Pregnancy can be an exciting time in your life, but it can also be very challenging. As an expecting mother, you have to stick to a healthy and well-balanced diet to ensure that the brain of your baby develops properly, and they are safe from any congenital disabilities. You also have to pay extra attention to your activities and make sure that these are safe for you and the baby.
Pregnancy can become risky when not managed properly, which is why working with the best obstetrician is vital. They have the training and experience to help you give birth to a healthy baby and keep you healthy throughout the entire pregnancy. They are also responsible for monitoring the development and growth of your baby the moment they are born. If you experience postpartum depression, your obstetrician can also refer you to a psychiatric professional to handle your case.
For you to have a stress-free pregnancy, choose to work with the best obstetrician by considering the following:
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Get Referrals
For people who don’t have any idea on how to choose the best obstetrician, asking referrals from friends and family can be a great start. If you know individuals who were recently pregnant, ask for their experience with their obstetricians, and inquire if they provided the best service during their pregnancy. The experience of other people as they are working with their obstetricians can help set your expectations and prevent you from falling into any scams when choosing an obstetrician.
Aside from your friends and family, you can also inquire from your primary care doctor for their referral lists. Since these professionals work in the same industry, it’ll be easier for them to identify reputable obstetricians – an experienced and credible obstetrician will be well-known among other healthcare professionals.
Research On The Obstetrician’s Credentials
As mentioned, you will be relying on your obstetrician to help you with your pregnancy. For first-time pregnancies, the entire experience can be very overwhelming and stressful, which is why you should be extra careful about the obstetrician you choose to work with.
To ensure that you will only be getting reliable pieces of advice for your pregnancy, don’t forget to research the obstetrician’s credentials. Basically, the obstetrician you’ll choose should be board certified to warrant that they received the necessary training and skills for the job. Board certification also speaks a lot about the experience of the obstetrician you’re eyeing to hire when it comes to obstetric and Gynecologic care.
While you’re at it, make sure to do thorough research about any disciplinary actions or malpractice claims that the obstetrician might have experienced in the past. This information can be a red flag about the obstetrician’s efficiency in the industry.
Consider The Experience Of The Obstetrician
The board certification of the obstetrician is one thing, and their experience is another. For you to end up hiring the best obstetrician, it’s important that you pay attention to these considerations as these can significantly affect the quality of their services and level of patient care. Working with an obstetrician that has been recently certified by the board doesn’t guarantee that they are well-versed in handling a complex Gynecologic problem or high-risk pregnancy.
If you don’t want to take any risks, always consider the experience of the obstetrician in the industry. The more experienced an obstetrician in a particular condition or procedure, the higher the chances you’ll have in getting positive results from their services. Moreover, different obstetricians have different specializations – some may focus on obstetrics alone, while others include gynecology as part of their expertise.
If you’re already aware of the complexity of your pregnancy or the specific procedure you need to undergo in the future, inquire from the obstetrician about their experience on these. Inquire how many of these procedures did the obstetrician performed and what were the complication rates.
Consider Their Gender
Ideally, you will be working with your obstetrician the moment you start to conceive until you give birth to your baby. This is a long period of time, which is why you should choose an obstetrician that you’re comfortable working with. Regardless of how experienced an obstetrician is, if you ended up working with a male professional when you originally wanted to work with a female, it could be very challenging or uncomfortable for you to work with them. Instead of opening up, you’ll end up too conscious and bottle up all of your concerns.
When choosing an obstetrician, gender is always an important factor to consider. This is a purely subjective decision that is based on your personal preferences. Do you feel comfortable discussing your personal information with a male or female? Would you feel awkward or inhibited when you get checked by a particular gender during your visit to the obstetrician? Weigh the pros and cons of each option before choosing the gender of your obstetrician so you won’t have any regrets in the future. Your comfort should, after all, be one of the top priorities.
Consider The Hospital Quality
Where your obstetrician works will also become your hospital during your pregnancy. Generally, you will be asked by your obstetrician to visit them in their clinics or hospitals to get some tests done and monitor the condition of your baby. Because of this, it’s important that you also consider the quality of the hospital where your obstetrician works. It’ll be very challenging for you to look after your own and your unborn baby’s health if the hospital of your obstetrician doesn’t have the necessary medical tools and equipment.
For you to assess the hospital quality of the obstetrician, you’re eyeing to choose, visit their place of work and take note of the facilities present. Is the hospital equipped with the latest medical technology? Are there any innovations present that can help treat or address complicated pregnancies? The quality of the hospital is a crucial deciding factor, as this can influence your chances of survival during complications.
Moreover, you should also assess the proximity of the hospital from your home. You will be working with your obstetrician for a long period, and going to a hospital that will require you to travel for hours can be inconvenient and expensive in the long run. In worse cases, traveling long distances can even pose a serious risk to your health and pregnancy.
Assess The Communication Style
Aside from helping you keep track of the development of your baby, your doctor will also work with you to ensure that you remain healthy during and before the pregnancy. This means that you will be asking tips from the professional on how you can maintain a healthy diet, stick to an active lifestyle, and resume your activities the moment you give birth.
If you want your pregnancy to be an easy and educational experience, choose an obstetrician who supports your information needs, and communicates with you properly. You can assess this skill when you start to ask them questions. Does the obstetrician respond respectfully to your questions? Do they encourage you to ask more questions about your health and pregnancy? Are you comfortable voicing out all of your concerns to them? If you answered “yes” to these questions, you’re on the right track in finding the best obstetrician for your needs. If the obstetrician you’re talking with doesn’t fit any of these qualifications, it’s best if you start to look for other options.
Check Patient Satisfaction Surveys
In order for an obstetrician to earn money, they have to convince patients to work with them. With the number of obstetricians providing services today, it’s important that they haul in patients so they can continue to practice their profession in the industry. For you to avoid working with self-proclaimed obstetricians, spend some time to check their patient satisfaction surveys. This information can give you a better idea of how a specific obstetrician operates and whether or not their services were able to satisfy previous patients.
Patient satisfaction surveys will ask previous patients about their experience with obstetricians in terms of how the obstetrician schedules their appointments and how long a patient waits before they are attended to by the obstetrician. Patient satisfaction surveys also contain questions about the friendliness of the staff and the environment of the obstetrician’s hospital and office. All of these elements play a significant role in your overall experience when you work with an obstetrician.
The information you can get from patient satisfaction surveys can help you determine how much time the obstetrician spends with their patients and how well they respond to any of their patients’ questions or concerns. This survey can also give you an idea of how patients trust the doctor and how well they were treated by the professional.
Choose Carefully
Because an obstetrician plays a significant role in the success of your pregnancy and to your own baby’s health, it’s important that you exert a lot of time in choosing. If you don’t have any experience working with an obstetrician, you should exhaust all of your resources to ensure that you’ll end up hiring the best one.
Aside from your own and your baby’s health, working with an inexperienced or illegitimate obstetrician can put money down the drain and cause a lot of stress during your pregnancy.
