Moving to Portland

ChrissyD1203

Hi! I'm due in January. Moving from NYC to Portland at the beginning of August. I'll be about 18/19 weeks then. This is my first pregnancy and I'm freaked out to begin with not to mention having to adjust to a new city that I have never been to and find a new doctor. I see some closed discussion posts on this board from a few years back, but was wondering if anyone had doctor suggestions or just even suggestions more generally about moving to Portland. We are just there for a year for my husband's job. We are renting a place in old port area (no idea head that even means) and I'll be working from home for the year for my law firm (will eventually need to look into child care after baby is born so I am able to actually do my work). Thank you so so much.

Willow1400

I live near the Old Port! I am seeing the docs at All About Women (which is a Mercy Hospital practice) and everyone has been very nice! They rotate about 5-6 docs so you meet most people before you deliver. Mercy has a new hospital with what is supposed to be a great Birthplace facility, I'll be touring in a few weeks! But the MMC staff is great as well. I'll be an FTM too, due in September. If you have questions or need any help please feel free to reach out!

ChrissyD1203

Thanks @Willow1400 !! I'm going to check them out. I heard lots of good things about Mercy! Not totally pregnancy related - but are there any good gyms in old port? Not that you could tell from looking at me, but I love to go to the gym (more for the social aspect of it and because unless I'm doing a class with someone pushing me, I don't have any motivation). When I google things, I see lots of yoga studios and Pilates, but I've never done either of those before. I'm so worried about keeping busy and not getting depressed in the winter with a newborn that is too young to be outside in the cold and a stay at home job. I'll probably be at the children's museum everyday!

Willow1400

@ChrissyD1203, I've only gone to two of the more "budget" gyms in Portland- Planet Fitness and World Gym.  Both are actually really nice for the price ($10-20/mo) - tvs at each machine, clean, and I don't have to wait long for a machine.  If I remember right, World's is $10 a month more but has some classes available (although I remember the studio being a little small).  Both are probably 2 minutes from the Old Port driving, with the benefit of easier parking.  But from what I hear, the sky is the limit depending on what you want to spend.  I don't do yoga or Pilates either (apart from the odd class at Golds) but there is a new spinning place that looks great that I am planning on trying out once I have the baby for an hour of "me" time.  

Mother0fDragons

The Old Port is great!  Lots of restaurants with just about every kind of food you would want, especially when it comes to sushi!   There are lots of shops too, it's a great place to walk around with some cobblestone streets here and there.

My OB is in Scarborough (next town over) at Coastal Women's Health Care, they have you delivery at Maine Medical though (in Portland).

Feel free to ask any other questions

ChrissyD1203

Thank you both!!!

Ellsmac

I'm also at Coastal Womens. So far, I like them quite a bit. Have talked to people who have used both MMc and Mercy and people have great things to say about both. Also a FTM. The old port is great! At for gyms, I have used the bay club, planet fitness and body architect. All different - liked them all for different reasons

ChrissyD1203

@Ellsmac thank you!!!!! My husband just found body architect online - it looks amazing. I'm 100% doing that one post baby. At Coastal Woman's do you get to meet all the doctors in the practice that way the doctor doing the delivery is someone you have met at least once? I'm still trying to decide if that matters to me. I got a ton of recommendations for intermed and lots of the docs there look great - but there are also a few that seem young. Because I'm such a paranoid person I guess I would feel better with a doctor that had more experience.

Ellsmac

You are primarily assigned one doc at coastal (you have a say in who it is) and they encourage you to rotate through different docs if you want to so you can meet them at least once. I have been told by a friend who used them that she didn't do that and had a different doc at delivery but she didn't mind - apparently they have similar philosophies. But this is a long way of saying yes. They encourage you to meet all the docs at least once. I have also found them very responsive and helpful, i know a bunch of people who go to intermed, too, and seem happy enough with them. Coastal is about fifteen minutes from downtown portland so it's not as convenient as intermed (especially as I work right near intermed) but I am pleased with coastal. Plus it's nice to be a little bit out of town. The parking at intermed is covered - which is nice but I dislike their parking garage .

Body architect was very enjoyable. It's also expensive but they run a great first month intro deal and the people are really friendly. It's a small gym facility but they have great space for classes).

Nickioch

I've already had my baby boy, he's almost 3 months (already! Ah!!) and we live in Portland I'm from here. Went to All About Women and mercy and it was an incredible experience. I hope that's where you decided to go!!!! The Birthplace is just fantastic, the nurses especially the night nurses and support is beyond anything I could have imagined. Mercy has a free breastfeeding group every Tuesday too, great way to meet other new mommys. The Old Port is fun, hopefully you're not right in the heart of it as it can get loud with the bars and restaurants and super congested in the summer from all the tourists!! But Portland and surrounding areas are so wonderful I think you'll settle in well

Willow1400

@Nickioch Can I ask who your doc was? I think I just finished finally seeing everyone at All About Women and can't believe it but I'd be happy with just about anyone. Also, the nurse who ran the birthing class was so great!

Nickioch

@Willow1400 I ended up having Toby Fitzgerald deliver, with the midwife Erica Richards actually doing the delivery who I really loved and was thrilled when she walked into the room! Toby was the only one I wasn't happy with at appointments prior, only had met her once and she wasn't very friendly or attentive, but day-of she was great. They're all great! And yes Linda is the class teacher, loved her too at the classes. Wasn't thrilled with her in the hospital though when she grabbed my nipple to express colostrum and was so rough I almost cried!!

Willow1400

Thank you for sharing that! It's funny, my gut reaction after meeting the docs was exactly the same but I'm glad to know all was good day-of. I am seeing Erica for my checkup tomorrow, I haven't met her yet!

Nickioch

That is funny. I've known two others who felt the same, too! I hope you like Erica, she's so sweet!

Nickioch

@Willow1400 how'd your appointment with Erica go?

Willow1400

I liked her a lot!!

levathad

I delivered my son about 3 months ago at MMC in Portland. I went through generations right in Portland, all the OBs are pretty good there but they have like 9-10obs and suggest you stick with one and that doc may or may not deliver your baby, but honestly if you do natural birth, I barely even noticed the dr delivering, all I was focused on was getting through the contractions and getting my son out. I highly recommend Dr. Kassab from generations. She knows what she's doing and is incredibly experienced. A little straight forward but that's what is needed when you're pushing a baby out.

levathad

Also I had never done yoga before but I took prenatal yoga at greener postures in Falmouth every Sunday and loved it! Relaxing and definitely prepared me for delivery