Finding a good GP... when?

Hi,

We're going to TTC in about 3-4 months time and we've just moved to a new suburb (20mins) from the last suburb where we lived. I wanted to ask, should I find a GP in the area that I know I can feel comfortable with to use as my doctor whilst pregnant? For all my prenatal advice, care, tests etc and for throughout the pregnancy also?

I want to find a good female GP around the Southern Gold Coast and Tweed area... can anyone recommend one that they know of or what did you do when you were going to try to conceive... did you find a doctor once you found out you were pregnant? I'd like to find someone i am comfortable with and someone who is thorough and not a lazy doctor (there are plenty of them around).... there seems to be lots of male doctors in the area here! I'm just more comfortable with a female, especially for "female" related things like pregnancy and pap smears.

I'm just worried that if i leave it too late and once i'm pregnant, i may find a doctor i'm not happy with and then be stuck with that one doctor...
I know it sounds like a silly question......... but just want to hear what did you girls do? Did you find a family doctor before TTC or when you fell pregnant? I just don't want to be preg and then swapping docs in the first few weeks whilst getting tests etc as it's too confusing for record keeping etc...

Thanks :)

Hi Renstar

I'm not sure how much you know about your health care options during pregnancy so just briefly:
You can choose public or private (obviously)
If you choose public, you can choose to do 'shared-care' with your GP - this means you will go to your GP for all your antenatal appointments, your GP will refer you to the hospital to book for the birth and for your ultrasounds and bloodtests etc.
OR you can choose to attend your hospital's antenatal clinic. This means you only go to your GP once - to get the initial referral. After that, you go to the hospital antenatal clinic for all your appointments and you see the midwives there. Some hospitals (I don't know if Gold Coast does - the Mater in Brisbane does) also have midwifery clinics in the suburbs so you don't actually have to go to the hospital for your appointments. This is what I did and it was fantastic. I honestly had no complaints about any of my antenatal care. I loved seeing the midwives instead of a GP and will def. be doing it this way next time.

Anyway, the point of my rambling is that you really only need to worry about finding a really good GP if you are planning on the shared-care option. Otherwise, you will be seeing your OB/GYN (private) or midwives and not a GP for the duration of your pregnancy.
Having said that, it is always nice to have a good GP you know and like for the times when you do need to go there, regardless of pregnancy.

Sorry, I wrote a novel...

Thanks hannah, that's really helpful ... you can write as much as you like! I am trying to know as much as I can now so i know what my options are once we fall pregnant as i don't want to be worrying about it when I am pregnant. I'm going "public" for our 1st baby to see what it's like... my DF is a theatre nurse (registered nurse) and he knows the equipment is excellent in public hospitals as is the staff there too, just as good as private hospitals so we are going public... hence no fortnightly payments! haha

Seeing the midwives at the hospital each time for the checkups sounds good... are they just as thorough as a GP would be if you saw your local GP at the family clinic each time??? Do they all do the same stuff?? Sorry I'm so uneducated about all this so far!

Sounds like i might enjoy going to the hospital and seeing midwives each time... so just see GP for initial consult like you did.... i'll be going to the Tweed Heads Hospital, northern NSW (border of QLD) if that's the case... it's closest to us. The Gold Coast Hospital is 30mins up the road, bit too far....and overcrowded from what i've heard???

Another question : the midwives that you see at your appointments each time at the hospital, are they the same midwives you have during the birth? Or could they be different each time??? Depending on their shifts of course...???

Just trying to get organised early....!

Renstar, I'm glad you asked this question. I just moved to Bondi from Canada and I just get headaches trying to figure out the health system here. I see lots of Doctor's offices but they seem to be walk-in places. Are they also GP's? I went to a walk-in lady Dr here for another issue and I didn't get the sense that she was someone to go to for pregnancy care. Maybe it is more the transient Bondi culture or something. I have heard about the Royal Hospital for Women in Randwick, but from what I can gather it seems like you need a referral or something. It is so confusing. Don't even ask me about Private Insurance stuff, I can barely wrap my head around it. I just would like to know there is somewhere I can go and feel comfortable. Assuming of course that we manage to get pregnant!

Thanks Hannah for some of the answers!

S.

Eskaye, welcome to Australia firstly! It's a great place! So is Canada, my DF and I lived over there for 5months in Banff while we worked the ski season, it was awesome, such a beautiful country...!! And the canadians are soooo friendly!

Hannah's advice was helpful to me too. I think what i will do is talk to a local doctor (medical centre or family clinic or doctor surgery) and see what they say and recommend and they should be able to help me with my options, and yours aswell... a GP is the same thing as a doctor really, (GP = General Practitioner).

Good luck! When are you going to TTC? Now? Best wishes, see you around BellyBelly!

Renstar - I'm glad I was able to help a little bit. Although, I have to say - I'm not 100% sure if it is run the same way in NSW as it is in QLD. I assume it is something that QLD Health would be responsible for so it might be different on the other side of the border? When I was pg, I did a google search and found some helpful govt. info.

