Gilbert co-owner, Jacquie Koopman, shares her pregnancy experience and first encounters with the New Mom School in Newport, CA
It was Super Bowl Sunday and while my husband watched tv I couldn’t focus on anything other than the fact that I should have started my period, well, like, 2 hours ago. So I snuck out to CVS and bought $60 worth of pregnancy tests (I wish I was kidding). No one told me that they all work the same, I figured I needed at least one of every kind.
I drove to my mom’s house because I wanted to come up with some cute way to tell my husband if we were indeed pregnant. To my dismay, the tests didn’t come with fireworks or confetti, in fact the first test showed the faintest, lightest positive line that it made me wonder if it was true or not. So my “cute way” of telling him ended up being me busting through the door, interrupting the game and saying “look! What do you think this means?” And he proceeded to read the instructions out of the box with me, and asked “well did you wait 15 min” and I said, “no, of course not”. We agreed we could cautiously call this a positive test and mildly celebrated, but so began my journey of anxiously trying to find every answer I could on how to do this whole pregnancy thing “right”.
I was pregnant for a hot 5 minutes before first thing Monday morning calling the New Mom School phone number. I left a voicemail saying “I’d like more information and how do I sign up because, well, I was expecting.” I vividly remember Alex, founder and CEO, who was her own little 2-3 man team at the time, calling me back from her cell phone and asking me, “wait how far along are you?” To which I confidently said, “umm maybe like 4 weeks?” and in the most wonderfully gentle way (probably trying to hold back laughter if I look back now) she coached me through and brought me to the realization that maybe I should get to see a doctor first, confirm it’s a viable pregnancy, and maybe like 10 other steps between and THEN register for the New Mom School.
“Doctor, oh yes, I should get myself one of those, how do I do that?” Alex was so patient and so kind, she literally stayed on the phone with me and gave me 2 referrals and prepared me that they probably wouldn’t see me for another 4 weeks, until I was at minimum, 8 weeks along. Womp. Womp. My eager beaver self had to wait, and that was just the beginning of a very long 9 months of waiting, but it is when I learned my first lesson – interview your OBGYN!
Not everyone is going to be the right fit. I took the two referrals from Alex and went to them both at 8 weeks, by the time they order lab work and have you schedule an ultrasound, you probably want to be with the doctor you will stay with, but before that, in those first couple weeks you have the right to go to different offices and see if you feel comfortable with the office, how the doctor answers your questions, etc. You will be spending a lot of time in that office towards the end of your pregnancy so better feel comfortable from the start.
Things to ask:
- Will you be the one to deliver, or how do you work on rotation, who are the other doctors in the practice who could deliver me, do you know them and how do your styles vary?
- Can I see you every office visit or is it a nurse practitioner, PA or other doctor?
- How do you work with doulas and midwives in this practice?
- How will you work with me if I have preferences for natural methods?
- How do you handle high risk pregnancies or what are you looking for to make that determination? Another way to get this information is asking, how often do you perform c-sections or what makes you make that call and how would you walk me through that process?
Bring your partner if they can attend and see if you both got the same vibe and consider:
- Did you like the doctor’s style of communication and bedside manner?
- Did the doctor listen to your concerns and answer all your questions? Did you feel rushed during the visit?
- Did the doctor’s views on pregnancy, childbirth and medical care align with your own?
- Were the nurses and office staff friendly and helpful?
- How long did you wait before being seen?
- Was the office conveniently located?