Choosing Your Baby Doctor

You have many choices among doctors to care for you during pregnancy. You can choose an obstetrician, a family practitioner, a certified nurse-midwife or a nurse practitioner to oversee your prenatal care. An obstetrician is a medical doctor or an osteopathic physician who specializes in the care of pregnant women, including delivering babies. He completed training in obstetrics and gynecology after medical school.

A perinatologist is an obstetrician who specializes in high-risk pregnancies. Only about 10% of all pregnant women need to see a perinatologist. If you see a perinatologist, you may still be able to deliver your baby with your regular doctor. You may have to deliver at a hospital other than the one you had chosen because of its specialized facilities or the availability of specialized tests for you or your baby.

A family practitioner; sometimes called a general practitioner; is a physician who provides care for the entire family. Many family practitioners have experience delivering babies. If problems arise, your family practitioner may refer you to an obstetrician or perinatologist for prenatal care.
A certified nurse-midwife is a trained professional who cares for women with low-risk, uncomplicated pregnancies and delivers their babies. These professionals are registered nurses who have additional professional training and certification in nurse-midwifery. Supervised by a physician, they will call him or her if care or delivery complications occur.

A nurse practitioner may serve as your health care provider at office visits, if your pregnancy is normal. Nurse practitioners are registered nurses with advanced degrees in a specialty area. They are certified by national organizations in their specialty and practice under the rules and regulations of your state, under the supervision of a physician. They can provide prenatal care and family-planning services. At delivery, a nurse-midwife, obstetrician or family practitioner delivers the baby.

If you have an obstetrician you like, you may be all set. If you don't, call your local medical society for a referral. Ask friends who recently had a baby about their doctors. Sometimes another doctor, such as a pediatrician or internist, can refer you to an obstetrician.
Make an effort to communicate with your doctor so you can comfortably ask him or her questions about your condition. Read articles and books such as this one and our other books: Your Pregnancy Week-by- Week, Your Pregnancy Questions & Answers and Your Pregnancy: Every Woman's Guide. They will help you prepare questions to ask your doctor. However, never substitute information you receive from other sources for information, instructions or advice you receive from your own physician. Your doctor knows you, your history and what has occurred during your pregnancy.

Don't be afraid to ask any question. Your doctor has probably already heard it, so there is no need to be embarrassed. Check out even the smallest details. Your doctor will be the first to tell you that it's better to ask a thousand "silly" questions than risk overlooking a single important one.