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3rd Trimester
lilbit923
member
Has anyone switched OB's in the 3rd tri?
lilbit923
member
My next appt is on Monday and I'm seriously thinking about switching. I feel horrible for wanting to find another OB since this doctor saved my son's life, I've been with her practice for over 10 years and have always felt comfortable with her till this pregnancy.
When I told her that DH and I wanted another baby after having Emma she scoffed "Oh geez." She said this to me twice. When I did get pregnant and came in for my appts she was back to her professional self.
I have a list of questions to ask about trial of labor before a c-section and I'm thinking she's going to guilt me into not asking her anything else for the remainder of the pregnancy. I know my OB approves VBAC's but when I've asked she's shot me down and tells me my uterus will rupture, she will have to choose which one of use to save, etc. I felt so guilty for even asking about VBAC by the time I left my appt.
My body was responding to labor with Emma and I feel if I had the scarring on my cervix massaged out that I could have delivered her. My nurse asked what my pain level was, I told her it was a 3-4 and she wrote down that my non-verbal cues were showing a 7-8. I wasn't trying to be brave. If I wasn't in pain I wasn't going to say that I was. So my OB stepped everything up based on what the nurse said and not what I said. I think it was more convenient for my OB to just put me in the OR for the c-section instead of letting me labor longer.
I want an OB who will listen to my concerns as a patient and a Mom. I do want what is best for my baby and if the worst case scenario presents itself then it's off to the OR we go. However, I'd like for my wishes to be respected as a patient instead of her team working around me as though what I say doesn't really matter.
If you have switched OB's in the 3rd tri what were your concerns with finding a new OB?
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Re: Has anyone switched OB's in the 3rd tri?
I switched to a midwife from an OB last time around 36 weeks - just wanted to have a med free birth and felt a midwife would be a better fit. My OB actually recommended it (but I was in sort of an odd situation as I was going through student health at my university).
I would definitely look into it if I were you. You are right that you deserve to have a provider who will act professionally and take your concerns and wishes into account. If you have a bad vibe about her now, that's only going to get worse as labor approaches. Good luck finding the right fit!
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I'm sorry you're having a rough time with your OB. I would definitely recommend switching.
I'm switching, by my situation is totally different. I live in Egypt but my husband's job requires me to deliver LO in the US. I've been seeing an NP here for my regular pre-natals and an OB for sonograms. When I go back to the US in 12 days (33w) I will switch to a new OB. Thankfully, I was able to work with our insurance to let me go back to the OB I saw up until we got married and I got on H's insurance.
My concerns originally were:
No OB would take me on so late in the game (unfounded, don't worry about this)
I wouldn't have time to develop a relationship with the new doc (this was before I found out I was able to go back to my old doc. FWIW, I think that having a doctor who is in line with what you want is more important than knowing them for years)
I wouldn't have a chance to meet all of the OB in the practice, in case mine wasn't on call at the time (the OB I chose is solo-practice, so this is not a concern. If it is for you, look into solo practice docs or make sure you get to meet each doctor)
If you are unhappy and uncomfortable I think it's almost always best to switch. Maybe call a few midwives in your area and explain your situation - even if you are not gunning for fully natural birth, it sounds like you want a less medicalized experience than what your current doc is offering, and a local midwife may be able to recommend doctors she knows who will be more receptive to your wishes for the birth. GL
I did, but it was a pain in the butt.
If you have any kind of complications, or high-risk anything, it's hard to get a doctor to take that on this late in the game.
That's not to say it can't be done, but in my case, it was a real mess. We don't have a big medical community in this town, so I ended up going to a doctor in the next town, because it was that hard for me to find one that would take me. I was 31/32 weeks when I changed.
If you sit with her and explain your concerns, and she still won't listen, then you do what you have to do. Maybe give that a chance also.
Also, it was a financial issue, because my insurance pays for something like 13 visits and that's it. I had several extra visits in the beginning due to issues I was having, so the new doc has to be careful about scheduling too many appointments. I can see the perinatologist a million times since he is a specialist, but the OB had a financial concern.
Good luck.
I'm not looking forward to this. I know she's been the head of Obstetrics at the hospital and I've always trusted her lead. But lately after reading articles about OB's that are c-section happy it makes sense that she seems the same way. When I was in labor with Emma she kept telling me that I was next in line for the OR. Well that went on for about 5 hours, I wasn't in a hurry, my water wasn't broken and the baby wasn't in distress. I was fine if they just left me alone to labor. Each time we were "next" there was another mom who was in far worse shape than me and needed the OR. I was more than happy to give up my spot for a woman 28 weeks along with twins or whatever the emergency was. I would have tried to stall longer if they let me, just to try and VBAC Emma.
Dad told me it sounded like a scare tactic when my OB said my uterus could rupture with Emma. There are 8 years difference between my son and daughter so if there were risks of rupture to my uterus none of that was ever mentioned in previous appts or any of my ultrasounds. Just sounded fishy like she wanted to control when the delivery would happen, if that makes sense.
