When we found out that Baby Blue was on the way, one of the first tasks on the to-do list was to schedule my first OB appointment.  I’d only been to one appointment with a OBGYN since I moved back, and I had no idea how he stacked up as an OB.  I simply knew that I loved his staff, he had good bedside manner, and he was affiliated with the hospital where I preferred to deliver.

Because I’m a nervous first-time preggie, I touched base with a trusted friend in the medical profession to see who she recommended. The first doctor on her list happened to be the one I had gone to-victory! So, I called Dr. Casanova to set up an appointment.  (Seriously, that’s his real name–best name ever for an OBGYN!  It totally annoys Mr. Blue when I say I’m off for a date with Casanova. Hehe.)  Much to my dismay, I got the worst receptionist ever.  She told me Dr. Casanova was not accepting OB patients.  After explaining, that I was already a patient, she grudgingly said I could have him as my OB, but “you’ll probably never get to see him.”

On that pleasant note, I decided to hold off scheduling anything until I could rethink.  I called Dr. No. 2 on my friend’s list and . . . she wasn’t accepting new patients.  I got a recommendation from her office for another OB, who thankfully, was accepting new patients and scheduled my first appointment for when I would be 6 weeks.  My first appointment was to include bloodwork and paperwork and they told me they usually schedule the next appointment with the doctor a couple weeks later.

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I arrived at the first appointment only to learn that I wouldn’t be meeting with the nurse, which made me a little unhappy as I had a slew of pregnancy questions that I desperately wanted to ask.  The next disappointment was that I couldn’t see the doctor until between my 12th and 13th week, when I would also have my first ultrasound.  I was really hoping to have an ultrasound earlier to verify that everything was okay, but not even meeting the doctor until the 12th week really rubbed me wrong.  What if I met her and we didn’t click and I had to start over trying to find a new OB after my first trimester.  I decided to stick with the doctor because I simply didn’t know who else to call, and I felt strangely guilty about doctor hopping.

The situation kept eating away at me and on a whim, I called my original doctor’s office again.  This time I got the usual sweet office staff, who said I could of course see my doctor.  He is extremely busy, so sometimes I might have to see one of the other OBs.  If I got tired of getting bumped, I could change to any doctor in the practice at any point during the pregnancy.

This was perfect as far as I was concerned.  I could see the doctor I already knew I liked, and I would have an opportunity to see some of the other doctors and know who I felt most comfortable with if I decided to switch.  Furthermore, they worked me in that day to meet with the nurse for an initial appointment. She was fantastic and answered all my crazy questions and let me talk to the nurse practitioner whom I LOVE and saw for my yearly exams during law school–another huge reason I wanted to go to this practice if possible.  The NP gave me a prescription for Zofran to take on days I’m in trial, which relieved one big pregnancy worry: throwing up in the middle of court!

Not only were they quick to get me in initially, but they scheduled our first ultrasound for two weeks after my appointment. I’ll have another appointment with the NP for a full exam and to hear the heartbeat at 10 weeks, and then meet with Dr. C at the next appointment.   While I won’t be seeing Dr. C himself any sooner than I would have seen the other doctor, I feel 100% better about the situation.  I know and like the doctor.  I love the NP and nurses. My first ultrasound was scheduled 4 weeks earlier than it would have been, which meant we found out about our twins a month earlier.  And last, but not least, I get to deliver in my preferred hospital!

Lessons learned:

– Don’t be afraid to switch doctors if you feel uncomfortable.  My stress level is so much better being back with the doctor I originally wanted to see and with whom I knew I felt comfortable.

– Don’t let pregnancy hormones push you into a decision that’s not right for you.  When I first called and the receptionist tried to make it seem like I would be wasting my time scheduling with Dr. C, I freaked out because I felt like I had to know right then who my doctor would be.  I should have pushed back with the receptionist then or just taken a day and called back to make sure I understood the situation.

– Trust your instincts.  Maybe it was just new mommy nerves, but I felt really uncomfortable waiting until 12 weeks for an ultrasound.  Now, we know that the ultrasound revealed twins, and the perinatologist told us it was a very good thing to learn about our type of twins so early.  Finding out early helps our doctors be able to watch for TTTS and diagnose and treat early if it begins to happen.

How did you choose your OB?  Did you switch OBs at any point?