meeting OBs

[Sweetum]

Since I'm not pregnant now and can do only one annual exam, how can I go about meeting OBs? I would like to meet OBs before I get pregnant so that I am not dealing with the stress of finding an OB when I'm pregnant with pregnancy "symptoms". It's very important to me since I intend to do a VBAC. TIA for your ideas.

[SnuggleBuggles]

Your selection will likely be limited because of the VBAC factor. I'd recommend starting on the ICAN forums and find out who is VBAC friendly in your area so at least you won't be wasting your time meeting with OBs that won't be supportive (or play lip service to being supportive at the beginning but then slowly whittle away at the option the more pregnant you get).

Beth

[brittone2]

are you networked with an online vbac support group? I'd try to find one and find people in your area to start narrowing things down.

Based off of what I've read here and experienced IRL (through friends, I have never had a c/s) there are a lot of OBs who will initially proclaim their support for vbac but in reality are not very vbac-friendly. Unfortunately many women don't seem to find out how un-vbac friendly their doc is until closer to the end when the OB may start pressing for repeat c/s for reasons that may not be backed by the medical lit.

For that reason I'd try to talk to as many women as you can in your area who have had VBACs. Online (through ican, etc.) would be a good start. I'm sure the other women here w/ vbac experience can tell you more about online support groups and how they identified an OB they felt was supportive of vbac.

eta: cross posted w/ SNugglebuggles :) We were obviously thinking the same thing!

[Sweetum]

Thanks, ladies for your responses. I actually have sort of done that. While I haven't spoken to mamas in my area who have had vbacs (great idea, I'll do that), I have attended one ican meeting (intend to attend more), have scoured the internet for information and now have a list of OBs that I've heard are VBAC-supportive. I was thinking of meeting them right away to see if I want to go to them when I do get pregnant. I'm getting the sense here that I should have my list now but meet them when I am pregnant, and that would be reason to meet them. Is that right? I'm worried that these OBs won't be accepting new patients at that time.

[daisymommy]

Many offices will let you set up a brief meeting with their OB's without charging you, if you tell them you are trying to decide who to go with.

[smilequeen]

ICAN was really great for narrowing down the choices IME. I had a strong preference for a female OB and 2 particular hospitals and found someone great through them. If you are in a bigger area I would also make sure to check out which hospitals are most VBAC/natural birth friendly. We have a big hospital here, great NICU, big baby factory, BUT a 50% c/s rate. I have a lot of friends who went there and reccommended it but I ruled it out based on that (unless I became quite high risk).

[vonfirmath]

ICAN was really great for narrowing down the choices IME. I had a strong preference for a female OB and 2 particular hospitals and found someone great through them. If you are in a bigger area I would also make sure to check out which hospitals are most VBAC/natural birth friendly. We have a big hospital here, great NICU, big baby factory, BUT a 50% c/s rate. I have a lot of friends who went there and reccommended it but I ruled it out based on that (unless I became quite high risk).

Note that a hospital with a great NICU is going to get more high risk patients and thus have a higher C-section rate.

Personally, I'm more concerned about the C-section rate of my OB/midwife and if I am comfortable that they are looking out for my best interest than the HOSPITAL's C-section rate.

The hospitals I tend to prefer/feel more comfortable about are larger/have dedicated women's center/birth centers. And yes, a higher NICU. (my nephew was airlifted to a hospital with a better NICU, leaving my sister behind to recover without him. I'd rather walk in the same hospital to visit if that is at all a possibility!)

[smilequeen]

Note that a hospital with a great NICU is going to get more high risk patients and thus have a higher C-section rate

It does not justify 50%. It justifies a slightly higher percentage like some of the other great hospitals in my area with much lower (about half) c/s rates and great NICUs. More than half of my friends who delivered there had c/s and none of them were high risk. And none of them were offered a VBAC either. It DOES make a difference. Which does not mean it needs to be important FOR YOU.

It is important to me and I am quite intelligent and well informed. I have a lot of great choices and I chose a more natural birth friendly hospital with a more normal c/s rate and a good NICU. IMO, for a VBAC mom this is an important consideration when you have a choice. FWIW, my first VBAC was in a city where there were 2 hospitals and I did not have a choice wrt which I delivered at and I had to put a lot of trust in my OB. I am quite lucky that she was on call when I delivered DS2. And I was quite lucky that the nurses in the hospital I delivered in were very VBAC friendly and were cheering me on. That made as much of a difference.

[vonfirmath]

Ah. The "normal" percentage around here is 40%. So 50% would be slightly higher.