To OB or not to OB
I have four children. Each set is 18 months apart, so I’ve pretty much used my OB/GYN as my Primary Care doctor for the last 11 years. Now that I am done having children, I assigned a primary care doctor – for real. Now that that’s settled, I need to decide where to go for female care. Do I keep the same OB/GYN I’ve had for years or switch to a new GYN that doesn’t do the baby thing?
Time to Switch
My instinct was to switch. Every time I go to the OB/GYN, I wait. More often than not, I wait more than an hour. I mean, he’s randomly delivering babies, so it made sense he’d typically run behind. While he’s a great OB, I don’t know that I want a male doctor for the rest of my life, especially as I go through menopause, etc… And would I want to continue to wait forever to get in for my annual appointment?
Test of Time
A friend recommended I consider staying the course with my current OB/GYN. Why switch when I have someone who knows me so well, who has delivered my children and has seen me through the most personal of moments? It is nice to catch up, show him photos of the children he delivered and see the nurses who took such good care of me through each pregnancy. Lastly, we certainly have developed a trust over the years. That has to count for something, right?
Think Time
I have no idea which direction I’ll head in, but as usual, I’ve been given perspective by great friends. Finding a great doctor can be tough!
Not to complicate your decision making process but, have you considered a midwife? I recently moved here from New York, your home state I noticed, where Midwifery is much more common than it is here, but I’ve already met a number of terrific midwives in NOLA. People sometimes say to me, “Oh I don’t need a midwife, I’m done having babies.” But we do it all; primary care, preventative and holistic care. I’ll get off my soapbox now but Something to consider.
Great option! Thank you.
I used Dr French at Ochsner before we started having babies. I loved her and plan to consider switching back to her after we are done. I agree you will end up waiting less and I like the idea of a female because they have probably experienced what you are going through.
Thank you! I actually made an appointment with her in May! ?