After finding out you’re pregnant, you may be feeling excited, nervous, and maybe even a little scared. While these are common feelings most women experience when they learn they are carrying a child, the nervousness and feelings of fear often stick around throughout the entire pregnancy as most are constantly worrying about what they should and shouldn’t be doing. This is why you will need to choose a doctor who can provide you with the right type of care that you and your unborn baby need and can inform you on all that you need to know.
The truth is, having the right type of doctor is essential to a healthy pregnancy. If you allow a physician to treat you who isn’t all that concerned with your complaints or worries, you could be putting yourself and/or your baby at risk of developing a condition that could be harmful to the both of you. For instance, there are certain signs that indicate you might be having complications with amniotic fluid or that you are at risk of having a miscarriage and it takes a skilled and attentive doctor to notice if you are experiencing any of these.
Now, do you really want to be treated by a doctor who isn’t willing to take the time to assess your condition nor take your concerns seriously for the next 40 weeks or less depending on how far along you currently are? Probably not.
So, if you haven’t yet chosen a doctor or are searching for a new OB-GYN as the initial one you visited left you feeling displeased, below are a few tips Women’s Health Magazine offers in terms of what qualities you want to look for when choosing a doctor during pregnancy.
- Find one that accepts your insurance. Pregnancy can be expensive which is why many choose a doctor that is participating with their insurance plan. To help narrow down your choices, start by finding a few local doctors who practice in obstetrics who do accept the type of insurance you have.
- See what others are saying about them. Look online and read reviews posted from other women who have personally visited the doctor. This will give you some insight into what a visit might be like without having to subject yourself to actually going in for one.
- Assess your first appointment. If you find a physician who is a potential candidate, schedule your first visit. You will want to take note of how long you had to wait before the office could book you an appointment, how friendly the staff is, whether the doctor rushed you in and out, and how they made you feel during the initial visit. This can help you decide whether you want to give them another chance or if you should conduct some more research and find a new doctor.
- Consider your own personal thoughts on the doctor themselves. Women’s Health Magazine recommends that you assess whether you can “picture entrusting your pregnancy with this person.” You will also want to take into consideration their personality, tone, and maybe even their belief system as some doctors are more prone to having their patients undergo cesarean deliveries as opposed to having a natural birth. And if your belief systems don’t exactly match up, you may want to find someone who is open to your delivery plan.
While your thoughts and feelings should be taken into consideration, you also want to be sure the doctor you choose has a proven track record of providing quality care to his/her patients. To check this, you can use your internet search engine and type in their name to see what information comes up. You can also search on Doc Finder to see if they have had any complaints or medical malpractice lawsuits filed against them.
Although it might seem like a lot of work, remember, this is for the wellbeing of your child. Choosing a doctor who is going to provide you with the level of care you need is not only important, but can contribute to making your pregnancy run smoothly and with minimal complications.
Now, if you are someone who is currently pregnant and experienced an issue with your physician or recently experienced complications during delivery in Iowa and you believe your doctor behaved negligently in some way, contact the Iowa medical malpractice attorneys at Eells & Tronvold Law Offices, P.L.C. As unfortunate as this is, it does happen and many doctors are often let off the hook when they make a medical mistake or harm a patient. So, to be sure your doctor is held accountable for their errors, it is best you consult with one of our IA medical malpractice lawyers as soon as possible so that we can devise a plan on how to address the situation.
You can reach Eells & Tronvold Law Offices, P.L.C. at:
1921 51st Street NE
Cedar Rapids, IA 52402
Phone: (319) 393-1020
Fax: (319) 393-4000
