If you just saw your OB...

naflmj

What was the rationale not to see an MFM or Peri? I have my first OB appt today and Dr. Luke's book has me a bit freaked out. DS had IUGR though luckily didn't spend any time in the NICU so I am thinking with the twins I should ask for a referral.

OrangeSmoke

Honestly, why risk it?  I saw a MFM who also delivered so I didn't have to see two doctors, but I would side eye any OB who doesn't want to give me a referral.

But then again, I was the epitome of crazy paranoid pregnant lady, so.....

naflmj

OrangeSmoke:

Honestly, why risk it?  I saw a MFM who also delivered so I didn't have to see two doctors, but I would side eye any OB who doesn't want to give me a referral.

But then again, I was the epitome of crazy paranoid pregnant lady, so.....

Haha, honeslty I haven't asked yet so I doubt she'll question it. Part of the issue is that the MFM closes at 5 and there is little chance I will get there in time without telling work before I would like to since I have to get Graeme at daycare by 4. Obviously healthy babies are more important but I was figuring I may wait until my 12 or 16 week appt. I will talk with the OB today and get her perspective.

UsedToBeGoldie

my OB has 25 yrs experience, with TONS of multiples- and he STILL thought I should see a peri - b/c it just makes sense... that's what the MFM does best- and even though my OB is probably one of the smartest docs i've ever met (i'm a drug rep, so i know 100's of doctors literally) he still felt it was wise to see an MFM - if for nothing but all my high level US's - which is what i went there for... I never needed to see the actual MFM doc b/c my US"s were fine- but if anything came up the doc would have come in and counseled me (which he did with my singleton pg that had some problems).

I also would not want to see an OB who didn't want me to see an MFM.  Docs who think they know it all and are "good enough for you" are not the kind I want - i love and respect docs who think getting 2nd opionins are smart, etc.  those are the best docs, IMO.

pea-kay

Ditto to OS. I ultimately ended up with an MFM who delivered, which was the perfect situation, but I know not all MFMs deliver. But with your son's history, I'd absolutely push for a referral, at the very least.

OrangeSmoke

naflmj:

OrangeSmoke:

Honestly, why risk it?  I saw a MFM who also delivered so I didn't have to see two doctors, but I would side eye any OB who doesn't want to give me a referral.

But then again, I was the epitome of crazy paranoid pregnant lady, so.....

Haha, honeslty I haven't asked yet so I doubt she'll question it. Part of the issue is that the MFM closes at 5 and there is little chance I will get there in time without telling work before I would like to since I have to get Graeme at daycare by 4. Obviously healthy babies are more important but I was figuring I may wait until my 12 or 16 week appt. I will talk with the OB today and get her perspective.

Hmmm.. You'll most likely only have to see your peri once or twice before the big bean spill anyway, so maybe just make something up?

I didn't spill the beans until my NT scan results came back, which wasn't until 15 weeks (snow, logistics, etc)... and most people were like duh!  of course you are pregnant!

 

mpstochlinski8

I started seeing MFM around 12wks maybe 13wks? then after 28wks I just saw OB since things were going well.Maybe they will set up appts for you with MFM but haven't yet? I would bring it up, give them a call today and find out whats going on. With multiples its a good idea to have that extra monitoring. GL!

browneyedgrl4282

You should see MFM just because you are having twins but add in the fact Graeme had IUGR you should seen them, even if you were just having one baby I will still want to see MFM because of what happened with Graeme.

 

If your insurance doesn't require a referral for appointments with MFM, just call and make an appointment. 

Haven1

For me, I'm just not a worrier. My OB has twins herself, and that was good enough for me. My pregnancy was totally complication-free. She said she'd send me to a MFM if she suspected a need. She suspected IUGR at my last appt and immediately sent me over to the MFM. The MFM suggested taking the babies the next morning, and that's what we did. It all turned out to be a false alarm, but I was very pleased with the level of care from both doctors.

kthappy76

My OB specializes in high risk and until I had cervical issues I didn't really need (or think I needed) an MFM. Once I did, I got one quickly. It is often difficult to predict if you'll have complications, but if you are concerned, then you should see one.

zsvendsen

So far, I've only seen my OB (and switched to a midwife halfway through because I had a chance appointment with her and looooooove her - although I still see the regular OB for some appointments regarding the birth and to touch base in general with how I'm doing). I haven't had any issues, though. In your case, I would request the referral - with your prior history it makes good sense. I can't imagine your doctor having a problem with it (and if s/he does, you'll know it's time to switch anyway!)

