Switching Care Providers
** Reposted blog transferred from previous version of this website. **
If you read our last blog, you know all about interviewing care providers in early pregnancy. And if you read the blog before that, you know why choosing your care provider and birthing location carefully is so important!
If you choose your birthing location based on our flowchart, interview possible candidates, and find the perfect care provider for you, then you are off to a great start for a positive birth experience! But what if you aren’t early in your pregnancy and ahead of the game? That’s ok! You want to switch care providers? That’s ok, too! You CAN switch care providers. You may be thinking about ditching your OB to go with a different OB. You may even be thinking about switching from an OB to a home birth midwife.
Here in Nashville, we are so lucky to have several different options on where to birth your baby and who to birth them with. If you want to transfer your care, you have a few choices: an OB in a hospital, a midwife in a hospital, a midwife at the birth center, or a midwife at home. Each choice has different parameters, depending on your situation, about if you can transfer your care.
If you are looking to switch your care to a different OB or a midwife in a hospital, you are most likely not under any time constraint. OBs generally will take a transfer patient anytime in your pregnancy. If you are unhappy with your current OB and wish to switch, use the interview questions we discussed in our previous post to find a new one. This time you want to get it right so you are not wanting to switch again! Make sure you ask specific questions pertaining to what you were concerned about with your previous OB. You may be looking for a more “natural minded” care provider, one that is more supportive of a VBAC, or even one that you just simply wish you were more comfortable with. The most important thing is that you are happy and comfortable with your choice and that you are confident your new OB will help you achieve the birthing experience you are looking for.
If you are wanting to switch to birth center care, and you are in the Nashville area, you will be contacting Baby + Co! The birth center will allow you to transfer your care before 32 weeks if you are considered low risk and if they have availability in their schedule. If you are thinking about transferring to the birth center, do not hesitate to call them. They fill up fast!
If you are wishing to switch to a home birth midwife, you have many to choose from in the Nashville area. Check out their information in this one-stop Nashville Care Provider Chart. The latest time you can change to a home birth midwife in Nashville is around 34-36 weeks depending on which midwife you talk to. It is important to call several midwives and interview them to find one you feel is a good match for you and your family.
Switching care providers can seem like a daunting task, but we want you to view it as an opportunity to have the most positive birth experience possible. You have so many options so take a deep breath and dive in! We guarantee that one conversation with a new care provider that you feel confident in will make all the difference in the world!