laety

Hi everyone... I hope you can help me (again) with your good advices

im currently 20 weeks pregnant (as of next week) with my first child and my husband got approached by a very good company to go and work for them (in the bay area)... however, they are not "quite" ready with internal paperwork and it might take a month or so or maybe a little more to set up everything

their insurance does not seem to be an issue as HR already confirmed we would be covered from day one, and pregnancy is not considered preexisting condition

but my worry is about finding a good obstetrician/hospital place...
do you think it will be an issue (Ie would all the good doctors gone/not taking new patients) as I remember when I first registered with my current obstetrician, they asked me my due date and told me "they still had space"!!! have you had this/know anyone who went through this? is 25/30 weeks too late to start changing pratician/hospitals?

thank you very much for any advices

Ps: we are in OC so staying here and commuting wouldnt be an option...

penguinsix

I don't think you'll have much a problem finding a doctor, though you may have to check with your insurance company to see if the one you want is "in network" or not.

I should note you may also have an issue with the airlines. Some airlines will not fly after a certain point (it varies) and some will require a doctor's note after a certain stage in the pregnancy. Best to check on all of that.

Have you found some "mommy sites" in the area you are living? In many place there are message boards and forums for parents and the issue of 'good OB/GYN' or 'Pediatrician' is discussed at length for that particular area. You might want to google around and see if you can find something the Bay Area.

Ozzidoc

Congratulations on the pregnancy.

My advice would be to see if the company can wait a year or so.

Having a newborn child - especially your first - changes the household dynamics and places different pressures on relationships.

I'd imagine that your husband would wish to make a good impression in a new job, and that this usually entails putting in extra effort and hours.

You might feel isolated in a new place, although with meet-up.com, facebook etc this needn't be the case.

It's a tricky situation. Good luck with everything!

laety

Thanks for your replies. Unfortunately it is such a good job that it would be hard to say no, especially since his current one forces him to travel a lot, which will not be the case with the new one. But i havent looked at reviews of obstetricians yet, we are going to ask the name of the insurance company so ill know who to look from there.

Yorkieabroad

We came to Texas when my wife was about 25 weeks with #2 and had extreme difficulty getting an OBGYN to take her on. They all claimed we had left it too late. We ended up going with a fresh out of college OBGYN who admitted that she was only doing it because she was so new she hadn't "filled up" yet, so she couldn't afford to turn anyone away! Everything turned out OK, but we didn't stay with her for #3....

That was 10 years ago, and in Texas, so may not be relevant to you current situation going to California, but its definitely something to do some homework on before you commit...

jackattack

Congratulations on your pregnancy (and to the husband too for landing a plum new job).

I'm in the Bay Area currently going through my second pregnancy (37 weeks with twins, so more accurately at the end of the pregnancy, I hope!) I am truly surprised to hear that others had problems getting an OBGYN mid pregnancy.

I would have thought that the biggest challenge would be healthcare and coverage but it sounds like you've done your research there and most likely given that the green light. Do you know which healthcare you might use? If it is something along the line of Kaiser (which btw, I used for my first pg and was just fine) then you're not booking a specific OB for delivery, more like the use of the doctors on call at the time you go into labour. If you have a high risk/complicated pregnancy, or really want doula led, water/home birth etc then it might be more tricky; but I'm definitely surprised to hear that others have trouble.

Of course, I'd recommend bring all your records with you but the hospital/doc is probably going to want to run a bunch of tests anyway just to make sure.
The best place to get recommendations is most likely from work colleagues or wives of work colleagues in the area who've already delivered.

Bob

It's down to liability and doctors insurance coverage. They don't want to take someone on so far in and then potentially have a problem occur with the baby because the problem of fault can and will be more expensive because the current doctors insurance will fight with the previous doctors insurance.

That was how it was explained to us anyway.

laety

thanks all!
I got the name of the insurance company with the new job and found a place with few doctors that are still taking new patients. the receptionist did say that its best to take an appointment now for say end of May, to make sure I have a doctor, than to wait closer to the date and then try to find one. so at least that is sorted...
it s such a shame though I really like my current doctor and the hospital here has an excellent reputation for maternity services, but looking at the reviews, el camino mountain view seem to have good reviews too so at least that is something!

jackattack

Sounds about as logical as it goes. And anyway, I've learned that nothing is as expected regarding US medical coverage and billing. I

just have to be supremely grateful that my husband has excellent medical coverage, I think. I go to the high risk clinic at Stanford and have yet to receive a bill - maybe ignorance is no excuse, but I think that everything prenatal is covered (at least I hope so - eeek).

Bob

Pre-natal is usually all included in the initial co-pay when you see the OB/GYN, unless you had a scan or blood test with a facility that is out of network.

The fun really comes during and after birth, especially if the hospital and insurance make a mess of adding the baby to the insurance

jackattack

Well, I've had over 20 ultrasounds, been admitted to labour and delivery a couple of times, and now go in twice weekly. I'm assuming that they'd have hit me up by now if they needed some $.

Yes, the fun comes if we need any NICU time when the zeros just keep on being added to the end of the invoice. And as far as I can tell, the hospital doesn't do anything with the baby insurance, I just have to remember to come out of my mama-fog and register the new little people with Husband's insurance within 30 days of birth.

And to the OP, I heard some good things today regarding El Camino in Mountain View. It is apparently much nicer, smaller and friendlier than Stanford. So that could be a good choice for you.

MsElui

i switched away from my OB-GYN to midwife care after i had my 22 week scan.

laety

oh thats good to know!! always a bit more reassuring to hear it from few people!!

Ozzidoc

Who do you see there? I did an elective/placement there 2 1/2 years ago