NYC maternity hospital / OBGYN ?

[SunshineAlways]

We moved 18 months ago from the UK but to navigate the US healthcare system always gives me a headache. Can anyone who gave birth in Manhattan recently give me some pointers on who & how to chose my OB? We live in midtown west/upper west side border. I work in midtown east/upper east side.

We are TTC and I've been told I need a pre conception visit and associated tests, but I don't know how to chose my doctor or my hospital. I don't want to have a C section but many reviews of Mount Sinai ( my closest hospital) talk about the push toward C section and the lack of appropriate monitors on the baby and staffing issues.

I've been to one OB but I didn't like her that much and she can't see me until Jan/Feb.

I don't even know where to start looking for more information. How will I manage a baby here when I can't even manage to figure out where to give birth. This is the part of living abroad I struggle with. Any advice from other mother out here?

I chose my OB well before i was pregnant, and kept with her as I liked her style (low key, non intervention, really great putting at ease etc)

Most Drs will only have admitting privileges for delivery at specific hospitals, so its worth considering that, and lots of people will choose hospitals that aren't really near them as a result (I lived in Brooklyn but delivered at NY Presbyterian Downtown in Manhattan)

My OB practice had 5 Drs who rotated on call - as a result I didn't get 'my' Dr for delivery and had someone else

I'd choose your OB based on approach to stuff like interventions (my OB practice for example were anti forceps) how often they get you in for screening / tests etc, out of hours coverage and hospital admitting. Also worth noting that its the nurses who do he majority of the delivery legwork, the Drs will do the last bit (but will charge you handsomely..)

I'd choose my hospital based on reviews, newness of facilities, critical care, rooms etc (its usually a 3 night stay for a section, around 1-2 for delivery)

You can also go down the Doula / midwife route but that gets trickier as technically they are a supporting service rather than actual delivery, due to insurance. However, I know of some midwifery practices around - may be worth that route for pre conception checks?

One thing worth noting is that the section rate generally seems higher than the UK, so worth factoring that in overall. There definitely seems to be less appetite here for 2 days labour / mother struggling and more checks / scans at admitting so they can see where the baby is etc

A lot depends on your health insurance coverage tho and where you go

I would start with your insurance, see which hospitals are covered for maternity. You could do worse than Mt Sinai, NYU, NY Presbyterian. Pick the one you most like the look and location of. Not all have private rooms for example.

Then choose an OBGYN who delivers at that hospital. Someone close to your home, because once you’ve had the baby you’ll still need check-ups and you won’t want to be taking the baby to the UES if you live on the UWS.

Ask for recommendations from your PCP, Facebook parenting groups, Meet Up groups, your expat community. It’s weird doing this when you come from the U.K. and you’re just assigned a NHS hospital and midwife and doctor based on where you live. But look at it as having a lot of choice. The system is totally privatised, you can shop around.

Finally, I don’t want to probe but unless there’s something specific going on, I’ve never heard of pre-conception tests and visits. You really just need to have lots of sex without contraception! This sounds like just the kind of thing over zealous doctors here say Apologies if you do have specific circumstances.

Who told you that you need a pre-conception visit?

As a start I would ask colleagues and friends for recommendations for a good OB/GYN. As in the US women see them for normal gyn issues that should not raise any flags that you are TTC. Work colleagues are probably a good first port of call as they're likely on your same insurance and so you'll get in-network references.

As far as the hospital choice, it will depend on where the doctor you prefer has admitting privileges. Your chance of a c-section is usually related to your doctor or practice, not the hospital.

Thank you for all the advice. I need to do more research on everything.

I was under the care of a private gynaecologist and before I moved they suggested I do a "pre conception" as they called it, as I have some long standing issues, abnormal smear in my early 20s and low AMH for my age, plus a ton of family history which has bearing on carrying a healthy baby. I need to check that everything is ok and if not, fix some things before trying to get pregnant. I do realise that sounds over zealous but it is what it is.

We are changing health insurance providers at work right now, so I'm under DHs insurance. He'll
baulk at asking his work colleagues, so that's a no go. We don't have much of a network of people to ask. I joined the British Mums Facebook group as I realised we don't know anyone with babies in Manhattan.

I almost feel the need interview a bunch of doctors but how else do I find out their c section rate and their views on other issues?

I had a baby in Manhattan in 2013. She was born at NYU. I'll see if I can find the details of my OB. They were based around East 32nd and Lex.

I used Cityscape nyulangone.org/locations/nyu-langone-cityscape-ob-gyn

They were great. They have a pool of OBs so you meet a different one each time, but it does mean that at the delivery, you will know the doctor.

I was induced and managed a natural birth so it's not all c-section based!

Happy to answer any questions on it, although, I appreciate that DD is now nearly 6!

Most OBs will do standard pre conception checks (hormone levels, TSH, AMH etc) you'll want / need somewhere a bit more specialist if you want genetic marker testing etc (we had ours done at a fertility clinic)

You might have to wait a bit to get in as a first visit, but if its until Jan / Feb, I'd look elsewhere!

This sounds crazy, but I actually used the reviews on ZocDoc to find my OB she had overwhelming good reviews for her and her bedside manner, both at yearly checks and at delivery and this was my main driver for picking here. I've been with her for 8 years now and DS is 4 - happy to pm details of the practice etc, altho they're downtown

The other thing you'll have to check is your new insurance plan, which will likely drive your Dr choice. And you can definitely 'interview' / ask Drs or their office manager on views on intevrneion etc. Ours were very direct at my first ante-natal appointment about what they did / didn't do, giving us the option to choose somewhere else if it wasn't a fit

I had mine at Roosevelt which I believe is now Mt Sinai West? However my OB practice moved to NY Pres Downtown (may be same one as poster above, they had rotating Drs for delivery). I was very happy with the practice as they are low intervention (and I think NY Pres Downtown is now known for that), didn't want to induce before 41 weeks etc which is not the case with a lot of Drs. Message me if you want the names

I had baby in June at NYP-Columbia. I picked my OB first (got a rev from my endocrinologist) and she's at Columbia Doctors. I live on the west side and saw her at her office in Midtown.

Two of my friends have had their babies at NYU and had great experiences.

I had a pre-conception visit because I have PCOS. I was referred to a fertility specialist and had some tests there but wound up getting pregnant without help.

Happy to answer questions.

Oh and happy to PM details of the OB. NYP has a high c-section rate, but that's because it's where all the high risk cases in the whole tri-state area (I think) are sent. They also have a state of the art NICU - as does NYU.

I ended up having a c-section, but that's because my baby was breech. The doctor was more than happy to try and ECV, but I thought it sounded like something from a Saw film, so opted for the section myself

Thank you everyone for the recommendations.

@allfurcoatnoknickers & @britinnyc I'm going to PM you both for your recommendations.

@KondoKonvert did you give birth there too? Or is that only a clinic location?

We live so close to St Luke/Mt Sinai West so it feels weird to chose another hospital further away but all the OBs I called from the Mt Sinai system have a 2-3 month wait for appointments. I don't want to start properly trying without the tests but equally I'm annoyed at needed to wait that long and wonder what it will be like if I am pregnant and have to wait for appointments.

No, I had DD at NYU on 32nd & 1st. It was great and the staff were fab.

Sorry OP, it appears the practice I used has closed. NOt sure why, they were the ones that oversaw the birthing center at the downtown hospital and I think that closed too. Shame

@KondoKonvert My friend had two premature babies there and they were amazing. It's such a fantastic hospital. I would have delivered there if I hadn't had better insurance coverage at Columbia.