Ob and hospital recommendations for someone with health anxiety
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Anonymous
| I have major health anxiety and I go to GW but I have a really caring MFM who I am able to make appointments with exclusively at the Bethesda office (which is much smaller) and he lets me come in as needed if I am worried. we email as well when I have questions. I also feel good about seeing a high risk Dr with so much experience and a great reputation. And although I understand the concerns about a teaching hospital, I like being at a major hospital that is prepared for the worst case scenario. You dont know who is going to deliver but my MFM has reassured me each visit that the experience of their OBGYNS is top notch with two attending OBGYNS on hand at L&D at all times plus 2 MFMS on call if needed. I literally come to my hospital with a notepad of my questions and concerns to cover for each appointment. |
Anonymous
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Don’t deliver in a teaching hospital. Way more people. Way more chaotic. You will have people observing and learning on you. Blech. I had my first at GW and it was a nightmare and my second at Sibley and the difference was night and day. It’s certainly not a walk in the park anywhere - it is a hospital after all - but Sibley was just so much better, even in COVID times. The facility itself is incredible - rooms are so much quieter, more spacious, and nicer. We hardly saw any other patients while there instead of the nasty crowded entrance at GW with tons of people outside smoking, lines of wheelchairs, and dozens of people milling around. And the horrible tiny and loud pastpartum rooms. In Covid times, no thanks. I wanted to be as far away from other patients as humanly possible. And I should add that I shopped around a lot before I settled on Sibley. I did try the practice groups at WHC and Georgetown but those hospitals are basically teaching hospital factories. Personalized care is really the exception there and not the norm. No thanks.
If I were you I would try Pardo at Foxhall, Bloom, Schiror at CWC, or a solo provider - in that order. Look on Sibley’s website for their providers to get a full list. I will add that my postpartum nurse recommended Pardo at Foxhall or Bloom specifically as the docs/groups she likes the best. |
Anonymous
All hospitals in this area are prepared for the worst case scenario. We are lucky to have many excellent ones to choose from. But don’t imply that other hospitals are lesser than GW. Georgetown and Children’s actually have a higher level NICU if you want to start splitting hairs. |
Anonymous
omg did anyone say that? People on this forum are so crazy and ready to fight! hahha. I was just offering my thoughts. really, you are wound up - get some help. |
Anonymous
and I said "I like being at A major hospital that is prepared for anything" . As in one of them. At what point did I imply the others werent good or lesser then? I was saying I was happy with my choice as opposed to a smaller practice and how I FEEL about it. I mention I have anxiety as well, and you inclination is to attack lol. Do you have other hobbies besides scrolling this forum looking for moments to rip apart people? |
Anonymous
| I see some have recommended Bloom. I have really severe health anxiety, am currently 24 weeks pregnant and I go to Bloom. I do NOT recommend Bloom if you have anxiety. I have not felt that they have been understanding of my concerns at all, they've rushed me through every appointment, and have felt extremely dismissed. For my 12 week appt I didn't get to ask any questions because the doctor literally left the room without saying goodbye. They've also forgotten to call me with test results twice. I recently called the on-call doctor on a weekend because I had a severe stomach bug and he basically was like so what, and rushed me off the phone. If I have another baby, I'll be switching providers. |
Anonymous
Honest question: so why do you stay? If it's been happening since 12 weeks, shouldn't you be looking elsewhere? I say that because how you feel with/around your doctors matters! Now to the OP, I would also suggest staying away from teaching hospitals and WHC (which is crazy). So that leaves Sibley? |
Anonymous
| Thank you for all the recommendations! After reading and doing some research, I think I'll go with Pardo at Foxhall and delivering at Sibley. I'm also trying to get an appointment with Bloom so that I can compare the practices, but they said their earliest available would be August. |
Anonymous
Because the devil you know is better than the devil you don't (not that I'm at all saying Bloom rises to the level of the devil- I'm not). Plus, I previously went to Foxhall and hated it there. And I want to deliver at Sibley. Doesn't leave me with a lot of options. I've considered switching and have discussed it with my therapist, but she agrees that making a change mid-pregnancy would not be in my best interest. |
Anonymous
| I know you’ve already decided but want to throw my two cents in and give the 4th recommendation for CWC. It’s a larger practice but I love that I can email my dr at any time and receive a response promptly. It is perfect for someone who has a lot of concerns but doesn’t want to call or see someone every time. Also, when I’m really anxious about something they have an advice line where you leave a phone message. I’ve used it twice and have gotten a call back within 2 minutes. The first time, they kindly reassured me about something I read (stupid Google rabbit hole) and the second time, they had me go to the hospital to get it checked it out. Both times it was in the middle of the night and I felt incredibly cared for — listened to my concerns, didn’t invalidate my worry, and gave me the reassurance or plan of action I needed to feel better. Can’t recommend CWC more |
Anonymous
| I’m similar w anxiety....I will say the one thing that made my first pregnancy way less stressful than this one was my ability to see the same doctor for every appt. Due to COVID GW patients are being cycled through. You can try to see the same doc but no guarantees. I’m also a c section patient and at first they had me going to midwives. I was not happy. I’ve been able to see the same doc for my entire 3rd trimester as she’s also scheduled to do my c section. Consistency helped my anxiety. Good luck |
Anonymous
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I have health anxiety and highly recommended CWC. I’ve cycled through quite a few drs there and live dr nwanko. She delivered my youngest 3 weeks early with an emergency c/sec and was amazing. Very reassuring and calm. I love sibley and highly recommend it.
I delivered my first at Georgetown and would stay away from it. It’s disorganized in a way that adds a lot of stress |
Anonymous
YES! As a previous poster who recommended CWC, I had this exact experience. Called the on-call doctor 2x over my pregnancy with ridiculous concerns during weekend hours. One time they had me come into the hospital to be checked and one time they made me feel reassured that everything was fine. My doctor then gave me the option to run some additional tests at my next visit just to ease my mind, even though she assured me everything was 99.9% likely fine. My doctor reiterated to never feel silly calling because they want to know what's going on and they are there to provide guidance if things do sound like something is wrong, and I totally felt this was true and not just talk at CWC. I'm sure every practice has some version of this, but like this poster said, I always felt validated, heard, and like I was given clear responses to make informed decisions about what I wanted to do. |
Anonymous
| Seconding the recommendation to avoid Bloom if you have health anxiety. I saw them for my first few appointments for a pregnancy after a loss and found them to be dismissive, at times bordering on cruel. I also had billing challenges with them, which only adds to anxiety. |
Anonymous
| I adore Dr. Davis at Foxhall. I have some anxiety generally and she's been wonderfully understanding. I really look forward to seeing her. |