Welcome to Pregnancy Without a Filter, my weekly series in which I chronicle my life as a first-time mom-to-be. Read along for insights, outbursts, ups, downs, and the real deal about the crazy adventure of making a person.
Week 27
When my husband and I found out we were pregnant, we were at a loss as to where to look for a great obstetrician. We’re the first of our group of friends to have a little one, so there was no one we could turn to for wise words or references. It can be a scary thing, just trying to pick a doctor out of midair who will be guiding you through a pretty intense life experience. The only scarier thing I can think of is, once you’re used to and comfortable with the OB/GYN you have chosen, having to switch to a new one. That’s where Ryan and I found ourselves last month.
The first time around, we got super lucky. We did some research and found a great doctor near us who we happened to click with. So that made it even more difficult when we decided to move to a new town and deal with the search again. An added difficulty of searching for a doctor in a town a few hours away is that you can’t go see any facilities or speak with people in person before you make a choice. It’s kind of like choosing blind, with the added concern of leaving a doctor that you already like.
Crazily enough, the Internet came to the rescue again. This time we also had some friends and family who were able to recommend a few folks, so after we whittled down the possibilities, I got on Yelp and did some research. I can just see some of you shaking your fist at me for making a choice like this one based on Yelp reviews, but seriously! It was helpful. In a day and age where you can read first-hand accounts (good and bad) about anything from restaurants to doctors, I’m gonna take advantage of it. And Yelp did us right. We found a new doctor who feels like we’ve been seeing her all along and is another great fit.
Aside from choosing a new doctor, we made doubly sure to wrap things up with the old doctor neatly. We let them know a few appointments in advance that we would be leaving, so they helped us plan a transition schedule that would ensure that we didn’t miss any appointments. We requested a copy of our file to take with us, which made intake at the new place easy and painless. Just a few little precautions like those helped keep the transition smooth and without stress.
Moms, I’d love to know if you had any similar experience with switching doctors! Moving isn’t the only reason – it could be any number of things. Was your transition a good one?