I sort of told my boss early on about the pregnancy ("I've just received some long-awaited, very good medical news. I'll tell you about it officially in about twelve weeks - I'm taking the afternoon off to celebrate.") and whenever I had to go to appointments (which was all the time) he was totally fine with it. I don't know what your work situation is like, but if just telling your boss isn't an option, I'd probably just say that you have a regular check-up or something and they had to move your appointment to working hours.

Good luck - I hope you have a very boring pregnancy with the twins!

Jen0204

My MFM appointments are definitely inconvenient as far as the timing goes - they only will do u/s between 8am-2pm, which is a real pain since they're 45 minutes away from me (the doctors in my immediate area suck).  The first time I saw one was for my NT scan, then up until 22 weeks I saw them every 4 weeks, now it's every 2 weeks.  If you're concerned about timing of appointments, could you check if your OB has ties with multiple MFM's and then choose based on who's most convenient?  While I have a lot of appointments between the two doctors and they're not convenient for me, I feel like the babies and I are getting great care and it's well worth the extra hassle.

MrsLnt

OrangeSmoke:

Honestly, why risk it?  I saw a MFM who also delivered so I didn't have to see two doctors, but I would side eye any OB who doesn't want to give me a referral.

But then again, I was the epitome of crazy paranoid pregnant lady, so.....

Agree 100%. From a crazy paranoid person who consulted with an MFM before getting PG and then had spontaneous twins.  

I know correlation doesn't equal causation but lots of people I know who only saw OBs ended up with preemies and NICU time. My doc watched me like a hawk (and all patients get the same level of care) and would have been able to catch anything early because of the frequent monitoring.

McGibbon51311

Haven1:For me, I'm just not a worrier. My OB has twins herself, and that was good enough for me. My pregnancy was totally complication-free. She said she'd send me to a MFM if she suspected a need.

This is my pregnancy so far. If any problems were to arise or I started having complications, I would without a doubt ask for a referral just to be safe. 

Snickers2005

I just see my regular OB but she has had lots of experience with twins as well.  For my U/S, she sends me to the MFM at the hospital and the MFM doctor on call does come and look at them.  I'm fortunate that things have been uneventful so far and I feel comfortable and trust my doctor's care and experience.

naflmj

Thanks ladies, I will talk to my OB at my appt this evening and get a referral. I hate how things are so complicated because I work in a school so getting out, getting Graeme, and getting somewhere are all a process. I know it will be worth it, just wanted some imput.

Kristen61607

I felt comfortable with just my OB. I had di/di twins and no other risk factors, and my OB had lots of experience with twins and monitored me closely. I did go into PTL at 31 weeks and I feel they did the right things to stop labor, which they did, and I made it until 37.5 weeks! They never mentioned me seeing a specialist and I never asked. Like I said, I just felt comfortable.

curlywhirly

Not sure how all practices work, but I go to the hospital where I plan to deliver for all of my monthly ultrasounds (other than the little ultrasounds they do during my checkup every other week). The ultrasounds are all reviewed by Perinatologists, who will likely be involved in some way in the delivery of my twins. After the ultrasound tech does the ultrasound, the Peri comes in and reviews everything and talks to us about how things are going. So, we don't technically have appointments with the Peri, but I'm confident that if complications were to arise, my OB and the Peri would be on top of things quickly. That said, I've had a complication-free pregnancy (23 weeks now), and I'm not sure how things would be different if I were having issues.

So maybe this is how your OB works? Depending on who is doing/reviewing your ultrasounds, your plan of care may actually involve seeing a specialist with some regularity without it being as obvious as looking for an additional doctor or getting a referral?

Good luck!

crystaleyes39

I was worried about the same thing and because i'm having Fraternal twins and everything seems to (knock on wood) be going smoothly I never had to see an MFM yet...