Am I Crazy? Thinking of Switching Obs at 20 Weeks Pregnant

You are not crazy!! I switched Dr's at 20 weeks and it was not big deal. I did switch because I didn't like the care I was given either. You deserve the care you want and if this Dr. isn't giving you the attention you need, don't be afraid to go somewhere else.

I agree with the other two posts. Change MD's if need be. The only thing that I would suggest would be to make sure they accept your ins carrier and have openings before you transfer records. Good Luck!!!!!

No you are not crazy, if you don't take care of you and your unborn child who is? Go do what you have to do.

Well, I'd go with your instincts. My OB is a one-person practice, and I had a great experience with my first child and am now using him for my second as well. Interestingly, I had a similar experience last time-- I don't remember exactly how far along I was, but I was very sick, and I had about the same experience you did. I never heard from the doc, but the nurse told me about the same thing-- use your own judgement. That said, I also had a possible exposure to fifth disease with that pregnancy, and my OB called me himself at home in the evening to schedule tests to make sure all was OK. So maybe the attention is just based on the severity of the problem-- after I was better, I thought they probably get calls about flu all the time and maybe just don't consider them as serious as other problems. But, again, go with your instincts here. Many people also have great experiences with large practices, so go with what makes you feel comfortable. Good luck!

I don't think that you are crazy. I changed OB's in the middle of my pregnancy too. We had planned to do a home water birth, so we chose an OB close to us, rather than considering which hospital they delivered at. Well, down the line we finally accepted the fact that we couldn't afford to do a home birth, since it would all be out of pocket. When we new that we would be delivering in a hospital, we changed OB's to one that delivered where we wanted to go. It wasn't a big deal at all. We just made our appointments with a different midwife every time so we could meet them all. Since the closer to your due date you get, the more often you go in, it wasn't hard to meet them all. I say if you aren't happy where you are at, go elsewhere. Your comfort is SUPER important during this time. This is going to be the first person to hold your baby........ it is important that you at least LIKE them! :-) Good luck!

You don't sound crazy to me, but the nurse does! When pregnant and not feeling well (especially throwing up), she should have advised you to come in...just to make sure.

Not sure if it is too late to switch but I would probably call another OB and ask them what they think about switching at this point in your pregnancy. The new OB can always get your records and be up to date.

You should feel 100% comfortable about calling your OB whenever you have a question and also feel 100% comfortable with how you were treated.

Good luck!

You are definitely not crazy. You (or your insurance company) are paying boogoos of money for good service. I switched from an OB to a midwife at 34 weeks to get the kind of care I wanted. Wishing you a great pregnancy and delivery!

J., crap on the ob packet, if you have been throwing up for 12 hours my personal opinion is that your Dr. should have told you to come on into the office and let him check you out. I would really consider switching to a Dr. that cared more about your personal care!!! Good luck, take care of yourself and baby, enjoy the holidays.

Merry Christmas,
T.

IF you don't feel like you are being looked after properly then change. I had to change when I was 7 months with my son because we moved so that was hard enough being that far along. So if you must do it, do it now before later prego testing gets done like the U/S (any week now to find out what you are having!!), the 1 hr blood sugar and possibly the 4 hr if need be!!!

Congrats and good luck!!

S.
www.shariegraf.scent-team.com

You should absolutely expect better service. I would definitely look into finding another Dr. Do not tolerate less care than you and your baby deserve. Good luck in your search.
Cindy

Hey J.,

I just want to let you know that you are not crazy for switiching. When I was prgnant, I had a severe case of throwing up. I couldn't eat or drink anything, not even water. Everything made me throw up, and I lost at least 15 lbs during that time. I had a doctor that didn't even introduce herself when she walked in the room. She checked me, and walked right out. I had to ask the nurse if that was my doctor. Then when I put my clothes on, I asked her if she could go and get the doctor, because I had some questions, and she was scared to go and get her. The doctor spent at most 3.5 minutes in the room, after I spent 4 hrs. in the waiting room. I switched to another doctor after that, and it was the best move that I made. Please don't make the mistake and stay if you are uncomfortable. At this point, you are going in for your check-ups. When you are in there having your baby, you want to know that the experience for you and your family is going to be nothing less than great. As you already know this is an amazing experience, and you must enjoy every minute of it.

