I knew I wanted a different doctor for many reasons a few of which are below...
- Our first doctor's bedside manner left something to be desired
- I was never able to ask questions without being interrupted
- He only really addressed me when my husband wasn't in the room
- He asked me if I was trying to get pregnant after I had been in the same room with him 1 month before going over test results for fertility
When we found out we were pregnant, at three and a half weeks Halloween weekend, I called my doctor first thing Monday morning at 8:00 am. The woman who answered the phone was somewhat underwhelmed at what I thought was the most groundbreaking news ever. Side note: I recognize that it is not her job to celebrate with me, and that my expectation of celebration was completely irrational - I blame hormones.
The receptionist calmly told me to have my pregnancy confirmed by my regular physician and to schedule an appointment for when I would be around 10 weeks. When I told them I didn't have a regular physician and asked if I could just make an appointment with them they said that would be difficult and suggested I contact the local pregnancy center for a free confirmation. They failed to mention that this free confirmation would be the most awkward experience of my life.
The receptionist calmly told me to have my pregnancy confirmed by my regular physician and to schedule an appointment for when I would be around 10 weeks. When I told them I didn't have a regular physician and asked if I could just make an appointment with them they said that would be difficult and suggested I contact the local pregnancy center for a free confirmation. They failed to mention that this free confirmation would be the most awkward experience of my life.
I hung up that phone call feeling disheartened and frustrated - not unlike many first time moms I have talked to. I mean here I was experiencing this miracle and all they could tell me was "have someone confirm it and then we will see you when the heart starts beating". I have since found out that like almost everything with pregnancy, this is different depending on your doctor and your medical history.
To keep my mind off of everything that could go wrong in those 6 1/2 weeks I tried to keep busy - I started my secret Pinterest board, changed my Pinterest board to reflect twins, started following a million and two mommy blogs, joined about 7 million facebook mom groups, planned how to share the news with friend and family, etc.
There was also a lot of praying going in those 6 1/2 weeks praying for patience, God's plan and safety for our growing babies, and mostly for Ben's sanity while he put up with me and my rapidly multiplying hormones.
I only made one frantic phone call to my doctor's office, convinced I was going to lose the pregnancy, I blame the hormones for my crazy. I'm pretty sure what the nurse was picturing on the end of the phone looked something like this:
After being reassured by two nurses and my doctor that I was fine, and the baby was fine I hung up and continued with my day, still feeling very uneasy. It took a lot to even get my doctor on the phone - in fact I'm pretty sure they put him on there because they were afraid I would just keep calling. Let's just say I did not feel any better after my call and actually felt pretty ridiculous for calling in the first place. I will admit the frantic phone call was not my proudest moment, but I also knew this wouldn't be the last time I would have concerns over something that could go wrong and I wanted to be sure that I would have someone supportive on the other line. It was this phone call, coupled with my overall feeling of not loving my doctor that made me switch.
I did end up going to my 10 week appointment because at that point I had no idea who I was going to switch to. There was a whole mess with my insurance which I won't go into here, it deserves a post of its own. After that appointment however, I knew for sure I needed to do what was going to be best for me and my babies and that meant finding someone I was comfortable with.
I guess what I'm trying to say is, trust your gut - if you aren't loving your doctor it's okay to find a new one. It can be a scary process to start all over. But you don't have to stay. If you are anything like me and hate confrontation there are plenty of excuses you can use but I would also say, don't be afraid to be honest. I assume Doctors would want to hear if and why their patients aren't happy. In the end it will be worth it for you to feel comfortable with who you are seeing. After all, this is the person you are trusting to catch your baby and welcome them into the world... not to mention inspect your lady parts post delivery, do you really want that to be someone you feel "meh..." about?
UPDATE: I found out at my 24 week appointment that my new doctor, who I LOVE is now leaving a couple weeks before my due date... not sure how I feel about this upcoming switch but we'll see.
To keep my mind off of everything that could go wrong in those 6 1/2 weeks I tried to keep busy - I started my secret Pinterest board, changed my Pinterest board to reflect twins, started following a million and two mommy blogs, joined about 7 million facebook mom groups, planned how to share the news with friend and family, etc.
There was also a lot of praying going in those 6 1/2 weeks praying for patience, God's plan and safety for our growing babies, and mostly for Ben's sanity while he put up with me and my rapidly multiplying hormones.
I only made one frantic phone call to my doctor's office, convinced I was going to lose the pregnancy, I blame the hormones for my crazy. I'm pretty sure what the nurse was picturing on the end of the phone looked something like this:
After being reassured by two nurses and my doctor that I was fine, and the baby was fine I hung up and continued with my day, still feeling very uneasy. It took a lot to even get my doctor on the phone - in fact I'm pretty sure they put him on there because they were afraid I would just keep calling. Let's just say I did not feel any better after my call and actually felt pretty ridiculous for calling in the first place. I will admit the frantic phone call was not my proudest moment, but I also knew this wouldn't be the last time I would have concerns over something that could go wrong and I wanted to be sure that I would have someone supportive on the other line. It was this phone call, coupled with my overall feeling of not loving my doctor that made me switch.
I did end up going to my 10 week appointment because at that point I had no idea who I was going to switch to. There was a whole mess with my insurance which I won't go into here, it deserves a post of its own. After that appointment however, I knew for sure I needed to do what was going to be best for me and my babies and that meant finding someone I was comfortable with.
I guess what I'm trying to say is, trust your gut - if you aren't loving your doctor it's okay to find a new one. It can be a scary process to start all over. But you don't have to stay. If you are anything like me and hate confrontation there are plenty of excuses you can use but I would also say, don't be afraid to be honest. I assume Doctors would want to hear if and why their patients aren't happy. In the end it will be worth it for you to feel comfortable with who you are seeing. After all, this is the person you are trusting to catch your baby and welcome them into the world... not to mention inspect your lady parts post delivery, do you really want that to be someone you feel "meh..." about?
UPDATE: I found out at my 24 week appointment that my new doctor, who I LOVE is now leaving a couple weeks before my due date... not sure how I feel about this upcoming switch but we'll see.
No comments:
Post a Comment