So important. Please help. UPDATE ON ORIGINAL POST

I know I am not a frequent poster, but i do read a lot. And now I need your girls' help. I am currently 20 weeks, 4 days. I had my Level 2 last night and found out that I am carrying a healthy baby girl. Then immediately afterwards I had my appointment with the Doctor. I explained to the doctor a "tightening" feeling that I have been having for a few weeks. (I actually rushed there last week, they brushed me off and gave me antibiotics for a UTI that I found out I never even had). Anyway, so tonight they hooked me up to a monitor and it turns out I was having LOTS of small contractions. Braxton Hicks. She called it an "Irritable Uterus." Anyway, to make a long story short, she was cold and terrified me and DH. She said things like, "Well the baby isn't viable at this point, and the medicine isn't known to help this early so it's sink or swim." I mean, it was awful. She was not comforting at all. So I want to switch doctors. I have not liked her from day 1 but this cemented my decision. She also said I should get a high risk consult, so I think this is my best chance to get better care. So my question is, can anyone recommend a high risk ob that specializes in this type of thing? (I guess pre-term labor or similar problems???) Preferrably one affiliated with North Shore??????

Update: We ended up trying to go to a doctor who was affiliated with North Shore who a friend recommended...Northern OB GYN, and they wouldn't see me today. We were totally freaked, so we made an appointment with the specialist out here in Suffolk that my original dr referred us to---Madonna Perinatal. And I am so glad that we did. We saw Dr. Jonathan Goldstein and he was wonderful. They did a full work-up and he said the most important thing is that the baby looks great, and my cervix looks great. He said if it were him he would treat it aggresively, so we said we wanted to do that. So apparently in 3 weeks (at 23 weeks) they can do a test called Fetal Fibro-Nectin? which is a swab test which tells them pretty definitively if you're going to go into labor in the next 2 weeks. So for the next three weeks (until I can have that test) I will be on modified bed rest, go back for weekly cervical "checks", and take a 3 day course (starting today) of a medication which calms uterine contractions. I loved him (so did DH) and he was comforting that he feels that everything is OK, but that we're being cautious. Thanks for all of the recommendations and thoughts!!!!

Message edited 12/4/2007 3:48:42 PM.

Re: So important. Please help.

I'm sorry, I don't have a doctor to recommend, but I wanted to offer some

Re: So important. Please help.

OMG... thats crazy...So sorry u have went through that with her!!!!!! I dont have a high risk doc that I know of, but good luck!!

Re: So important. Please help.

I am so sorry you had to deal with such a rude doctor...I don't know any high risk doctors...sorry. How often did you have the tightening? I don't understand why they would say the baby isn't viable...I thought the "tightening" was normal. I get this too...from what i've read it's ok.

Re: So important. Please help.

Re: So important. Please help.

Posted by headoverheels

Posted by DmarieK

I am so sorry you had to deal with such a rude doctor...I don't know any high risk doctors...sorry. How often did you have the tightening? I don't understand why they would say the baby isn't viable...I thought the "tightening" was normal. I get this too...from what i've read it's ok.

i think when the doctor said the baby was not viable at this point, she just meant that if the OP went into pre-term labor, the baby wouldn't survive.

i am sorry, i don't know any high-risk specialists, but i jsut wanted to offer you some and good thoughts!.

Re: So important. Please help.

What is wrong with your doctor??!!! I don't know any hi-risk doctors but maybe if you post of the parenting or IF board someone might be able to help you.

Re: So important. Please help.

I'm sorry to hear both about your condition and about the treatment you received. I would highly recommend my office, which includes a high-risk doctor, 4 OBGYNs and a sono doctor. All of my friends (all of whom are currently pregnant or have recently given birth) go there and we all love the doctors.

900 Northern Boulevard Suite 220
Great Neck, New York 11021
Phone: (516) 466-0778

ETA: they deliver exclusively at North Shore

Message edited 12/4/2007 8:57:09 AM.

Message edited 9/1/2009 12:36:37 PM.