I am not sure about switching OB, but I DO know that throwing up that much is not good for ANYONE, let alone a pregnant woman. You need to drink as much gatorade or pedialyte that you can stand, and then when you think you have had enough....drink some more. It is SO very hard to catch up orally when you are dehydrated so you need to make it a priority in your life to get back what you have lost. You are at a very high risk for dehydration which is just going to make you sicker than you are now.

I would not switch OB because your new doctor will not be familiar with you and you will end up paying both for the complete pregnancy. Which your insurance mught not cover. What I would do, is schedule an appt. and when you get there, tell your doc your concerns. It is possible that her staff are the ones that are slack and she may not even know you called. She may appreciate it that you have brought it to her attention. You know what I mean? Good luck and hope you feel better.

if at any time you feel uncomfortable with the care you are receiving from your doctor... get a new one... I did...! I was high risk and switched... don't guess with you and your baby's health... you PAY for service and it should be rendered in a professional manner...

Hi J., I am now expecting my second child and I go to a large practice. With my first child, who is now 2 1/2, I went to a small practice with only 1 OB. My office visits there always took a LONG time. Sometimes I would have to wait a couple of hours because she was at the hospital delivering a baby, or I would have to reschedule. It really became a pain when at the end of the pregnancy I was going in more often. I do not think that it is too late to switch doctors. Talk to some of your friends to get some recommendations. I think that they should have given you better care when you called when you were sick. You may want to find out who is on call at the hospital during the weekend. At the practice where I was, my doctor was only at the hospital one weekend a month. If I went into labor on a weekend when she wasn't on call, then someone who I have NEVER met would deliver my baby. You might want to look into that. Good luck!
S.

Every woman is special and deserves to be treated with courtesy and respect. It's disrespectful for a customer (yourself) to have to call several times and get no response from the doctor or the office.

When you talked with someone today, I would hope that it was a nurse and not the front office help.

Call me crazy but I think you should expect better service for yourself and especially for the life you carry inside you. Hormones or not, you deserve at least the common courtesy of a return call from your doctor or his/her nurse or PA.

You absolutely deserve and have the right to switch doctors! You are early in your pregnancy honey and it should be enjoyed. You are nurturing a life! If the nurse is the only issue, I would let the doctor know about the situation. If he's calloused as well,then sayonara! Take your pregnancy to someone who will treat you with dignity and respect!

I had the flu during my first pregnancy and the doctor called me back within 20 minutes after I called the office to talk to me personally. It was a larger practice, too. I don't think that was a very smart thing for the nurse to say to a pregnant woman! If they are treating you that way now, you should go ahead and switch while you still have time. I'd call around to different OB offices and ask what their procedure is when someone wants to come in midway through their pregnancy. I don't think it will be a big deal if you have a low risk pregnancy. You deserve to feel comfortable with the doctor who will deliver your child.

Its definitely never too late to change! Good for you for trusting your intuition :) Good luck with the switch!

Just be careful and check to see what you will already owe this doctor and how much the new doctor will be. Also, check with your insurance carrier to make sure it will be alright with them. You wouldn't want to have to pay double or lots out of pocket. (Unless you can afford it of course).

No you are not crazy... If you do not feel comfortable there then move.... :) Child birth is natural. What I am trying to say is with or without a doctor your child will be born. However, you do not want to put stress on your child and yourself by being uncomfortable with your physician.

As a Doula I have unfortunately seen too many moms stay with doctor that personally or for other reasons was just not working out.
Remember that the doctor works for YOU. YOU PAY THEM. Even if you are 40 weeks pregnant I would suggest you switch doctors if the practitioner you were seeing was not giving you the care you deserve!
Find yourself a new doctor by all means!
As far as the throwing up goes- there is a stomache bug going around so do keep that in the back of your mind.
Go get your self some water with electrolytes in it or even something like gatorade as that has electrolytes. Get yourself hydrated and keep down what you can.
If you are not getting any better then by all means get into the ER.
I hope you are feeling better soon!...M.

it is NEVER too late to expect better service - follow your gut and SWITCH!!! when you visit the new doctor - tell them up front why you are there and what you expect - they are responsible for their own actions after that point - You do not sound as though you are high maintenance - you just want dependable and helpful medical personnel - there is nothing wrong with that - You are in control of your health care - not the other way around. Good luck!

