Is this normal???

[Catholic Wife]

I have narrowed my list of potential doctors down to three. I called the doctor that was most highly recommended by one of the nurses I know at the hospital we will use, and the receptionist said that I can't schedule an appointment to just meet the doctor and get to know her / see if I like her. Not only that, but the first appointment is actually with the nurse for an hour.

Is this normal???

I'm thinking I don't like and don't feel very comfortable with this arrangement. What if I like the nurse but can't stand the doctor? I guess I could always move on the next doctor on the list.

 

[llghoney]

I can understand them saying that about just meeting the doc to get to know them but you usually find that out the first visit. I don't think I've heard of meeting the nurse for the first visit it should be the doc or mid-wife. Now the nurse will do the urine test & blood perssure & what not but the actaul appointment should be with the physician/mid-wife.

 

[ShannonMcCatholic]

With your first OB appt--your entire freakin' medical history will be taken down (and again when you show up at the hospital in labor*grumbles*)...and there will likely be info disseminated to you about your care...so they perhaps have the nurse do all of that. There is a chance they'll want to do blood draws, etc. You'll have to pee in a cup--but before you pee, I'd ask specifically what they're going to test your urine for...as if they are testing for group B strep- you will immediately get pigeon-holed for higher risk care if it's positive. That might be something you want to know or not know--but I'd want to know up front if they are testing for GBS at that initial visit--so you can make an informed choice, by refusing the test until you have a chance to gain more information if that's important to you and so that it is clear that you want to be in charge of the care you receive and be given full information.

Personally I'd be inititally suspicious of anyone who is catching babies for a living and doesn't recognise that women might need to just meet and talk with him or her to decide if there is a certain level of comfort with that doctor being present for such an intimate part of the parent's lives--but perhaps the doctor is just so good, that they don't have time.

 

[ShannonMcCatholic]

oh--and it's NEVER too late to switch doctors until baby is coming out of your body. Someone I know fired her doctor in the birthing room as he was pressuring her and bullying her...she asked for the doctor on call.

 

[Called2Grace]

You guys do the GBS from a urine sample??

We have to do a swab!

 

[Leanna]

I have been to 2 obgyns in different hospitals and an obgyn/midwife office. In each case they first expect me to have an appointment with a group of other women where they insult my intelligence-- I mean inform me -- about all the different tests I can sign up for or opt out of as well as sign papers saying I will accept a blood transfusion... oh and they now require me to take an HIV test with each pregnancy here in IL. So yeah I'd say its standard....

You guys do the GBS from a urine sample??

We have to do a swab!

Actually if you're here in the US, they do both. You probably just don't know about the urine test because they do it at the first appointment when you give all that blood and pee in a cup. They don't mention the GBS urine test unless you fail. If you pass the urine test then you are given a swab at 37 weeks.

 

[~Mrs. A2J~]

I have been to 2 obgyns in different hospitals and an obgyn/midwife office. In each case they first expect me to have an appointment with a group of other women where they insult my intelligence-- I mean inform me -- about all the different tests I can sign up for or opt out of as well as sign papers saying I will accept a blood transfusion... oh and they now require me to take an HIV test with each pregnancy here in IL. So yeah I'd say its standard....

LOL I get "insulted" too My midwife basically puts it to me this way "Now I know you don't want this test and that but I have to inform you of them because it's the law and to cover my own butt. We agree with you about not taking such and such test but you know how things work. Here please sign this waiver saying you refuse the tests and that you understand the consequences of such" I even got to refuse the HIV test and all other STD tests Infact I refused all tests except for the gestational diabetes one.

 

[Leanna]

LOL I get "insulted" too My midwife basically puts it to me this way "Now I know you don't want this test and that but I have to inform you of them because it's the law and to cover my own butt. We agree with you about not taking such and such test but you know how things work. Here please sign this waiver saying you refuse the tests and that you understand the consequences of such" I even got to refuse the HIV test and all other STD tests Infact I refused all tests except for the gestational diabetes one.

Here you can't refuse the HIV one anymore because if you do they insist on testing the baby for HIV. So its me or baby. If you refuse for both CPS can get involved. Not worth it.

 

[~Mrs. A2J~]

Here you can't refuse the HIV one anymore because if you do they insist on testing the baby for HIV. So its me or baby. If you refuse for both CPS can get involved. Not worth it.

Yeah, I would rather get tested than the baby. But it's just such a crock. They just keep stripping our rights away.

 

[Leanna]

Especially since I had taken the HIV late in pregnancy with Maya (because they had to explain about the declining to me), I was pregnant 6 months later and they insisted I take it again despite being in a marriage.

 

[coffeegal]

I have been to 2 obgyns in different hospitals and an obgyn/midwife office. In each case they first expect me to have an appointment with a group of other women where they insult my intelligence-- I mean inform me -- about all the different tests I can sign up for or opt out of as well as sign papers saying I will accept a blood transfusion... oh and they now require me to take an HIV test with each pregnancy here in IL. So yeah I'd say its standard....

boy i didn't know that about IL. hmmmm is that new, or do you know if it is mostly a hospital thing? i don't remember getting an HIV with anakin who is almost 2, but he was born at home. i know when i had my oldest 13 years ago they did one, and i was fine with it cause i had some blood transfusions in the early 80's.

 

[Catholic Wife]

Thanks for the answers everyone.

I don't know that I would want any test that could potentially label me as any more "high risk" than I already am being 39, overweight and with a family history of diabetes (dad), stroke (grandma), and gestational hypertension/pre-eclampsia (mom).

