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Multiples
Intro and Questions
Hello ladies,
I have been lurking for the past couple days and thought it was time to introduce myself. I am currently 7w5d pregnant with twins after 2 years TTC and 3 IUI's. We just found out we are having twins on Monday. Both are measuring right on track and had strong heart beats on the ultrasound.
We are very excited but I'm a bit overwhelmed. My RE is going to continue to monitor my progesterone for the next couple weeks but told me to contact my OB and schedule an appointment for three weeks from now. I'm not happy with my current OBGYN and planned on switching. I started to check my insurance network and found several OB's that have a "special interest in high-risk or multiples pregnancies".
When looking at the network I was also considering where I want to deliver. My RE said to make sure the hospital has a good neo-natal unit available. The best neo-natal unit is at the Children's Hospital downtown. Closer to me there are several neo-natal units that are equipped for babies born starting around 30 weeks. I would prefer to not deliver downtown for several reasons so I was thinking I would plan on delivering at one of the hospitals closer to me, knowing if go into labor before 30 weeks I will need to go downtown.
So, my questions:
1). I read the FAQ and saw some people saw an OB and others saw an OB and specialist. If you saw a specialist did you start with a regular OB and they referred you as needed?
2). Did you pick which hospital you would deliver at based on the level of neo-natal care available at that facility or just decide to cross that bridge when you come to it?
Sorry this got so long. I just want to make the best decision.
Thanks!
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Intro and Questions
welcome and congrats!
all of my boys are clomid/IUI babies
I was lucky and the closest hospital to me - and the one my OB delivers at- has a great NICU - so it was easy for me to pick.
I saw and OB and an MFM/Peri... my OB has tons of twin experience- but he sent me to the MFM for all ultrasounds b/c they have higher level equipment and deal with it all the time.
I never had to see the actual doc at the MFM- I had all my US's done there and everything was fine-but if there was trouble, the doc would have come in to talk with me about the plan, etc.
get Dr. Luke's book about being pg with twins, triplets and quads- it explains a lot about risks, doctors, etc - and gives you a ton of info about what you can control, etc.
best of luck!
Welcome and congratulations x 2!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I think you'll find this board to be very helpful. I know I have!
To answer your questions, I started with just an OB but was referred to a specialist (perinatologist) by my OB. For most of my pregnancy, I saw them each once a month and staggered the appointments so that I was seen every two weeks.
As for the hospital, there are different levels of NICUs and I was told that a Level 3 NICU is equipped to take care of the sickest, most critical babies. My OB has "delivery priviledges" at the hospital closest to our house and it happens to have a Level 3 NICU, so it was an easy decision for us. Do you know the levels of the NICUs near you?
~Mindy
Congratulations!!! This board has been so helpful to me and I'm sure it will be a great resource for you during your 9 months.
To answer your questions:
(1) My fertility doctor recommended going to see a specialist and he recommended a new OB to me, because my other OB told me she really didn't have experience with twin deliveries and I didn't feel safe with the hospital's NICU anyway.
(2) I didn't pick the hospital. I pretty much decided on the best OB to take care of me and they advised me the NICU at the hospital I'm delivering at is a Level III, which is great. The hospital is an hour away from my house, but totally will be worth it to me.
Congrats again and Take Care!!!
Welcome and Congrats.
1. I found out it was twins at 11 weeks and began seeing a Peri after that. I would see him on a regular basis as well as my OB.
2. YES. Level 3 NICU which happened to be 5 minutes from my house thank goodness. But I would have gone further if I had to.
Welcome and ask away and hoping you have a happy and healthy 9 mos!
I was in the process of finding a new OB when I got pregnant and found out it was twins, so I purposely found one that delivered at the hospital in the area with the highest level NICU. I used the hospital I wanted to deliver at as my starting point for the search for a new OB.
Then, when I went to the OB, I asked him if I should also see an MFM. He said they take care of lots of multiples pregnancies so I could stay with them, but that they also consult with an MFM, who does all the high-level u/s. My OB also said that if my pregnancy got too complicated they would refer me to an MFM to take over all of my care. So, I stayed with my OB, but saw the MFM for my u/s. And then when I started to face complications at 22w, the two sets of dr's worked closely together and consulted one another on my care. When I was in the hospital for 4w on bedrest, I saw both the OB and MFM everyday. When there was a change in my treatment, the two sets of dr's held a call to decide the best plan of action. So, I sort of saw both types of dr's. In the end, my OB delivered the babies, as a lot of MFMs around her don't do deliveries, but I felt I got terrific care from all the dr's involved.
Thank you so much for all your replies! I feel less overwhelmed knowing that for right now I just have to find a good OB and can work with my OB to find a specialist later, if needed.
I did some more research on the level of the NICUs near me. The best one is at Children's downtown and is a Level III-C. The hospital 5 minutes from my house is only a Level II, so I've crossed that off my list. The other two hospitals are both about 20 minutes away and are Level III-A but work closely with Children's. I think I'm going to focus my search on finding an OB that delivers at one of the Level III-A hospitals.
Thanks! I'm sure I'll have a lot more questions along the way!
Congrats and welcome!
My decision wasn't really an issue.....my OB will deliver at either of the 2 hospitals available. My hospital of choice has a level 3 NICU and I can deliver there any time 34 weeks or after (just one more week). The other hospital is less than 3 blocks from the first hospital and it has level 4 NICU. Should my babies need something more extensive than a level 4 (heaven FORBID) they would be send to Children's Mercy or KU Med Center in Kansas City (100 miles away).
I saw my OB and she directed my care from day one. I don't remember when, maybe around 23 weeks or so?? She sent me to see the specialist for my sonograms. I've seen him twice and have one more appointment scheduled for next week, which should be my last with him since I've had no issues at all. If I had any problems, I assume he would be more involved with my prenatal care.
-I saw OB first and they referred me out to the MFM starting at 16w. I only saw the MFM for cervical length checks and growth ultrasounds. OB for everything else and delivery. 2). Did you pick which hospital you would deliver at based on the level of neo-natal care available at that facility or just decide to cross that bridge when you come to it?
-Sort of cross the bridge when I came to it, or didn't come to it thankfully. I knew where I didn't want to deliver. Unfortunately they are the high acuity NICU that takes as young as 22 weekers. I decided to go with my original choice hospital (took 28 weekers and up) because they said if I delivered before 28w they would deliver them at my hospital and just transfer to the hospital connected to Children's and the high level NICU. Thankfully they were born at 36w. As it turns out, most of the NICU nurses at the hospital I delivered at came from Children's.
1). I read the FAQ and saw some people saw an OB and others saw an OB and specialist. If you saw a specialist did you start with
a regular OB and they referred you as needed?
I saw my OB and they had a high-risk committee that checked in on me a lot. I did see a peri once just to make sure everything was good.
2). Did you pick which hospital you would deliver at based on the level of neo-natal care available at that facility or just decide to cross that bridge when you come to it?
I wanted the closest hospital. I checked out their NICU capabilities and made a couple of different plans for which hospital, based on when I had the babies. Our local couldn't handle anything before 32 weeks, so I had separate plans for 24 - 28, 28 - 32, 32 - 34 and 34+. It was work to research and communicate but in the end, I got to deliver at my local hospital. (I went 37w3d)