So I got a letter in the mail today. My OB-GYN practice is getting rid of all their midwives, effective two weeks from now. They are moving all their current midwives’ patients to the practice’s owner, a male OB-GYN.

Argh! Not good. :-( I am over 30 weeks along and to be honest, the last thing I want to do is change doctors again. I moved to this practice when I was 16 weeks along for two reasons – 1) the other doctor and hospital were far away from my current place of living, and 2) I didn’t care for some of the things she said (like criticizing my choice to stay home full-time after the baby). I really liked the midwife I had been seeing, and was looking forward to finishing this pregnancy with her.

So a few other complications. My current practice takes my insurance but is not considered “in-network” which means insurance only covers 70% of the cost. I was just telling Paul earlier today that despite the increase cost, I was glad that I had switched because I liked my midwife so well. I also like this hospital a lot, which fortunately is also in-network. However, I wonder if this is the time to look into finding a doctor who is in-network since I have to change anyway.

I probably need to make a decision really soon. Here are my options as I see them:
1) Stay with the current practice and the same hospital. The pros: They have all my records; the transition would be the easiest; I’d be able to deliver at the hospital I like. The cons: They’re out-of-network; the doctor is a male (which I’d really rather not have); I anticipate long waits at the office as they go from 3 practitioners to 1.
2) Move back to my original doctor at a different hospital. The pros: While she isn’t my top choice she would be okay; she’s in-network. The cons: I’d prefer not to deliver at the other hospital; I’m not sure the doctor and I are in-sync and the last thing I want is to be dealing with that while in labor; that practice was really busy and I often waited 45 minutes to an hour at my appointments.
3) Move to a midwife my friend recommends who is also at the same hospital. The pros: High recommendation; she would be more in-sync with what I am wanting; the practice is in the same place as my current one and the hospital would be the same. The cons: She is also out-of-network so I’d be paying 30% (as opposed to 10% of the cost).
4) Find an in-network doctor affiliated with the same hospital. The pros: I’d pay less and would still be able to stay at the same hospital. The cons: I don’t like the thought of moving to a randomly selected doctor this late in the game (with less than 10 weeks until my due date); if I dislike the doc I really don’t have time to find a new one.

I’m trying really hard not to freak out; my pregnancy hormones have been especially out of whack today as I have burst into tears at least three different times.