Things You Need to Know Before Picking an Obstetrician
After nine months of weird cravings, constant fatigue, mood swings, and everything else that comes with pregnancy, nothing is more satisfying than holding a bouncing baby boy or baby girl in your arms and giving him or her the very first kiss on planet earth. It’s all every mom prays for, no matter how long they’ve been waiting for this moment. However, the health and wellness of both you and your newborn may depend on how successful the delivery is, as well as the level of care you and your child are given pre and post-delivery. This is why any mom-to-be needs to be extremely careful when choosing an obstetrician.
On this note, here are some things you need to know when picking an obstetrician.
Who is an obstetrician?
The fact that you’re pregnant or you intend to be so, may not necessarily mean that you understand who an obstetrician is. In simple terms, an obstetrician is a medical specialist that provides medical care related to childbirth. This can be before, during, and after pregnancy and delivery. Also commonly referred to as an Ob/Gyn, an obstetrician is a person to call upon whenever you’re experiencing challenges with pregnancy or getting pregnant. He or she is the person who sees that you receive the appropriate medical care before, during, and after you give birth.
Recommendations can be helpful
Before someone can become an obstetrician, they undergo a high level of training, both theoretical and practical. Apart from this, they say that experience is the best teacher, and this couldn’t be any truer when it comes to obstetrics. Before settling for a particular obstetrician, you’ll want to ensure they’re experienced in this field, and one way to find out who the most experienced specialists have been asking around for women who’ve given birth before. These could be your closest friends or family members who’ve given birth before. By so doing, you’ll be avoiding trial and error while guaranteeing yourself a positive experience. Just make sure you talk to a considerable number of women and select a doctor who seems to have received more positive feedback.
Their reputation should precede them
When picking your obstetrician, you may be in an area where you don’t have a lot of trusted friends to get recommendations from. Even if you get quite a few, cross-checking with the internet doesn’t hurt. In this case, it’s important to go online and see what people have to say about the ob-gyn you are considering to settle for online. Specifically, online reviews can be a great way to find out whether or not a particular ob-gyn is reputable. Even as you check out their website for testimonials and to learn more about the services they offer, be sure to ensure that they or the health facilities they work for are well recognized and insured.
One thing to note is that the process of childbirth requires the utmost expertise you can get and the slightest of mistakes could be catastrophic. For instance, certain blunders or negligence could result in birth injuries to the mother, the baby, or both. According to Marc G. Brecher, one of the most reputed Philadelphia birth injury lawyers, many childbirth injuries such as brain damage occur as a result of medical malpractice where the Ob/Gyn fails to observe the proper standard of care. In such a situation, (God forbid), getting compensated for the financial and emotional suffering that may follow can be easier when working with a reputed and insured obstetrician.
Do they offer pre-pregnancy counseling?
During the 9 months in the womb, the baby depends solely on his or her mother’s nutrition, overall health, and well being of their own. If you have existing medical conditions, therefore, it is important to get an obstetrician who’d provide you with advice so you can ensure your baby is well nourished and comes out healthy during its birth. Some issues you’d want to discuss with your obstetrician may include:
Lung and cardiovascular issues
Past pregnancy complications/problems
Alcohol or smoking
Your overall health history
Their location and hospital of practice
Before picking an obstetrician, it’s important to know where they practice from and decide whether or not you’re comfortable with it. For starters, you’ll want an easily accessible Ob/Gyn, just in case your water breaks earlier than expected. You’ll also want to give birth to your baby in a health facility where you're comfortable and confident that you and your newborn will be taken good care of, regardless of how smooth or rough the entire process may get. If you’d rather give birth from home, you’ll need to find out if your obstetrician has the means and resources to conduct the delivery procedure from your home.
Communication is key
Also, childbirth can shoot a myriad of bullets your way. Despite the many joys it comes with, your pregnancy journey can at times be trying and overly taxing, both physically and emotionally. For this reason, pick an obstetrician you’re comfortable talking to about any worries or concerns you may have. Remember, keeping quiet about a weird feeling can also put your fetus’s or newborn’s health and wellness at stake, possibly threatening its life. To ensure you’re compatible with the obstetrician you’re about to hire, you may want to ask questions like.
Am I comfortable working with this doctor?
Is it easy to ask them questions?
Does his or her explanations/answers clear enough?
Do they seem personally interested in my well being?
Can they put my interests first?
These are just a few of the many questions you can ask yourself to find out if you’re about to work with the right obstetrician.
What’s covered by your insurance policy?
Last but not least, medical care during and after pregnancy doesn’t always come cheap. Depending on the level of care you need to give birth to a healthy baby, the pre-natal, post-natal, and antenatal care can claim a considerable chunk off of your wallet. If you have health insurance, it’s important to find out the extent to which your policy covers throughout the entire journey. Most importantly, you’ll want to get an obstetrician who is recognized by your policy provider, while considering any related copays, upfront costs, and deductibles related to your pregnancy.
And that’s just about it. Of course, your obstetrician will not be with you throughout your pregnancy to remind you to stay away from unhealthy habits, keep your cravings in control, and indulge in minimal exercise such as walking. They’ll definitely not be there to confirm that you take your medicines on time during and after your pregnancy. As you ace it on your part, though, the above are just a few things you should know before you say yes to that obstetrician.