A friend recently told me that she is having a hard time finding an obstetrician (OB) in her area.  She does not currently have an OB and would like to establish care as she is hoping to get pregnant soon. The local OBs all seem to be busy and are not taking new patients.  The OBs who are accepting new patients are more than 30 minutes drive from her. As she was sharing her situation with me, I realize how lucky I’ve been with my OBs.

Guidance through first pregnancy

I had a great OB when I was pregnant with my first baby.  She was wonderful! She took the time to answer all of my questions and guided me through my first pregnancy.  Women who haven’t been pregnant before might not know that you see your OB quite frequently when pregnant. 

Frequency of visits:

• Once a month through week 28 for non-high risk pregnancies
• Bi-weekly from weeks 28-36
• Weekly from weeks 36-delivery

In addition, my first pregnancy was treated as high risk because my hCG (Human chorionic gonadotropin) hormone level was low.  hCG is a hormone produced by your developing placenta when you become pregnant.  Fun fact: a placenta is actually an organ that develops in your uterus when you become pregnant.  It provides your baby with all the nutrients she needs before birth.  You actually deliver twice: your baby and then the placenta!  There is a range of hCG level that is considered normal when pregnant, and mine was not within the normal range, which could mean trouble in the pregnancy. As a result, I saw my OB more frequently than the typical recommended pregnancy visits for additional testing and ultrasounds to make sure the baby was developing normal.  Luckily everything went smoothly, and my OB delivered a healthy baby boy a few days before the due date.

Long term family planning

By the time I became pregnant with my 2nd baby, our health insurance changed and I had to find a new doctor.  My OB recommended another OB that she thought was a good fit for me and she was right.  Dr. S
really helped me through my 2nd and 3rd pregnancy.  During routine prenatal visits, she always asked how I was doing and feeling first. For every complaint or symptoms I shared, she was very thoughtful with her advice to make the pregnancy more manageable for me.  She gave me a heads up of what to expect with baby development as the pregnancy progressed.  You would think I’d remember everything after going through one pregnancy, but I forgot so many things. 

She empathized with my struggles and gave me a gentle squeeze of the hand or shoulder when I was having a hard week or month with the pregnancy.  When I was in labor pain with my 2nd baby, it was Dr. S who looked me in the eyes and told me it’d be ok. I believed her.  She listened attentively when I was contemplating a 3rd baby.  We talked about how my decision might impact my family in the short and long term.  Overall, I really appreciated her guidance and support through it all; from prenatal to postnatal and everything in between.  Having a trusted and knowledgeable OB has been a tremendous blessing for me.  That’s why I hope my friend and every woman can find an OB who she is comfortable with as she embarks on her pregnancy journey.

Featured image: Chinnapong – stock.adobe.com