Finding a Doctor

I called the Doctor’s office first thing Monday morning after finding the first positive test. This was a new doctor for me. The first time I’d been there, was the week before for a pap smear. I’d seen the nurse practitioner then, which I hadn’t realized. Every other pap was done by the doctor. I had chosen this doctor based on proximity to my home and hoped she would be all I hoped for in a doctor and partner during this journey.

I saw the doctor for the first time that week of July 9th, a few days after I’d called to make an appointment. At this point I was 4 weeks pregnant. I had to sit in the waiting area for over an hour. The staff booked 4 people every 15 minutes to see the doctor. I have no clue how that was supposed to work and keep the doctor on schedule.

Sitting in the waiting area/lobby for that long, gave me some perspective. I hadn’t noticed before how poorly lit the office was. I started to notice how dirty the walls were and how dirty the carpets were. I quickly realized that I was in a Medicare Providers office. Now I’m not being elitist or anything, but my time is valuable and I pay good money for a PPO and I expect faster and cleaner service. I have a choice those other women did not.

I made my next appt 5 weeks out, since I was going to be on vacation during the 8th week appt. I spent the next 2 weeks on a mission, looking for a new doctor.

First I logged onto my health insurance website and got a list of doctors with privileges at the hospital I wanted to deliver at, Little Company of Mary in Torrance. I hit a few websites and learned about their education, how long they’d been in practice and any law suits or complaints filed against them. I’d narrowed my search down and I called their offices to see if they were accepting new OB patients so I could make an appointment.

I chose my doctor because she was gentle and kind. She had delivered tens of thousands of babies without an incident, or at least one for which she was unable to adjust, and she had experience with difficult births. She had recently moved to the Los Angeles Area a few years earlier and was continuing to build her practice. The doctors in her on call group were also on my list of perspective doctors so I was comfortable with having them in case my doctor wasn’t able to be there. I just seemed to connect with her more than the other wonderful doctor’s I’d met. After all, this was going to be a personal experience and journey. I wanted a doctor who would treat me as a person and a patient, not just as a number or file. I felt she listened to my concerns and needs and she understood that I was looking for a personal experience or patient/doctor partnership. I let her know that it was important, that she is able to deliver my baby. Of course I knew it would depend on what time my baby decided to pop her head into the world.

After I’d decided I liked Dr Zhanna Pinkus, I made my appointment for my 9th week and filled out a form to have my medical records transferred from the previous doctor. I felt good and I felt happy. I found the doctor that would delivery my baby.