Washington Babies
Help! How Do I Pick An ObGyn?
Hi all ?
I am brand new to these boards and over the weekend, I just found out that I?m pregnant! Yay! I want to make an appointment ? but not sure how to go about in choosing a doctor. A few co-workers just recently had babies so I was thinking about asking them for a referral, but I wasn?t sure if I wanted to tell people about my pregnancy until a little bit later. Any suggestions as to what I should do? Thanks!!
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Re: Help! How Do I Pick An ObGyn?
I just wanted to say congrats! I don't have any advice on doctors in Seattle, as I am in the south sound. I, too, got a BFP this weekend but I have the extreme luck in having one of the best OBs in the area as my aunt! So a built in doctor for me
Good luck with everything!
Congrats! I'm in the process of picking a doc too -- my OB only provides care up to 36 weeks, then will transfer me to a doc at Swedish, but I'd rather transfer sooner to get to know the doc better. So don't stress if you haven't picked one right away (though you may not want to wait as long as me
). I don't have any specific recommendations, but think the PPs gave you great advice!
I've been reading that doctors usually don't see you right away, so I was prepared for a far out date when they scheduled my appt. (it's on 12/28)...but even though I was prepared, I'm still a little freaked out about waiting a month! I guess I'm just being a worry wart!
Congrats!!
Asking for referrals is definitely useful -- and if you've been going to your regular doctor for a bit now, you could definitely ask him/her, too.
I ended up deciding on an OB in the same clinic as my regular family doctor (who sees DH and I, but doesn't do deliveries anymore), and they deliver at Swedish.
Another thing that's good to know early -- call up your insurance company and see if they have a maternity program. Ours does, and we got some nice freebies out of it.
♥ Married since June 2009 ♥
TW: Living children & Losses:
Pregnant after 4 losses via IVF/FET with daughter "Gamma" (EDD Oct 2, 2019)
Congrats!
I used to see Dr de la Torre at Seattle OBGYN (Swedish). I liked her a lot for an OBGYN, in that she listened to me and recommended me to a naturopathic doctor and a physical therapist for issues I was having that I didn't even know could be treated (pre-pregnancy), so she seems fairly open-minded. However, she is very typical OBGYN in that my time with her was short and rushed, and after about 10 minutes she was ready to get out of there and seemed annoyed when I had questions. I'm sensitive to this, it was typical doc stuff, a natural consequence of a high patient load, so don't read too much into it if you like that traditional care style. She knew her stuff and was generally gentle and respectful. She is part of a big practice and if you go into labor during non-business-hours you get whoever is on call to attend you, also pretty standard practice for OBs offices and something to keep in mind. I would recommend her if you're looking for that kind of care.
I preferred a different care style and so am having an out-of-hospital birth with midwives, which I'm very excited about! I'm not loving my current midwife group, but even so my appointments have all been at least 30 minutes, usually 45 min-1 hour, and I feel like I am important to them while I am there. Midwifery is a different mindset and care style than obstetrics, and it's just what I prefer! If you want that, too, there are lots of options around, and the Center for Birth recently opened in north Seattle which allows many midwife groups and independent midwives to deliver in one location which may be convenient for you while giving you options.
As for how to pick, if you're thinking of going with an OB ask friends for referrals. If you want, just tell them you need an OBGYN and see if they have a recommendation, I did that even when I wasn't pregnant! You definitely want to get a feel for how that doctor handles his/her practice and patients though, and others' experiences are helpful in that. Also call and ask for the office's stats on c-sections, episiotomies, and anything else important to you (if any of that is important to you) to get a feel for how they actually operate. If you're thinking of going with a midwife start calling and making appointments! Most all midwives will give you a free hour-long meet-and-greet appointment where you can ask all your questions and get to know them and their style. A few posts after yours I put up a request for people to recommend their midwives, so you might look there to get started if you want.
Congratulations again, and good luck in this journey!
Congrats! I am also with Swedish. I picked the Seattle OB/GYN clinic, which is on first hill and connected to Swedish hospital. I have to admit, I just picked my doc off the list of docs there, but I really like her and all the doctors at the clinic. I am hoping to do a drug-free VBAC, and she's totally onboard. A lot of people told me Swedish First Hill was a baby factory, but I haven't found that mentality at all yet. It's my second baby, and I vastly prefer this care to what I got with my first.
https://www.seaobgyn.com/