What Happened That Made Me Want to Change Doctors?
At my 21 week appointment for my first pregnancy, my doctor told me I had placenta previa. “Placenta what?” I said. At first, I had no idea what it was, the doctor gave me no restrictions and said it was nothing to worry about. But of course, being a first-time mother, and an “I need to know everything type of woman” I went to Google. Now Google, gave me all of these restrictions that I should have been on and I wondered why my doctor didn’t give me any restrictions. That Saturday, I was having some really bad cramping pains and decided to head to the Emergency Room.
While the Emergency Room themselves could not give me paperwork stating that I was on bed rest, they did tell me the activities not to partake in. I was not able to have any kind of intercourse, no walking for more than an hour, no sitting for more than an hour, and no driving for more than an hour. I needed to take as much pressure off from my pelvic as possible. If you want to know more about my placenta previa story, click here.
At that moment in the emergency room, I realized I had lost all faith and trust in my doctor. I decided it was time to change doctors before it got even later in my pregnancy. I wanted a doctor that I could trust and wouldn’t just rush me out of the room without any information. It was scary to think about finding a new doctor because if I didn’t like the next doctor I chose I would be too far along to go to another doctor.
My Initial Mistake: Going With a Recommendation Without Doing My Own Research
At first, I went with my first doctor because it was a recommendation from a friend, that used her six years ago. I should have known better and done my research like I do on literally everything else.
Research
This time, I decided I was going to find the best of the best that my insurance allowed. I did a lot of research over the weekend and found a doctor that had nothing but amazing reviews. Even though I read the amazing reviews, I was still hesitant and scared that I wasn’t going to like the new doctor.
That following Monday I took the chance and called the new doctor and set the appointment. I was a little hesitant at first, because they told me my first appointment was to be scheduled with her nurse practitioner. After that the following appointment would be with the doctor in another two weeks. But, figuring that if I had to wait a month to be seen by the doctor, then people must really like her. Because only good doctors have long waiting periods.
Appointment Day
Four weeks later the day finally came, and I was in the waiting room observing everything. The cleanliness of the office, how friendly the receptionist was, and how clean the bathrooms were all under scrutiny. The nurse that called me first was super polite and friendly. It instantly gave me a sigh of relief, and I was super excited to meet the nurse practitioner.
When the nurse practitioner came in, she exceeded my expectations. She answered all my questions and made me feel like family. I couldn’t have been more relieved walking out of my doctor’s appointment that day. I knew I had made the right decision by deciding to change doctors. Two weeks later, I felt the exact same way after meeting my doctor and felt comfortable enough to have an appointment with either one of them.
My Advice
In the end, trust your instincts, and if you do not feel comfortable change your doctor. It will make your whole pregnancy stressful! If you are in the Central Florida Area this is the doctor I ended up going with Dr. Cates-Smith
If this article has helped you with your decision, please leave a comment! I would love to know I was not the only one with this dilemma. If you would like to learn more about me, Click Here!
