Carrying your little bundle of joy for 9 months is a feat on its own, but finding the right person to actually bring them into this world can definitely be just as hard. You’ll read tons of books about it and even call around to a few practices to get a feel of what to expect. However, nothing can take the place of some basic things you’ll need to consider when choosing your official doctor.
Check out these 6 Things To Look For When Searching For A Prenatal Doctor:
1. First impressions are everything. From the time their front desk assistant picks up the phone, you need to feel like you are heard and important. From the front desk? Yes, from the front desk. If you feel like they’re uninterested, snappy, busy, or just plain rude – pass on the practice immediately. Remember, everything comes from somewhere and more than likely it starts at the top of the food chain. Take everything as a warning sign.
2. Ask where they deliver. When you first meet your potential doctor, come with your questions ready. But, most importantly, get down to the basics. Find out the names of all the hospitals that they actually deliver in. Make sure that they tell you about the ones that don’t accept your current insurance as well.
You’ll want to know ahead of time to set up maternity tours so that you can truly get a feel for where you’ll be potentially delivering. If you like a place that doesn’t accept your insurance, look into changing it to one that the hospital and your doctor still accepts.
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3. Find out who is their interim doctor. An interim doctor is pretty much your doctor that is on-call if your prenatal doctor, for whatever reason, can’t make it to actually deliver your baby on your due date.
This will either be a partner doctor in their practice or a rotating doctor in the hospital facility in which you give birth. It’s important to find out who they are and do your research on them as well.
4. Make sure your goals are aligned. Goals vary from mother to mother, as do goals from doctor to doctor. If your goal is to have a vaginal birth without a c-section, make sure the doctor knows this from the beginning. You want to make sure you’re both on the same page in what you truly want as a patient.
5. Pay attention to their bedside manner. At every prenatal appointment, respectfully, size them up. See if they greet you with a smile, if they are patient with you or if you feel rushed if they help you lay up or down. It’s the little things like this during your labor that will become apparent. So, test their bedside manner before the big day!
6. Personality and vibes are key. When it comes to bringing a life into this world, you have to consider who is the person first touching your baby when they come out. Is it a kind spirit? Lighthearted? Or impersonal, shroud, and meek? Remember, it is ultimately your choice in the prenatal doctor you choose. At the end of the day, when all else fails, just trust in your intuition.
Tia Muhammad, BS, is an award-winning freelance content & media creative, copywriter, blogger, digital designer, and marketing consultant. She owns the boutique content and digital media company, jackieGLDN|studio.
