An obstetrician and father offers insights into choosing the right pregnancy care.
Once you’ve gotten past the immediate excitement of learning that you’re pregnant, you may be faced with a choice: Who should medically guide you and your partner through the next nine months? Some women will simply continue seeing the same ob/gyn or midwife who has overseen their routine gynecological care, while others may want or need to make a change. Many gynecologists, for example, no longer practice obstetrics, or a high-risk pregnancy may require a different professional’s care.
Choosing a practitioner generally comes down to a choice between an obstetrician and a midwife. Although both professionals are skilled in routine vaginal deliveries, obstetricians are trained to perform complicated vaginal births, and cesarean sections, and to care for more challenging patients. Obstetricians offer their patients the full gamut of birth options within the hospital setting. In my experience, women interested in anesthesia-free deliveries or home births find midwives’ philosophies and expertise more in keeping with their desires. Some midwives deliver babies in hospitals as well.
What to Look For in an OB
For those women interested in an obstetrician’s care and a hospital delivery, I suggest you start your search by determining what nearby hospital has the best maternity facilities. Preferably the hospital has 24/7 anesthesia services (so epidurals are available on demand) and is prepared to care for surprise early deliveries and special medical needs. Once you’ve chosen a hospital, you can then obtain a list of obstetricians who practice at the facility and cross reference to see which of these practitioners participate in your health plan. Solicit recommendations from nurses or other doctors. Find out whom they or their spouses used for their deliveries. Don’t underestimate the judgment of friends, neighbors, or business associates, either. If you keep hearing the same names, you’re on the right track.
{loadposition babyname} Narrowing your list down to a single “best” doctor still doesn’t necessarily mean you’ve found your perfect match. Call the doctor’s office. Who answers the phone, and how do they respond to your questions? Great doctors can’t help you if their staff is difficult, rude, or indifferent. Spend a few minutes on the phone asking the staff some simple questions: How many doctors/ midwives are in the practice? Are they board certified (meaning have they passed tests demonstrating a high level of expertise)? Will you see all of these doctors for your prenatal care, or always have appointments with the same doctor? Who will deliver your baby? Does the practice accept your health insurance (doctors are constantly going in and out of plans)?
The way these questions are answered is just as important as the answers themselves. The office staff is going to arrange your appointments, handle your pregnancy paperwork, relay your messages to the doctor, and greet you for every visit. Make sure they’re going to treat you well.
Once you think you’ve made your choice, book your first prenatal appointment and bring your partner along for his opinion, too. While you’re with the practitioner, see how comfortable you are with the way the visit goes. Is the doctor thorough? Were you given enough time to talk and ask questions, and were all your concerns addressed? Remember, pregnancy is a collaborative effort. If you don’t feel comfortable or have reservations, it’s in everyone’s best interests—yours and the doctor’s or midwife’s—for you to find someone else to provide your care.
I always believe that this first decision about your pregnancy is your most important. Establish good communication with your practitioner and be an active partner in your health care. Enjoy the nine-month adventure . . . and eat plenty of pickles and ice cream!
Craig Bissinger, MD, practices obstetrics and gynecology in northwest New Jersey. He is the author of Pickles & Ice Cream: A Father’s Guide to Pregnancy (Workfit Consultants, 2004).
A version of this article was originally published in the Winter 2005 issue of Conceive Magazine.
Related Topics: Pregnancy