She has other OB's in her practice and they are on my insurance but then I wonder if she wouldn't go talk to them about me and have the new OB sway my decision for a VBAC based on her opinions.
I'll be making a list of questions today. I hope she's receptive to answer them.
If you decide to switch, you should really change practices all together. Unless this practice is extremely unique, whichever doctor is on call when you deliver will be with you - meaning you could very well end up with the crap OB anyway unless you change practices.
We have Kaiser so switching OB's isn't as big a deal as moving to a whole different practice but I have switched several times during this pregnancy.
I had the same OB for a long time before I got pregnant and we liked her just fine. Until we went in for my first prenatal appt. She made some very upsetting comments along the line of " well you should have thought of/taken care of that before you got pregnant, shouldn;t you?" She also totally ignored my H and acted like he wasn't even a human being, just a nuisance who she had to suffer through.
Then we switched again because plain and simple the new doc was a biiittcch and was always at LEAST 2 hrs late. Then I became high risk and switched in my last trimester. I have actually thought of switching to the other high risk doc at Kaiser cause I am pretty unhappy with the one I have.
The upside at Kaiser is the chance of your actual OB delivering your baby is slim to none. You get whoever is on call and in L&D at the time so I guess I will just stick it out.
I switched at the very beginning of my 3rd tri because my Dr stopped delivering babies, and it wasn't a big deal at all. I just had 1 appt with the NP at the new practice to get all my history and stuff then went in as scheduled for my Dr appts (starting every 2 weeks at 28 weeks).
BUT, here's my issue with your story. You said she is a great Dr, and saved your sons life and has been the head OB for some time, right? Then you might want to trust her decision regarding wether or not you are a good candidate for a VBAC. From my understanding, not everyone is...especially if your pregnancies are close together. I agree that some of the things you have said about her attitude and stuff are less than desireable, the #1 thing you want from an OB is a good Dr, not someone who is going to blow sunshine and rainbows up your butt. Ya know? Just be cautious not to swtich to someone who will allow you to try a VBAC without knowing your full history...there might be a good reason your current doc doesn't want to do one.
I did, too. I switched OB's at 34 weeks after debating about it for a month. My reasoning was because my husband and I had bought a new house and moved 30+ minutes away, putting us an hour away from the hospital I was to deliver in (if there was no traffic). I decided I was more comfortable delivering closer to our new home if I liked the local hospital and found an OB I liked, so we toured the hospital (very nice) and I went for a consultation with the prospective new OB (liked him a lot).
I will say that before agreeing to see me the new OB wanted to review my medical records for this pregnancy and if I was high risk I think they would have refused me. Because I have had no complications so far (knock on wood) they were happy to take me on as a new patient.
It's scary to switch so late, but I'm glad I did - my new practice has midwives and OB's and I really like that I can choose either to deliver my baby. Good luck with your decision!
You're right. I have trusted her for a long time. What I did not care for was being passed over during exams and in L&D as though what I had to say did not matter. If I stay with her for this delivery I will be more assertive about what I am feeling vs letting her nurses put words in my mouth. I would like to try a VBAC and if it doesn't work then we have a secondary course of action, I'm ok with that. I've heard plenty of women who had a scarred cervix and 2 previous c-sections, the last being close to the current birth and they VBAC'd just fine. I'd like for her to explain to me what specifically rules me out. What I don't want are scare tactics like she used last time. If there is a good reason I'm not a candidate then I'd like for her to explain my case, not generalities, to me.
I didn't last time, but I am this go around. I am trying for a VBAC and my hospital (and therefore the team of doctors/midwives I've been seeing) will not reverse it's policy of subsequent c-sections. As a result, after my 34 week appointment, I will be seeing a different team of doctors affiliated with Tufts in Boston. I'm disappointed, because there are actually a couple of doctors/midwives that I would feel totally comfortable with, but their hands would be tied, and I would be put into surgery, even if I went into labor on my own etc. I'm just not willing to be cut open for no reason at all, and I really don't feel comfortable knowing that the hospital's policy essentially allows them to section me against my will.
I am hoping that I will like or at least feel comfortable with the doctors I will be meeting the last few weeks of my pregnancy, but we'll see. Good luck to you!
I actually just switched. I just started my 3rd trimester this week and am switching to a new OB this week. I have a different situation, I was treating with a mid-wife and have been classified as high risk as of 24th week due to issues with my cervix. So since a midwife can not deliver before 34 weeks and I am at risk for premature labor, I switched to an OB for piece of mind in case my daughter comes before she reaches full term.
As my midwife said to me, the office care really isn't different but just getting to know the OB was important to me. This is my first child and I didn't want a stranger walking in to deliver my child.
I think it comes down to what you are comfortable with and if you are not comfortable with your current doctor you should switch. I think that the process requires that you trust your physician is doing what is best for you and the baby and not what is most time effective for them. My friend is a labor an delivery nurse and she suggested when I was researching new OB's that I should ask about their C-section rate. It seems some doctors have reputations for doing C-sections for their benefit of time and not their patients.
Good luck with finding a new OB that you can trust!