Missing Drs

Boy has there been a lot going on here....  I'll dabble into one thought process. :-)

While moving to North Carolina has been fantastic in so many ways, one BIG way it has not.

Doctors.

I know we made the decision not to pursue fertility treatments, and we still feel that way.  I just miss the accessibility of my previous loved doctors. Easily being seen for a simple progesterone test to check ovulation for instance.

I received an e-mail last week that Dr. Ahlering from SHER in St. Louis was leaving the practice!  I only "got" to see him once as insurance changed and we fell pregnant naturally with our Little Miss!  I was sad thinking of the several friends I made in St. Louis who hug their beautiful children every day that he played a part in.  He is a great Dr!

I've been on the hunt for a Dr here for my lovely annual appointment and am so frustrated by the lack of small, as in, under 10 physicians, in one practice!  I so miss Dr. Simckes and the two man practice.  During my pregnancy, I knew I would be delivered by him unless an absolute emergency and then I knew the back up Dr too!  He knew my hearts desire to deliver vaginally and though he joked about csections when the rubber met the road, he let me labor as long as I needed and indeed walked in literally just in time to catch baby girl!  We had a patient/Doctor relationship.  With the practices here, not so much...

And that brings me to my theory on why North Carolina is a leader in csections!

I hypothesize that you have a relationship with ONE Dr and unless you have the luck of the draw and they happen to be on call during delivery, you wind up with one of several other Doctors.  Or if you rotate throughout your pregnancy, you maybe will see each Doctor in a 10 physician practice maybe twice?!  How do you establish a relationship of trust on that? Labor is not exactly the time to get to know the Dr that will deliver you.  You may be saying, "Write a birth plan out!"  Why yes, a birth plan is in the file but how many Dr really read it?! 

Back to my theory- Not your regular Dr is on call.  You're at a 7.  It is 10pm.  On call Dr has to be in the office tomorrow.  Because you are just a number to them, no patient relationship to stand on and do not know your hearts desire to deliver vaginally, they bully you into a csection and they are crawling into bed before midnight.  They don't have to deal with you again so who cares?!

If anyone is looking for my opinions, I believe practices should be smaller.  More intimate.  Doctors should know their patients, the regular ones as in during pregnancy.  Dr. Simckes did...  Have I mentioned that I miss being under his care??

Trying a new practice next week...  This one has 10 Doctors and 6 midwives.  I hope to utilize the midwives one day.


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