Every stage in life presents its challenges, but the transition a woman makes when she is preparing to have her first baby may indeed be the biggest. So many questions to ask and get answered:
- How do I go about finding an OBGYN?
- Once I have found one, what are the questions to ask an OBGYN?
- After finding an OBGYN, how often will I need to visit the office during my pregnancy?
- Do I select a hosppital where I want to deliver and select a doctor who delivers there, or should I find my doctor first?
- If I have problems getting pregnant, will an OBGYN be able to help me or will I need to see an infertility specialist?
In today’s world of preventative medicine, we often find ourselves with so many questions that we are not even sure the order in which they should be asked. In fact, as more and more patients, including women, continue to do their own research on the internet they often times find themselves reading contradictory information about what they should do first. Friends and family may provide one set of advice and online research may provide another. Whether you are looking for South Florida hospitals and the doctors who deliver there or you are trying to create a list of questions to ask a gynecologist, the best advice is to trust your own instincts.
While both the internet and friends may be very willing to offer advice, the final decision needs to be based on your own evaluation. And while family members may insist that you need to have the same doctor deliver your baby that other family members have used, this does not have to be the case. It is good to research the topic on the internet and it is good to ask the advice of family and friends. It is not good, however, to blindly follow the advice of any one source.
The internet, for example, may suggest that you have some questions ready. Does a particular doctor deliver babies at more than one hospital? Does a doctor allow patients to attempt completely natural child birth? But just as every pregnancy and every child is different, so too are the actual circumstances that will occur from the time that you and your partner decide that you want to conceive to the day the baby is actually born.
Talk to a few trusted friends and family members, read popular books, and research the internet when, for example, you are finding an OBGYN. Know, however, that they most important part of the process will likely be the one on one conversation that you have with the doctor.
