Lady2010

Thanks Ladies!

ball.and.chain - I may PM you after my u/s next week with my RE.  I am trying not to get ahead of myself - so waiting to see what she says.

CameraBug131 - Thanks!  How are you doing?  Hope your pregnancy is progressing beautifully!

Lady2010

Hi @Wolfette139‌ - I am super happy to be here .

Will definitely be asking my RE.

Hope you are doing great!