Switch!!! You need to be comfortable with the care you are getting for yourself and your unborn child. Switch!!! The new doctors office behavior is unacceptable in my opintion. If you are doubting yourself for the change my guess is that you feel the same way in your heart.

Best of luck!!!
M.

To me it is never too late to switch. Giving birth is a personal thing and if the doctor can not get on your level and give you the attention you deserve there is one out there that will. I dont know what kind of insurance you have, but I have a great doctor. he is busy and it takes a while sometimes in the office, but he is great it is Dr georga williams. Good luck!

J.,

Go with your gut. Sure, it's a pain in the neck to switch in the middle of the pregnancy, but you deserve to have an OB you're comfortable with *and* who will take your needs seriously. Sometimes, the doctors and nurses see so many women/pregnancies that they begin to approach the whole process as cookie-cutter, and forget that each woman is unique, and each pregnancy has different variations. I switched OBs after my first child because I didn't feel I got the kind of personal care and general information I needed - wish I'd had thought to switch earlier, but during my first pregnancy I didn't know what I didn't know! You should love your OB, and love the experience.

And if you are throwing up for this long - you should definitely get yourself checked out. Beter safe than sorry when it comes to your health and the health of your baby.

if you don't have a good feeling about them, switch! your body, your birth.
My husband and I decided to look into alternatives to conventional birthing because we wanted as little intervention as possible. After doing research on homebirth vs. hospital (looking at mortality rate, infant injury, and intervention ratio) we chose a midwife/homebirth with our first, and chose the same for our second birth in February. It was an amazing expeirence to have the one on one attention and to be listened to (and dealing with no men, no offense to them but they have no idea). It felt exactly how birth should be. Decide what you want in your practice and interview midwives/ob's around you until you feel enpowered in your birth.

No, you're not crazy. I just switched OB practices at 30 weeks. I went from a pretty fancy office to a smaller older office. It was more of a gut feeling. I got frustrated with the midwives at the first practice always rushing me. The new practice isn't always "great" but I interviewed the midwives before switching everything over and voiced my concerns, so its very clear we're all on the same page.

I think us being preggers (its my first) makes us natually a little more "pay ATTENTION to ME...NOW"-ish, but these are life-changing moments in our lives and we are PAYING them to take care of us. I would talk to your current OB and maybe your previous one, do a consult and voice your concerns and what kind of care you're looking for.

I think you should change your OB. You may be halfway through your pregnancy but if they are treating you this way now, think about the crazier months ahead. And how will they be when your ready to give birth. My OB has 8 doctors as well. I was hospitalized for 3 weeks & there was always a doctor there to answer my questions & help me out. With just one doctor, he/she may not be available when you really need them. I think it's very important to have a good OB. Good luck & I hope you feel better.

If you went to wal mart two days before christmas and no registers were open to take your money and help you with your purchase would you go to a different store?
Your Baby, Your Money, Your Health. A stomach bug is dangerous especially if you are dehydrated. Go GO GO to a doctor now. Your lack of nutrition is your baby's lack of nutrition.

You're not crazy at all. You're thinking reasonably. If you feel you would get better care going back to your previous OB, then go for it. This is your and your baby's health to be concerned about.

hi J., i just had my first child on oct. 29th. i actually ended up switching practices at 36 weeks and am still thrilled with the decision. once i finally made the choice to switch it was like a weight was off my shoulders. good luck and go with what feels right!
- C.

If you aren't happy then by all means switch.But I think we all have felt at some point throughout our pregnacies that someone wasn't paying us as much attention as we would like. Especially towards the end of the pregnancy.It's not a big deal but thats ur choice.

No, you're not crazy, and you sound as reasonable as any of us sounds when pregnant. When you're throwing up for 12 hours, you need information from a doctor or nurse, not to be referred to a pamphlet.

If you're not comfortable with your doctor, you'll have a much more stressful pregnancy. Who needs that? You certainly don't want to wait much longer to change doctors, though.

