Saturday 25 January 2014

Selecting an OB/GYN

Pregnancy comes with its own caboodle of joys, responsibilities, pleasure, confusions, hopes, commitments and what not !
And for the first time mommies and skeptics like me, each stride needs careful investigations and knowledge and references. We all do plenty of research even before buying any simple household item, then why go with traditional methods of selecting a doctor for yourself. It is not necessary that the same Ob/Gyn who delivered the lady next door or some of your relative's daughter in law is the best for you too.
We are all different, our mindsets, preferences, lifestyles are different; so here are some tips that helped me selecting not the best Ob/Gyn in the town, but the best one suited for me.

Start with making the list of all the hospitals where you consider delivering your baby. Following factors can be considered while doing so -

  • Distance from your home 
  • Facilities Available
  • Cleanliness 
  • How cordial / helpful is the staff
  • How well equipped is the child care unit  
  • Past records
  • Suggestions from people around you
  • Cost 
  • See if your insurance covers the particular hospital 

One of the major reasons for limiting your search with the hospital is, just in the case of emergency or when your pains start, you'd be thanking God or whatever for an easily approachable hospital.

Once you have this list in your hands you can start with meeting the practicing Doctors in those particular hospitals. Some of the factors I considered are listed below, you can interview the Ob/Gyn according your
concerns.

  • Education/Certification
  • Experience
  • How updated and open minded the Doctor is
  • Doctor's Outlook on preventive care
  • How comfortable you are talking or asking questions to him/her
  • How well the Doctor understands your needs, anxiety, wishes and deal accordingly
  • Is the doctor supportive of natural childbirth, if that's what you're interested in? 

Now that you have met and interviewed the Doctors you can then go and visit those hospital where they practice, because once again the hospital plays a major role in decision making, as that is the place where you'll be dealing with all sorts of pains, complications (if any) and what not.
While visiting the hospital, along with your own preferences, don't forget to check -
  • Labor room and available facilities
  • Postpartum ward
  • Cleanliness / Sanitation / Hygiene 
  • How difficult or easy are the admission Procedures 
  • Delivery Attendants and their attitude 
  • Emergency Calls and appointments
Once you finalise the best ones, you can finally select the best available combination of Hospital and Doctor.

Disclaimer - The advises are purely based on personal experience and opinion. For high risk pregnancy, take an expert advise.