 

[Leanna]

GBS doesn't make the pregnancy high risk. I was GBS positive my last two pregnancies.... all it meant was I needed antibiotics in labor, which is a pain, but not high risk.

 

[~Nikki~]

I think here in England they just do the HIV test anyway, along with a myriad of other tests when they take blood.

I had five tubes of blood taken from me the first time, and three on the second lot of tests, and they tested for loads of STDs as well as HIV, as well as blood type, iron levels etc etc.

 

[Catholic Wife]

GBS doesn't make the pregnancy high risk. I was GBS positive my last two pregnancies.... all it meant was I needed antibiotics in labor, which is a pain, but not high risk.

Thanks, I can deal with that. I'm just super sensitive and a little stressed right now about the whole "high risk" thing because of my age / weight / family history. I've gotten my husband to understand and accept that I am more comfortable staying with my current doctor (even if it means paying a copay / deductible) rather than going to some doctor I know nothing about.

 

[Hadassah]

I'd never really heard of doing that until now.

Here you generally are reccommended to a OB/GYN or Midwife group, and you can call and ask questions and set up an appt. When you set up the appt, you do the general checkup and take-down of information and go from there.

With a positive pregnancy test, they want you in *right away* and will do a vaginal ultrasound to make sure the baby is there and not in your tubes, and that the baby is ok. You do the blood and urine samples, Blood Pressure check, weight and standard other exam type stuff (Physical and pap/strep b check). Then you talk about options, how far along you are, what to expect, your general health, diet, and questions as to whether or not you are supplimenting with vitamins and that sort of thing.

Further along, around 25 weeks, it's suggested you start seeking out the hospital you want to deliver at, and get involved with their lamaze/gymnastics course and start to meet other people due around the same time as you so you can commiserate, make friends and have "backup babysitters" on hand if you have an emergency. (We didn't do this due to lack of time, vehicle and the stress factors of even attempting such).

From there it's pretty much typical, once a month checkups and exams (and ultrasound) until a certain point, then it's moved to twice a month... and if you haven't delivered by your expected due date, you're in every day until you and baby are either tired of being there and you deliver, or you get sent in to be induced.

Ofcourse, I keep hearing how vastly different this is from US standard practice, and I get the gamut of responses from "that's too invasive/overly involved for me" to "that is great care, here, we're left in the dark too much".. or "this is great and that is great, but I don't like this part.."

The Dr did do the HIV and other STD testing, but I think that is an automatic with the blood test and swab on the initial visits regardless. Baby doesn't have to be tested for any of them as long as you come up negative... and as far as any checks in the hospital on the baby, they just watch the weight, and make sure s/he doesn't have jaundice or other issues and you're left to decide what care to seek and what to decline from there since you're in their care for 3 days.

 

[Hadassah]

Thanks, I can deal with that. I'm just super sensitive and a little stressed right now about the whole "high risk" thing because of my age / weight / family history. I've gotten my husband to understand and accept that I am more comfortable staying with my current doctor (even if it means paying a copay / deductible) rather than going to some doctor I know nothing about.

I dunno if it helps any or not, but my family has loads of issues too (Gulf war syndrome issues, autism spectrum (vaccine related we think), celiac disease, thyroid (hyper and hypo), heart conditions, stroke, diabetes, lupus... you name it)

They factor in your weight, health and age more here, and if you are over weight will suggest things to help you along -- same as if you are underweight ... More folks than not are waiting until after 25 to have children here due to the lengthy times it takes to get out of university and established in a job and apartment, so I guess we have lots more folks in the 30s-40s range having kids still too... everyone's treated equally.

One of the best advice I'd gotten has been to check out Babyfit.com, and they have some pretty helpful hints that I've asked the dr and my nurse aunt & MIL about, and have gotten some good response and feedback from them.

The three main concerns in my pregnancy has been that I lost weight (a good thing) but then gained with the baby; then that my iron/hemoglobin levels were off starting in January, and now some thyroid issues due to the latter end of pregnancy and just general stress since my thyroid is small. (Oh yeah, and I'm allergic to almost every antibiotic there is in the world.. )

I've found as long as you're open, ask lots of questions and don't just rely on one opinion but discuss out all the issues and list your concerns, the doctors are interested to help you out and research as well along with you to get the best end result.


I hope you're able to find the right doctor or midwife for your situation and that they'll be willing to talk you through and walk you through everything so that you're comfortable with the whole process.

 

[ShannonMcCatholic]

GBS doesn't make the pregnancy high risk. I was GBS positive my last two pregnancies.... all it meant was I needed antibiotics in labor, which is a pain, but not high risk.

It varies widely from caregiver to caregiver how they treat women who test positive for GBS. There are caregivers who treat a GBS+ test as an indicator for potential risk of all kind.

Personally I refuse GBS testing and follow the CDCs second protocol--which is the same protocol used in Britain (it's a risk based protocol) where they have nearly identical outcomes in regard to BS babies. However it's something which I have researched a lot and feel okay with accepting the risks involved. Parenting, I think, is all about personal risk assessment- at what each set of parents feel okay with--and that varies sooooo widely. I dunno- it's why I am obsessive about informed childbirth- I don't think a person can adequately assess risk without clear, unbiased information. LOL! My OB jokes that I am the best informed consumer of his services that he's ever met-we met when I transfered from home tho the hospital three births ago and I was laboring quoting statistics to ensure that I got the care I wanted.