Torn- stay or change

melrob613

Hello all, I am in my 2nd pregnancy, (barely) and am looking for some advice on my current ob/gyn situation. This may get confusing

Th OB that delivered my first is a 5 min drive from home, knows my history, and delivers at W.Penn (another part of my issue). Those seem to be the pro's for this situation.

Cons (IMO): VERY strict, will not budge on length of time off after birth, 6 wks vag, 8 wks c. WILL NOT BUDGE, she's not very personable, I was kind of forced into selecting her due to insurance issues at the time. She also didn't really keep me in the loop for the delivery, she *painfully* broke my water for me without any fore-warning which is burned into my brain as unhappiness.

Now, my big issue is that I have nothing as a basis for comparison to make up my mind. This is where I need your help:

Are all doc's that strict on recovery time? I was told by someone that "their doc told them they could have as much time off as they wanted" I WILL have the FMLA on my side this time around as well, last preg I wasn't employed for a full year before the birth, so I had to go only with what my doc said.

I liked the idea of deliv. @ West Penn, oh their fabulous jacuzzi rooms, and all the glories of some of their delivery rooms (which I got neither of when I went, all I wanted was a jacuzzi tub, nope) but I've never dealt with Magee other than visiting people there and the idea of being in Oakland where its impossible to park and get around kinda irks me. Is there a big difference with the 2?

Should I try to find a better doctor or just stick with what I have, which is basically convenience? Also, in regards to my fab obgyn, after I told her I wanted to deliver at West Penn SPECIFICALLY and watched her write it down, I had people from Magee call me the morning of my sched. inducing to tell me they had a bed ready for me. So to add to the stress of my birth date, I had to now call and play phone tag with what seemed like a million people to figure out where I was supposed to be, or more of where my DOC was going to be.

ok sorry for the novel, I would just like some unbiased opinions. THANKS!

KathleenCB

Sounds to me like you don't really care for your doctor and are ready for a change.  I love my current OBYGN but when I found out she only delivers in Butler Hospital, I switched to a new DOC bc I wanted to be in Magee.  I was told it was the hospital the baby would have to be sent to if anything went wrong-so why no just start there.   Follow your heart.  You weren't comfortable with the way she broke your water-and you are questioning her now...I think those are your signs.  

katykat17

I think if you aren't happy with your OB it can taint your birth experience. I have had 2 at Magee and I am considering going to Sewickley Valley for the 3rd just because of less than stellar experiences at Magee.

 

ginogomermisser

Change.......no need for that kind of treatment. Even if it means sacrificing the hospital. The doctor in my opinion makes for a good or bad experience.

LiNax3

just wondering who ur doctor was at west penn. i had my second son there and loved the doctor i had. I

melrob613

Thanks everyone, I did decide to change. And unbeknownst to me, WestPenn closed! So that pretty much helped decide where I'll be going as well, Magee WomanCare Assoc. I mean I was born at Magee, so it can't be all that bad, right?

LiNax, I'll send you the name in a PM, I'm not about throwing names out there, just because I wasn't happy, I wouldn't want to influence anothers opinion.

KellyD01

I'm late to this conversation but did want to let you know I did both of my deliveries at Magee. I used the midwives for both deliveries, 1st an unmedicated vag. 2nd a planned c-section for breech twins w/ the midwives and the MFM docs. Just a few things I wanted to tell you about. There is a jacuzzi tub right between triage and the LDR's. It's big, beautiful and not usually in use because MOST of the Ob's I've heard of aren't big fans of using it. There are also a few suites w/ a jacuzzi tub in them, and usually midwife patients who want those get them first since not many people use them. So you'll probably want to ask your doc how they feel about the tub. The telemetry monitors at Magee ARE waterproof, so if they require continuous monitoring you can maintain it AND be in the tub or the shower!

 Oh! LOL and for after labor, the food is AWESOME! and it's room service style... you order what you want whenEVER you want it. SO much better than trying to recover from childbirth on the typical hospital fare!!