Pregnant with no doctor

[Rekcus]

So I found out I'm pregnant and I have no doctor in Saint John. I'm pretty sure that no doctors are accepting patients. Anyone have any suggestions about where to get medical care?

[iluvmnm]

There is a clinic at st. Joe's ...it is on the 9th floor..that is where most women without doctors go...i went there for my 2nd daughter because my family doctor has stopped delivering babies and from there i ended up seeing a specialist for different reasons. But just call st joes or go in and up to the 9th floor and they will make u an appt.

[dittydottie]

My daughter went there when she was pregnant for 2 of her kids.Matter of fact come time for delivering her first one the doctor who delivered just so happened to be one of the ones she had been seeing at the clinic.They are wonderful there.

[babydoll101]

Yes you just call and make an appt. I went there for my 21/2 year old. They are wonderful there. The doctor I have now also works there at least one day a week. I don't know what I would have done without them. Back then they had just recently opened it.

[FutureChief88]

Just be stern when you go in.. I had major problems and so did a friend of mine.. with these people.
They told me that i had a miscarriage and being a person who has gone through this 3 times before.. I was extremely upset! .. I am now almost 6 months pregnant. I think i had heard that the doc that was seeing me had retired.. i am not sure tho. She was russian or something.

Also, i had been told by Dr. Sanderson, that if i were to have any other pregnancies, that he wanted to follow me. I requested to be transferred and have a referral sent by them.. they of course refused.. and just treated me like i was crazy. I had to go through extreme means to get into him.. Finally he heard i was trying to get into him and he called me right away.

They were so concerned about my weight when i started going there ... they wanted to take me off prenatals.. Cause i had gained 3 pounds in one week. they said the baby is only this big.. (tiny) and you shouldnt be gaining that much. But they didnt consider that i had JUST quit smoking 3 weeks before.. and my increase of iron was binding me up. Needless to say,... I have not gained an excess amount of weigt.. I am actually under schedule for weight gain.

I just found.. With experience of dealing with extremly rough pregnancies.. That this woman had no idea what was going on. I had to tell herwhat to do..and what i wanted done.. I just dont think that is right. It may be ok for a second time mom. but first time moms could lack care.

either way.. if you dont have a family doctor.. unfortunately, this is your only option.

Good luck.. and i wish you all the best!

[patbez]

Yes, call St. Joe's!

I'm 4 1/2 months pregnant & have been going there. They probably won't make an appointment for you until you are about 2 months pregnant though. That's when they scheduled me for my first...unless you've had prior pregnancies with complications.

They're really nice. The only things I dislike are the looooong wait times...my first appointment I sat in the waiting room for 20 minutes & my last appointment I waited for an hour. But they apologized. & the fact that they have 7 different doctors that rotate & therefore if could be any one of them at any given appointment. Plus whoever of the 7 is on call at the hospital when you go into labour is the one that will deliver your baby. I just wish they'd schedule you each time to coincide with the same doc you had during your first appointment. Of course you'd probably have a different one for delivery...but it'd at least be nice to have the same doc for each appointment. Luckily I've had the same doctor [Dr. Roberts] for both of my appointments.

[FutureChief88]

Dr Roberts is AWESOME! I dealt with her in emerg at the beginning of my pregnancy and she was so attentive! the only person who helped me out at all!

[patbez]

Yes, Dr. Roberts is really nice. My next appointment [after my first u/s which is next Monday] is Friday the 14th & all of my appointments have been one month apart, on a Friday...so I hope I get her again :)

[Rekcus]

How far along will you be when you get your ultrasound? I still have another 2 weeks until my first appointment and soooo can't wait to get one.

[patbez]

Reckus: I won't even be 18 weeks, so they're doing it a bit early.

Unfortunately, the care here in Atlantic Canada as far as ultrasounds are concerned, hasn't caught up with the rest of the country yet, where women are getting their first ultrasounds pretty early.

Unless you're high risk or they think something may be wrong, you probably won't have your first u/s until 18-20 weeks :/

Your first appointment will probably just include paperwork [family history etc.] & a vaginal exam. At your second appointment [most likely a month later] you'll probably hear the baby's heartbeat & they'll check your tummy etc. but no vaginal exam...then you'll most likely have your u/s about a month after that & soon after another appointment where you'll speak to a nurse from the regional, whom comes in to St. Joe's once or twice a month, I believe. You may have more frequent appointments & check-ups if they see anything of concern, but if this is your first pregnancy & you're fairly healthy, you'll probably have a similar appointment schedule to mine.