OB-GYN Advice

Submitted by sublimespacesloth t3_125wrzl in boston

Just moved to Massachusetts and learned I am expecting! We live and both work in different locations and are struggling on where we should be looking for healthcare support.

We live in Holden Ma, about 20 miles west of Boston. I work in Cambridge and my partner works in Lynn.

The hospitals that have been recommended to us are all in Boston but I only need to be in Cambridge on Tuesdays and Wednesdays so we are questioning the practically of having care based in Boston.

That being said, I am also wholly unfamiliar with the typical frequency of visits during pregnancy so perhaps this would line up well?

Additional concerns are: the inconvenience of parking and accessibility at Boston hospitals and the possibility of needing to drive 90 minutes from Holden for care.

Any advice is appreciated!

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rainniier2 t1_je6ca6j wrote

Not to be sarcastic but why are you asking us to help you decide whether to drive to the doctor from work or from home when you only need to go into the office 2 days a week. The decision seems pretty obvious to me given the frequency and inflexibility of ob/gyn appts during pregnancy. The logical strategy to me is to consider the providers/hospitals closest to home and increase your radius as needed until you find one that meets your needs. Unless you’re high risk, then it’s a different conversation.

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sublimespacesloth OP t1_je6eq06 wrote

I hesitate to say high risk as I don't yet have any medical assessment but my age and a few pre-existing conditions may pose issues in this pregnancy. I might value better care over convenience but am trying to gauge the level of inconvenience I suppose

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rainniier2 t1_je6kvfq wrote

For me, the very strong desire to avoid being stuck in traffic on 93 while in labor would trump most other factors but I think it’s as an assessment every makes independently.

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ResolutionFamiliar t1_je7nfyo wrote

It would be worth exploring Umass Medical in Worcester. Like many of the Boston hospitals, it’s a teaching hospital, UMass Chen is an excellent medical school, it has a stellar NICU and there are excellent doctors there.

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tww779 t1_jea3gqt wrote

>hospitals

Ditto to this! Hopefully this never becomes reality for you but if you need level 3 NICU care, there are 10 hospitals in the greater Boston area. UMass Memorial in Worcester has a Level III NICU unit. The rest of the list is here: https://neonatologysolutions.com/nicu-directory-search-results/?wpv_view_count=37320&wpv_post_search=&wpv-wpcf-level=3&wpv-nicu-category=massachusetts&wpv-wpcf-aap-district=&wpv-wpcf-hospital-type=&wpv-wpcf-children-hospital=&wpv-wpcf-practice-type=&wpv-wpcf-nicu-corporate-company=&wpv_filter_submit=Search

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QueenOfBrews t1_je6djha wrote

I’m sorry this is totally irrelevant and doesn’t answer the question, but if I’m not mistaken Holden is west of Boston outside of Worcester? Did you mean Holbrook?

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sublimespacesloth OP t1_je6e07i wrote

Oh it appears that is correct! I'll edit my post for clarity

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QueenOfBrews t1_je7vztr wrote

Have you considered looking in Worcester? You don’t have to pin down your search to Boston.

Not trying to be an ass, but I assume you haven’t gauged the area well at all yet. Holden is closer to 40-45 miles outside Boston. I know you understand the commute already, but my only advice to give is looking closer to where home base is. Worcester might be a better option.

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tww779 t1_je6dqp5 wrote

Congrats! During your 2nd semester, you'll still see your OB every 4 weeks. At the beginning of your 3rd trimester, it'll be every 2.5-3 weeks. During the last month, you'll see your OB every week. You'll see your OB at 4 weeks postpartum and then 6 weeks after the initial visit. FYI - you will be sleep deprived after birth so you may want to take that into consideration. Good luck!

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AWalker17 t1_je85m5v wrote

Go see Dr. Kanter at UMASS in Worcester if you’re high risk. He was excellent.

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Present-Evidence-560 t1_je9j14a wrote

Holden to Cambridge is one hell of a commute. I’d suggest looking in the Worcester area or somewhere in Worcester county where you don’t have to travel 1hr+ for appointments for days you don’t work. Its not often that you find someone willing to commute that far, or drive that far to the dr. It’s ma, you have literally anything you need within 30 min (if you don’t live in the boonies of Holden). I lived in Worcester for 4 years, I’d recommend umass 1000x over any other hospital in Worcester tho.

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Accomplished_Chain_8 t1_je6oyz2 wrote

Not sure but about hospitals but freq we had was

Monthly - upto 32 Weeks Bi Weekly - 32-36 weeks Weekly - 36-40+ weeks 3 Ultrasound appointments at 8W, 16W and 20W

Hopefully this helps make a decision. Keep in mind this is only if the visits result is a normal expected outcome.

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crystalgem2017 t1_je6tqgv wrote

We really like the HVMA system and docs. We live in Framingham and happily drove to Mt. Auburn to give birth with our second. First was born at Beth Israel and we had a terrible experience.

HVMA has a bunch of locations within 95 and there's always parking (even at Fenway).

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raabbasi t1_je7aeex wrote

Yeah you should get your medical advice from this group.

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