The midwifery clinic I went to had about 5 midwives and they tried to make it so you got to meet all of them during your antenatal care and then they would figure their hospital shifts out so that at least one of them would be on duty all the time. That way, a midwife you know will be on duty when you deliver. I actually transferred hospitals in the last month so I can't tell you if their system worked or not - but to be honest - I couldn't have cared less which midwife was there when I delivered!! LOL

I think you def. get the same, if not a higher level of care with the midwives compared to a GP - the midwives are all registered nurses to begin with and then they have to do graduate study to register as midwives so they are pretty thoroughly trained. They do all the stuff your GP does - check blood pressure, test urine, listen to fetal heart rate etc. Plus it was nice to have women caring for me who had all had babies before. But that is my opinion - I am really pro-midwifery (as you can tell!) I have heard some people complain about waiting times for appts in public hospitals but I have to say all my appointments were on time. I have heard that Gold Coast hospital maternity is pretty crowded and busy. Tweed would be smaller so probably a nicer place to pick - as long as you have no complications etc.
Another thing to think about when you choose a hospital is the number of women they have in a room on the wards. The hospital I ended up delivering at had a maximum of 2 per room and a bathroom shared between 2 which was great. I have visited some friends who had a tiny curtained off area with 6 women in the room and a bathroom down the hallway.

We had private health insurance but I didn't want to go down that road because I wanted as 'natural' a birth as possible.

You're definitely best off to just ask a GP and see what they recommend. They might be able to tell you what the OB/GYN services in your area are like. Besides which, after you have a baby, you will want a GP you know and trust to go to for your post-partum check ups and to take your baby to if you have any concerns. So I reckon it is worth shopping around for a good GP now.

Eskaye - Yes, you need a referral from a GP to the hospital. They just write you a letter that says you are pregnant and send it to the hospital.

Thanks Hannah, you're really helpful! I think i'll find a good GP and talk to them and you're right, after having a baby i'll need a good reliable one anyway.

I looked up some info on the net about the Tweed Hospital (it's 10mins down the road from us so very close!) and they have 4 birthing rooms, 12 postnatal rooms (4 single, 8 double), 8 gynaological beds (what are they for?? I know what the word means but what are the beds for?) and 7 special care nursery cots available. i dont know how up to date the info is but does that seem like a decent sized hospital?? It doesn't look like there are any 4-share rooms so that's good!!!I think if i was sharing with someone i'll be happy no worries... I would hope my bathroom is in the room though! That's awful if it's down the hall! Especially if you've just had a c/section! gosh! (i hope mine will be natural)

It's either Tweed Hospital or Gold Coast Hospital...I think it's smart to be at a hospital that is close however if there are complicatoins, do you think they would end up taking me to the Gold Coast Hosp? I notice you mentioned that if there were complications... cos' its a smaller hospital and all that... they still have the right equipment though don't they to cope with just about anything????
as you said, i don't mind what midwives will be at the birth, as long as they are all fully trained!!! :) I think you would be in too much pain too care really??

Renstar,

Hannahfroodoo has given some good advice/info there. Thinking about birth complications is definitely something to consider. All hospitals will have the basic equipment but generally the bigger the hospital the better equipped they are so being close to Tweed may be good but in the event of complications you may be better off at Gold Coast hospital even if it is busy.

We all hope there won't be complications and for the majority of people there won't be but if there are you want to be in the right hands. Midwives are all very well trained but if there are complications its the OB/GYN that's going to need to come to the rescue.

DH and I are TTC #1. I'll be going privately. I've got a great OB/GYN who I've been seeing for many years (had Papsmear irregularity 10 years ago) and she's great. I'll use her for my pg and obviously go to whatever hospital she works out of. I put my trust in her that whatever hospital she uses is well equipped.

The "gynaecological beds" at the hospital would be for women having other gynaecological surgeries (eg. hysterectomy).

Good luck!

Thanks Principessa.... I am a little worried about being at a small hospital in that they may not be able to help me if complications arise... i'm pretty healthy but hey, you never know huh..? and pregnancies are something totally different to regular health!
have you heard good stories about going public at the gold coast hospital??
What happens though if you are booked in at the Gold Coast Hospital for the approx date of delivery, and then you are leaving home and your waters break and you just about to give labour and the baby is coming out, do you then just go to the Tweed Hospital?? As it's closer? Or have the baby in the car on the way to the Gold Coast Hosp? What would you do??? I have no idea!

Probably the best thing for me would be as soon as i am preg, visit the gold coast hospital and visit the tweed hospital and talk to midwives there?? Can you do that? Take a tour around...
Good luck TTC! How exciting for you !

QUOTE BY ANOTHER POST : Tweed Hospital has 20 beds, 4 birth suites and a level 2 special care nursery. Antenatal classes are run by the midwives who work there. There is also an antenatal clinic which is run by midwives. Doctors are available for the more high risk situation. Approximately a third of the women who birth their babies at Tweed cross the border from Queensland to do so. There is an early discharge program where women can be visited by a midwife. Some areas of the Gold Coast are also covered for this service: Tugun, Kirra, Currumbin, Tallebudgera etc. Check with the hospital to find out. I have never heard of women or babies being transferred to Gold Coast Hospital for a higher level of care. In the more complicated situation, women and babies are transfered to tertiary hospitals in the capital cities via ambulance, helicopter or light aircraft with medical staff. The staff are committed to giving a high level of care. Woman-centred care is ideal."

I found this looking through old posts, back from Nov 06. a midwife posted the above so that is useful to know.....

Thanks girls, first i have to get pregnant! (lol) than find GP in area then choose which hospital ... probably Tweed... its close and i've read good things about it. IF not happy i can always swap and go to GC Hosp.

Renstar, good luck with your research. And I thought I was a bit obsessive. :lol: I spend half my day looking things up on the internet on the half chance that I get pregnant.
We are trying to TTC now (since November). May I say in a subtle manner? That means I am off the BCP and hubby agrees, but there really is no discussion. I don't know if that helps or hinders the obsession.
If things go well, I have decided that I will go public. We don't have a whole lot of money, especially after the move and with me not yet working. I will have to find a decent GP for general care and after stuff.

S.