Local family-planning oriented doctor?

[brewso.livejournal.com]

Well, my partner and I have decided to take the plunge and try to get pregnant. We're very excited! However, even though my Harvard Vanguard doctor can currently take care of my, ahem, "reproductive needs," I really don't like her much at all. I want to find someone before we begin who really knows his/her stuff, and who has a great bedside manner and can tolerate my reserved nature and my mild fear of all things medical. Has anybody had any great experiences? Thanks!

Comments

[chenoameg.livejournal.com]

Are you looking for someone to help you through the pregnancy, or someone to help you with fertility issues?

If the first, I highly recommend the midwife practice at Mt. Auburn. They are amazing. www.mamah.org

Good luck!

[brewso.livejournal.com]

I'm looking for a practitioner to get to know me and to give me health advice before I get pregnant and to help me throughout my pregnancy. No infertility issues (I hope!)...we just haven't started trying yet. I'll definitely look into the midwife practice at Mt. Auburn - thanks!

[lissie930.livejournal.com]

Most people highly recommend this practice. I do not, not because of the competence of the midwives, but because the general experience I had there was very unpleasant (loooong waits for appointments, extremely rude front desk staff, etc.).

I had mostly a very good experience with the midwives at the Cambridge Birth Center. The prenatal care was very good, very caring, the staff is really warm and friendly, IME.

[lissie930.livejournal.com]

Are you familiar with the book Taking Control of Your Fertility, and charting your cycles? If not, this is, IMO, a *must* read, and charting is really really cool, and gives you fantastic information!

[ukelele.livejournal.com]

I didn't work with the Mt. Auburn midwives, but they are spoken of very highly, and since you are not into the standard medical experience you will probably be happier with midwives.

I was with the Cambridge Birth Center folks myself, and I liked them. (Specifically, I had my appointments with Christley Harris, who is one of those seasoned and motherly types who knows everything (obviously I liked her). I sort of lost count of everyone I saw during labor -- you get whoever's on shift.) I looooooved their birth rooms, which unfortunately I did not get to use, because I ended up having a c-section across the street ;). I feel sort of enh about the Cambridge hospital (L&D nurses were *awesome*, maternity not so much, the obstetrician was fine, the anesthesiologist was a bitch). It is important to keep in mind, though, that even if you are with midwives you may end up in the hospital, so research the associated hospital as well (and ask how many of their patients end up in the hospital rather than the birth center), if that's something you want to avoid.

I have also never heard anyone speak badly of the Taking Charge of your Fertility book, but I wouldn't go so far as to call it a "must read" (because I didn't, lol). It seems like it's crucial to read it if you try for a while and have no luck, and a lot of people I know have found it very interesting to learn in detail how their bodies work, but it's not like you have to read it or chart your cycles or any of that unless you are having difficulty conceiving.

Anyway, good luck and have fun!

[bombardiette.livejournal.com]

I LOVE Dr. Matthias Muenzer. He's at 101 Main St. in Medford - a bus trip from Davis. He's an excellent doctor, firmly grounded in reality, funny and he listens.

He's also big on women's options and reproductive rights. After my first child is born, he's willing to do a tubal ligation. It's my body, my choice. Most OB's won't go near that one.

Hopefully that gives you an idea of him. PM me if you'd like his number.

[lissie930.livejournal.com]

Sounds like we had similar Birth Center experiences!

For me, TCOYF was a must-read because I was pretty ignorant about my body. It was amazing to me how much I just didn't know. :) I was on the pill forever, and when I went off it and started charting, it was incredible to me to get to understand how my body worked. You certainly don't have to chart, but even people without fertility problems have cycles that differ from the standard opinion of "you ovulate on Day 14" myth that's out there, and it's very useful to know the signs. I didn't actually chart for my 2nd, 3rd (miscarriage) or 4th pregnancy (I'm at 31 weeks now), just watched the obvious signs, and had no trouble getting pregnant. It's different for everyone though!

[emcicle.livejournal.com]

I would highly recommend Dr. Beth Hardiman. she delivers at Mt Auburn, and her office is there. She works with a Midwife as well, and they alternate seeing you throughout pregnancy. She is fantastic, and patient, and very supportive of natural childbirth (which I had), but is also able to do the whole run of medical intervention if necessary. Additional, she or Arianna,the midwife, will deliver you, not whatever Dr./Midwife is on call that day/night, which I really wanted. My experience delivering at Mt. Auburn was great as well. I recommend thinking about where you might want to deliver while you are choosing a health care provider, because most are attached to certain hospitals/birth centers.

Good luck!

[masswich.livejournal.com]

I'd second Beth Hardiman- a good balance between a midwife and a straight-up obgyn. She is very willing to take the lead of the mother in terms of what kind of experience to have. Her inclination is generally to go more natural if possible. It also was great to know that she would do the delivery, not one of 4-5 ob's in an office.

[wallacestreet.livejournal.com]

We had great luck with the Mt. Auburn midwives, although we didn't see them at Mt. Auburn.

I'll also echo what's been said below about considering where you want to deliver along with whom you want to see. We found Mt. Auburn to be MUCH more relaxing and homey (there are about a dozen post delivery rooms) than the big birthing centers (MGH, B&W) where our friends have delivered amongst floors and floors of babies. Great experienced, relaxed nurses for whom you're not one of a teeming mass, but also the ability to intervene in pretty sophisticated ways should that become necessary.

[yttrai.livejournal.com]

I have no kids, in fact i went pretty far the other way. The only doctor who would help me was Dr Anne Dixon, at the Medford Harvard Vanguard. It is about a 10 minute bike from my house in Ball Square, so maybe 15 minutes from Davis? Right over the river in Medford Center. She did what i wanted with no trouble, and was very cool with any "non-mainstream" information i gave her about myself. My Cambridge Harvard Vanguard doctor was not willing to discuss with me the options that i was seeking. Her bedside manner is fabulous and i'm pretty sure her agenda is "make patient feel respected" above all else.

[brewso.livejournal.com]

Thanks to all! I've purchased TCOYF because I am moderately ignorant about my body and I think these types of things are fascinating. I'm intrigued by Beth Hardiman and, at least according to her online pages, she seems to be taking new patients, so I'll be looking into that. Thanks for all of the great advice so far! :)