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Washington Babies
amandaleigh1
member
IVF #1 ET 1 d3 embryo 10/30/11 BFP
3 Embryos frozen (1 d5, 2 d6)
DS born 07/29/12
FET #1 ET 1 d5 embryo 02/10/15 BFN
FET #2 1 d6 embryo didn't survive thaw, transferred last d6. CP
Please recommend me an OB (Swedish- FIrst Hill area)
amandaleigh1
member
I had my first ultrasound at my RE today and soon they will be kicking me out. So I need to find an OB.
I am looking for the usual-- want to avoid labor induction and c-section-- and would like to try it as natural as possible. If you know of an OB with Swedish with offices on First Hill, please recommend!
IVF #1 ET 1 d3 embryo 10/30/11 BFP
3 Embryos frozen (1 d5, 2 d6)
DS born 07/29/12
FET #1 ET 1 d5 embryo 02/10/15 BFN
FET #2 1 d6 embryo didn't survive thaw, transferred last d6. CP
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Please recommend me an OB (Swedish- FIrst Hill area)
I saw Dr. Levine at NW Women's Health Care. He's awesome. I wasn't interested in going natural so I don't know about that, but he was really accommodating to me, so I bet he's open.
https://nwwomenshealth.com/pages/physicians.php?pid=3
TTC #2 for a million years: SA normal, CD 23 bloodwork shows nothing amiss, ovulation detected. Next step: ? maybe CD3 bloodwork to check eggs? All out of pocket, so limited IF tests/treatments.
My OB is Dr. Meghan Smith at NWWHC. Both she and the staff there are lovely.
I go to Meghan McKeever at Seattle Obgyn.
https://www.seaobgyn.com/
I used to see Dr. Sarah de la Torre at Seattle OBGYN, before I switched to a midwife when I got pregnant.
The pros about her were that when I first saw her, she took a lot of time with me and really listened. Even as we got later on, the second time I told her I had painful sex (I started having sex after seeing her, so the first time I told her it wasn't *that* surprising) she recommended me not only to a physical therapist, who helped me immensely, but a naturopathic doctor! So she seems more open to non-traditional medicine than many.
The downsides were that she has become very typical OBGYN over the years (I saw her for about 4 years up until about a year ago), rushed in-and-out visits. The last few times I saw her she had a mom laboring while she was seeing me,and she seemed frustrated at the moms for taking so much of her time. One was a woman who desperately wanted to push, but wasn't measuring all the way full yet. She left this woman, then got called back, then left her again (and keep in mind, it was 30 minutes between when she called to say she was leaving to when she was projected to get to me (her first patient), so this wasn't just ducking down the hall), then when she got called back in my room was very irritated and insisted the nurse check the woman was fully dilated before she returned (um...if she's been desperate to push for over an hour...and now she's fully dilated...how long is it going to take you to get back there while she's waiting???). But that is the visit she referred me to the PT and naturopath, so she was still listening to me. I just decided from that (and other things) I didn't want OB-style care, so I have a midwife now!
At Seattle OBGYN, btw, there are over a half-dozen doctors. If you go into labor during office hours, you get your doc. If you go into labor after-hours you get whoever is on call. So there is a very high liklihood you will have someone you've never met, and that if you do have your doc she will be distracted by her regular patients. Just something to consider.
She is by far the best OBGYN I've ever had...I always put the caveats in because they were important to me, but I think a lot of them are somewhat standard OB practice I just don't like!
Thanks fyziksgirl for your frank discussion of what it is like to be a patient of Dr. de la Torre. She was one of the ones my RE recommended to me, but it turns out she is not even accepting patients right now for July. Seattle OB Gyn clinic seems to be super big and super busy, and I am not sure if that is the right place to me.
I was also recommended Dr. Kelley Hanrahan by my RE, and she has very glowing reviews all over the internet. And, she actually still had some July availability left, so I have made an appointment with her. The Minor and James clinic seems to be not so big, too, which I am hoping is a plus.
I am wondering-- should I make a second appointment at another practice in case one of them doesn't click?
I am reluctant to go with a midwife as I want the relative security of a birth at Swedish First Hill in case something goes wrong. I am a bit paranoid as this is my first.
IVF #1 ET 1 d3 embryo 10/30/11 BFP
3 Embryos frozen (1 d5, 2 d6)
DS born 07/29/12
FET #1 ET 1 d5 embryo 02/10/15 BFN
FET #2 1 d6 embryo didn't survive thaw, transferred last d6. CP
I guess it depends if the other docs you're considering are also almost full. I am actually in the process of switching midwives, not because the ones I started with were bad but because we just didn't click, so I totally understand. I'm a big believer in the idea that you need to be comfortable where and with whom you're birthing. If you're not, and you are tense, it is going to make things much harder on you and baby. After all, ever tried going to the bathroom when you're tense or worried or embarrassed or uncomfortable? Doesn't work very well...same's true for birth!
So I guess my advice would be, if you're picky in your providers (like me) and you're worried they'll book up, feel free to make an appointment with a second doc. You can always cancel if the first one works out! So why not?
Also, for the record, I get that out of hospital birth isn't for everyone and wasn't trying to push it. I was just saying it is for me, and pointing that out because it does reflect that I'm coming from a different point when judging OBs than most first time mamas :-) Good luck to you, and congrats on graduating from the RE!
I am a patient of Dr.Hanrahan's and really loved her the first time around and am seeing her again for this pregnancy.
I will say she is fairly conservative and likes to err on the side of caution when it comes to mother and baby's health. But, for someone like me, who went into pregnancy extremely healthy and low-risk, but ran into complications through no fault of my own or my doctors, it was a blessing in disguise to have someone who advocated for my health and well-being and the well-being of my baby.
As I said, I had many complications with my pregnancy and delivery (bad NT Scan, CVS, pre-term labor, macrosomic and improperly positioned baby, and more), and in the process saw every doc at the practice. They are all wonderful! I received amazing care and Dr. H and her nurse were always available for me to ask questions. My DH came to all my appts. with me and she spoke openly and answered all his first-time dad questions with ease. She always had time to talk to me, calm me down, reassure me. She was never pushy with her views, rather everything is broached as a discussion.
She's cautious but willing to let me try for a VBAC with this baby, something that we discussed before I scheduled my c/s with the last. I trust and know in my heart that a c/s was truly necessary for my last delivery and I know (because I actually have a co-worker who sees her and had a baby the same size) that she would not have recommended it if it hadn't been the best thing for me and my DD.
Good luck with your visit and your decision. It isn't easy, but hopefully some perspective from a former and current patient will help. Let me know if you have specific questions about her, the practice, or delivering at Swedish.