I actually chose a practice with several doctors because it is comforting to know that if my primary doctor takes a vacation, I'll at least be familiar with the person on call. If I were in your shoes, I would try to go back to your original practice. At least you are familiar with them and they with you. If that's not possible, you might try asking around among your friends for references.

Good luck and Merry Christmas!!

You will be crazy not to switch!!! You have to have someone that you feel comfortable with. If you don't think this is the right person to deliver your baby and meet your needs.... then switch. I know i would. It sounds like this dr is too busy to take to your needs on a personal one on one level, and that's what you need, especially when your pregnant. What if something were really wrong! We call dr's because we're not sure and they talk to us like we're stupid for either bothering them or not already knowing. Try out some other doctors and see how you feel. ~Jess~

No I dont think you are crazy. My girlfriend did the same thing. She said that the doctor they picked for their third child was nice, polite and seemed well educated but she just could not mesh with him. She switched mid pregnancy. Also since you already have one child you should know that yes the doctoring up until you deliver should be quality but when it comes time for them to come out; you just need someone to catch. I would switch to find someone more attentive to you now before the catching part. Also by the way, since you are not a new mom they probably think you know it. I know that I could tell a difference the second time around. They didnt explain tests, etc. unless I asked them. I actually asked them one day and they said it was because they knew that it was my second and they didnt want to bore me with details.

You're not crazy. In fact, the doctor is your employee and he/she is providing a service to you. If that service is unacceptable or below your standards, switch to another practice. Even your health insurance company would advise you of the same (mine did for me)!
Good luck.

J.,

NO NO NO NO NO!!!! It is NEVER too late to find the right doc, at least not in my opinion. It is your body and your delivery. Make sure you have the right fit for you. Where do you live. I would swear by my OB who delivered my now 8-month old daughter.

E.

J., you should definitely change doctors! You want to receive the best care throughout all of your pregnancy and feel comfortable with your doctor. I wouldn't wait any longer, I would start interviewing doctors and change as soon as possible. The response you got from the nurse was unacceptable in my opinion. Hope you feel better and good luck!

Absolutely not!

This is YOUR pregnancy, and you are the head of your team. You owe to your baby and yourself to make sure you have THE BEST pregnancy and birth. If you are not comfortable, definitely change.

At 20 weeks I switched to a midwife and had a homebirth. It was positively incredible!!! Best decision I ever made. Best birth EVER!

You need to remember to empower yourself while you are pregnant more than ever. Follow your gut. You don't have to put up with this kind of care. You're paying. It's your body, your pregnancy, your baby. You definitely have all the power.

Best of luck!

no not at all...you deserve the best care possible for you and your baby...I just changed my OB b/c they did not return my 4 calls! But I am only 7weeks along but if this happened at 20 weeks I would had done the same...By the way I have a 16 month little girl! Are you wanting a little boy?

I would definitely change if you feel that they aren't living up to your expectations. I felt the same way when I had my second son and decided that I had to do what was best for me. You are going to be the one on the table delivering your baby and you need to not have a doubt that this person can handle whatever situation may arise.
Be Well!

Well if you have stomach bug there's not too much they can do except hydrate you and if you have the dry heaves give you the medication to stop that..which at this point if you are spitting up bile you should have that medication by now. Sadly I don't think it matters on if there is 1 doctor or 10 it's all in the way each practice treats people. At this point if you go to the er they are going to call your doctor before they give you anything or call whoever is taking his calls if he is taking tonight off..they do take time off they are human. About changing if you are not comfortable it's never too late to change doctors but make sure you know what it is that you want. Sometimes we have to let an illness run it's course but dehydration is a concern because it can cause problems of many types I understand sometimes you can even go into labor because dehydration can cause contractions. Here's what I'd do if it was me go to the ER first...then Monday with your insurance company about switching and coverage let them know you are not happy with this doctor office you want to be prepared if you are going to incur any fees for switching. Then look on website to find a new doctor that your insurance covers get the names first and go from there. New or old to the business doesn't matter sometimes doctor that have been doing it a long time get burnt out. I agree that doctor or who ever is at the other end just plays catch but honestly emergencies come up I almost had a home birth changed my mind and didn't glad I didn't in my case we had en emergency glad I was at the hospital for the help I needed on my last birth. My best wishes to you and hope you are feeling better soon.