Finding a doctor

CasCas53 · August 2015

I apologize if this thread has been created. I searched, but couldn't find one.

We found out we were pregnant last week. Now I have no idea where to start. The one person I told does not live in the area, so she doesn't have any recommendations for OB's. I know my SIL and coworkers have many suggestions, but we are keeping it a secret for a while, so I can't ask them. We aren't telling family until 8 weeks and no one else until 12 weeks. I feel overwhelmed with the prospect of finding a doctor to schedule my first appointment when I don't have anyone to go to for advice.

Do you have any suggestions of resources for where to begin?

Thank you!

Sincerely,

Nervous and Neurotic

MorgansMommy1 · August 2015

Do you have any local fb moms boards you can join? Or try the local boards here on the Bump.

PeggyOlsonFTW · August 2015

Does your regular doctor have a referral? That's how I found my practice.

CasCas53 · August 2015

MorgansMommy1 said:

Do you have any local fb moms boards you can join? Or try the local boards here on the Bump.

I can look into the FB ones. I'm still a little nervous about that aspect of it. I just posted on the one out here. It doesn't look like it is used very often. Thank you for your ideas!

CasCas53 · August 2015

KDHB13 said:

Does your regular doctor have a referral? That's how I found my practice.

My primary physician moved a few years back, so I have just been bouncing around.

Kimawesome · August 2015

Before posting in the Facebook groups though check the groups privacy settings....you don't want anything showing up in anyone's newsfeed that you don't want them to know about yet!
Congratulations!

Jizzill · August 2015

I knew which hospital I wanted to deliver at, so I made an appointment at their OB.

Jules08 · August 2015

With my first, I had an appointment to see my PCP for a physical around 5 week. She asked me if I had an OB and if not, she always recommended hers. I went with hers!

You could always call the office from your old physician to see if they have any recommendations. Otherwise ditto local groups.

mamachelsea · August 2015

What about waiting until you're 8 weeks to make your appointment? That way you can get advice from friends and family! I'm 6w 5d today and don't plan on even calling to make my appointment for a couple more weeks. I have issues with medical facilities anyway so I'm holding out as long as I can.

CasCas53 · August 2015

Thanks ladies! These tips are really helpful! I at least feel like I have a place to start.

sarahufl · August 2015

My PCP recommended my OB ages ago, before we even started TTC. I live in New York City, believe it or not, Yelp can be a good place to look for doctors. May not be the case in a smaller city.

TrishGbb · August 2015

@CasCas53 I was in a similar position as you when I initially found out that I was pregnant. Not sure where you live, but I'm in Boston and there are a ton of hospitals here. So I started my OB search by first picking a hospital. Then found an OB at the hospital I liked the most, based on reviews, location and experience. I haven't met with him yet, so it's possible I will end up switching if I really don't like him. But that's how I (ahem, I mean "we") picked an OB.

mrstrax · August 2015

Start with who is approved by your insurance (there are two options for clinics in my city and some insurance providers don't cover one of them).

If you have a preferred hospital, find out which doctors/clinics they work with.

Look into how the clinics work (do you see one OB or rotate through a group) if you have a preference.

Once you've selected a clinic, see which OBs are scheduling new patients and who has appointments at the right time for you. Then you can use yelp etc for reviews. My insurance (BCBS) has a space for online reviews too, so they could help.

klingonboxer · August 2015

Your insurance should also have a find-a-doctor website - that's where i started, and I narrowed by what hospital I wanted. That gave me about twenty names, and only a couple were taking new patients.

WestminsterCrabbey · August 2015

mrstrax said:

Start with who is approved by your insurance (there are two options for clinics in my city and some insurance providers don't cover one of them). If you have a preferred hospital, find out which doctors/clinics they work with. Look into how the clinics work (do you see one OB or rotate through a group) if you have a preference. Once you've selected a clinic, see which OBs are scheduling new patients and who has appointments at the right time for you. Then you can use yelp etc for reviews. My insurance (BCBS) has a space for online reviews too, so they could help.

All of this.

CasCas53 · August 2015

Thanks ladies. I spent hours researching yesterday. It all was an endless lop of beginning and then beginning over in a new way. I remembered that last time I had a pap, I saw a midwife that I really liked and trusted. I am going to go to her for my first appointment. I was told it would be appropriate to get a recommendation from her. She would know her coworkers and, after talking to me, be able to recommend someone that would be a good fit. I feel a bit odd about it since she could technically deliver, but after going through the options, I am leaning toward an MD at a hospital.

Do you think that is appropriate? Maybe I should just ask at the front desk?

TrishGbb · August 2015

@cascas53 Do you want an MD for the delivery and prenatal care or just the delivery? At the hospitals I looked at, the OB's all work a planned schedule in labor and delivery. So the odds of my OB who handles my prenatal care delivering my baby are very low. Whomever happens to be working when I give birth will deliver my baby, even if I've never met them before. If that's what things are like where you are and you like the midwife you met with already, then maybe she can handle your prenatal care? Just a thought! It's tough to figure all of this out. I picked a doctor, scheduled an appt and I'm still having second thoughts!

CasCas53 · August 2015

@TrishGbb Thank you for letting me know that. I wasn't aware that that was something that was done. I will look into it at my hospital of choice. Thanks!

TrishGbb · August 2015

@CasCas53 np! I hope you figure it out. I ended up switching doctors to one that scheduled me sooner than my existing appt. I'm seeing a nurse practitioner first and having a full ultrasound. But will see my OB two weeks later

Finding a doctor

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