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OB Doctors or Nurse Practitioners Recommendations In Portland, ME Area?
Hey everyone! This is my first pregnancy (6weeks now) and my husband and I just moved to Maine about 6 months ago. He's SO excited he actually signed us up for "The Bump", hence the screen name.
Anyway, it's great here except we don't know who to choose for our OB in the area. Heck, we haven't even found a GP doctor yet! We don't really know anyone who's had a baby here within the last 10 years and need some HELP please! We live between Lewiston and Portland, but think the Portland area would have better Physicians or Nurse Practitioners and Hospitals because it's bigger, but would LOVE your feedback!
Thanks for the help!
Kendra
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Re: OB Doctors or Nurse Practitioners Recommendations In Portland, ME Area?
Hi!
Many of my friends have delivered at Mercy Hospital in Portland, either with their OBs or with Back Cove Midwives, and have loved it.
I'm going through the team of Midwives at Midcoast Hospital in Brunswick, and have really loved it. I have friends that delivered with them and had excellent experiences with them and the team of OBs as well.
Good luck! and congratulations
Kate
Hi and congratulations!
I am from southern Maine but go to coastal women's healthcare in Scarborough. My obgyn is dr. Dawson, she and the rest of the staff are excellent there. When we went for a consultation she was very easy going and comfortable for me to talk with. I am finally pregnant with my first and am scheduled for my first u/s on the 10th of December. The secretary, Kate, said the dr. normally likes to wait between 7-8 weeks for the first one. The staff there is affiliated with Maine medical for delivery but has their own labs and ultrasound rooms right there so it's nice not to have to run around to get bloodwork etc. hope you find that this helps
and here's to wishing you a happy and healthy 9 months!
oh and I was very impressed with the facilities, everything was very up to date, clean and everyone seemed to be organized and I didn't wait more than 10 minutes before they called me in!
Thanks for the advice! We are going to Mid-Coast Medical in Brunswick as of right now. I have my first 10 week appointment on December 20th! It seems as if every clinic does different things as Mid-Coast doesn't do a US until 16-20 weeks. We have BCBS and they actually only cover one US unless more are medically necessary. Mid-Coast said besides tons of blood work and a urine sample we'd be picking out our doc during the one hour apt with the NPR. In my past medical experiences, unless it's surgery, I'd almost prefer a Nurse Practitioner. It seems like they are more attentive to your needs and treat you more like a patient and less like a number. Does anyone have any comments?
I only had one u/s too, my insurance won't cover them unless they're medically necessary either. We just had our 20w two weeks ago
. But that was only because I was very certain of the due date - there are other women in my birth group there that had an 8w u/s to date.
There are two ways you can go at MidCoast. They have a team of Midwives and a team of OBs. They do work pretty closely together though, if you have complications with the midwives that they can't handle they move you over to the OBs. I have friends that delivered with the OBs and have only heard good things about how attentive they are. I'm seeing the midwives, which I really like. They will let you talk with both and see which you like if you want. The midwives also offer this program called Centering where you do your bi-weekly exams with a group of other women that are due around the same time as you. It also incorporates a birthing class and all sorts of information. It's two hours in the evening twice a month throughout your pregnancy. I'm LOVING it. But they also do more traditional appointments where you go in by yourself during normal hours.
Anyway, I just wanted to say congratulations! I love MidCoast so far - don't be afraid to ask if you have questions, they have always been very accommodating and have taken the time to answer all my questions!
Hi, Glad to see you found a good practice in Brunswick! I am newly pregnant with my first (6 weeks) and am going to Coastal Women's Heath in Scarborough. They told me that even though I had been seeing a nurse practioner for the last couple years I need an OB doctor going forward. They randomly assigned one so I am waiting to see how she is.
Also wondering how you are feeling? I am still super tired and just started morning sickness. You're a few weeks further along, does it get any better?
congrats to you! I had posted that I am going to coastal women's health too! I've had a few appointments so far and they are great, I hope you like it there! And yes, it will get better
I finally noticed a change this past week at 11 wks. Good luck with a great pregnancy 