Family Forum / Pregnancy / Pregnancy / August 2006

Yea, I was basically agreeing with you...When you get people from all over,
it kind of reminds me of the Simpsons and the 'Springfield' city... Who
knows which State that particular 'Springfield' is...
;)

No, we're from all over the place... Seems lots are in the US or the UK, and
then you do have the odd person from Other Random Country here or there.
Basically hopping around here as everyone is stretched out over every time
zone! (this comes in quite handy when it's 2am here, as it's almost a
guarantee that someone else will be on to possibly answer a question real
quick as it's maybe 10am where they are :D lol)
Anyways, if you're pg (even those TTC or ones who've recently had babies are
often around) then there's more than enough reason to stay.

Back to your question, I really don't know much about BC hospitals... I'm in
Alberta, and unfortunately, there's no Surrey, AB, that I am aware of.
If your current doctor will only deliver at one hospital, and for whatever
reason you want to be at a different one, have you tried to call the
hospital that you prefer and ask them which doctors they have?  Lots of OBs
might take new patients, but often there's a fairly long wait to get in for
a first appointment.  Can you get a referral from your current doctor?  That
would more than likely help a lot, as I had a referral (with DS1) to another
doctor and was in to see the new doctor right away.

Also, every doctor should deliver whenever a baby decides to come.  That's
mornings, afternoons, nights, weekends, stat holidays.  The one exception,
though, is if a doctor is on vacation... Then it's (here, anyways, not sure
how BC compares to AB) the other doctors in the office that are on call
first, or any other doctors in the hospital that are available.  Even in the
middle of the night or on weekends, the hospital should be getting your
doctor in to do the delivery.  If for some reason (your doc is on vacation,
for example) they can't get your doctor, then it would be the next doctor on
call.  Your doctor should not deny delivering your baby if that is what you
want and are planning for just because (s)he decides to make an appearance
on the weekend, again, with a few exceptions.

I'd start with talking to the hospital you want and seeing who they have for
doctors.  Ask your current doctor if he or she can give a referral to a
doctor at the hospital you want.  We live in Canada, so health care is great
;) and your current doctor should work with you, even if you just explain
you want a certain hospital (maybe the hospital you want is closer to home,
a hospital you are more comfortable with, one you've heard good things
about, one that's closer and more convenient for friends/family to go to
when the time comes - shouldn't matter what the reason is)  Also, I'd talk
to any people who have had babies at that hospital you want, if possible.
Maybe someone has recently had a baby there and knows of a doctor that they
like from that hospital.

Good luck, either way.  The original OB I had when I was first pg with DS1
gave me a referral to a different doctor to my liking... I was 15 at the
time and wanted to go to a different hospital that was a lot closer to where
I was moving to.  I got the new doctor, and he stayed as my OB until DS1 was
born, and since DS1 was born a few days after Christmas, that doctor was on
holidays and a different doctor was the one who did the C-section
(emergency, ugh) and I actually changed from that first OB to the one that
did my section, and I even went back for my post-op to that female doctor,
not the original one.  I then decided to keep that one, and she's been my OB
ever since, and went on to do the delivery for DS2, was on vacation last
summer when DD was born, but I stuck with her.  It shouldn't be a HUGE
headache to change doctors/hospitals!  Just don't take No for an answer.

not necessarily, I have a good idea how things work in US, Can, NZ, Aus, all
from hanging out on this list.

Anne