Re: So important. Please help.

i'm so sorry your doctor was so rude and has no bedside manor. my friend was a high risk and got great attention. i changed doctors as well since my doctor had the same personality as your doctor and so far i have no complaints.

Women's Contemporary Care
120 Mineola Blvd # 100
Mineola, NY 11501
(516) 663-3010

I have two other friend's who speak very highly of this office and all go to different doctors. my doctor is dr. muscat and she is great and is the doctor my friend had when she was high risk!! Good luck!!

Re: So important. Please help.

Here's another NSUH doctor. He's great as well as any other doctor on staff. They are employed by the hospital.

Dr. Benjamin Goldman
Women's Care North Shore LIJ
865 Northern Blvd - 2nd Floor
Great Neck, NY 11021
(516) 622-5100

Defiantely change your doctor. I can't believe they gave you medicine for something you didn't have.

Re: So important. Please help.

Posted by MrsSteflily

Here's another NSUH doctor. He's great as well as any other doctor on staff. They are employed by the hospital.

Dr. Benjamin Goldman
Women's Care North Shore LIJ
865 Northern Blvd - 2nd Floor
Great Neck, NY 11021
(516) 622-5100

Defiantely change your doctor. I can't believe they gave you medicine for something you didn't have.

Re: So important. Please help.

Re: So important. Please help.

I'm so sorry that happened to you! I would def go see a new Dr ASAP!

Re: So important. Please help.

OMG! Christine I just saw this! What a jerk!!! Actually I went to L & D at 17 weeks eventhough my dr told me the hospital doesn't normally do anything for babies under 20 weeks. North Shore took great care of me! My dr is not high risk but he is fabulous! He said there are many drs who won't try to save babies under 23-25 weeks but he- thank God- is not one of them!!!

Call me so we can talk!!

Re: So important. Please help.

I don't have a doctor recommendation but just wanted to give

Re: So important. Please help.

I have a high risk dr., but they are associated with LIJ.
Just to offer some support, I had an "irritable uterus" at 29 weeks and Im still going strong now at 37 weeks....It turns out that I had a stomach intestinal bacteria that was causing the "irritable uterus"...is it possible that its your stomach and not uterus thats tightening? I know its hard to tell the difference, but I kept describing my tightening as feeling as if it were behind the baby.

Good Luck and keep asking if you know something doesnt feel right...it took me 3 nights in a row in the ER of getting sent home and my demanding to see a GI doctor before they diagnosed me with C Dif (the stomach thing) that was causing my contractions. It seems that when you are pregnant they only look at whats happening to the baby, when in reality an irritation in your body could be causing contractions. Dont know if this is what is going on with you...but it never hurts to know.

Re: So important. Please help. UPDATE ON ORIGINAL POST

Update on original post.

Re: So important. Please help. UPDATE ON ORIGINAL POST

So glad to hear you found a doctor your comfortable with. Sounds like everything should be ok.

Re: So important. Please help. UPDATE ON ORIGINAL POST

I'm glad to hear that it all worked out! I've heard of both groups and have heard good things about them!


Keep us posted!

Re: So important. Please help. UPDATE ON ORIGINAL POST

So glad you found someone you love and everything will be ok.

Re: So important. Please help. UPDATE ON ORIGINAL POST

So glad that you found someone you love and happy to hear that they have a positive plan.

Good Luck

Re: So important. Please help. UPDATE ON ORIGINAL POST

I had irritable uterus and cramping and my ob never said i had to go high risk doc for. They just told me, when i felt the tightening and pain that it was time to sit and rest with feet up until it goes away. I had up until i gave birth and my dd was born a day after due date.

Re: So important. Please help. UPDATE ON ORIGINAL POST

Just so you know...I had the FFN test done after my uterine irritability as well.
The FFn test is very accurate when you get a negative result(meaning you are safe for not going into labor for the next 2 weeks), but very inaccurate in detecting a positive result. I just figured I would tell you this so that if you get a negative you can feel safe, but if you get a positive, try not to freak out.
I had a positive FFN at 29 weeks and am now 37 weeks pregnant...so obvioulsy I did not go into labor in 2 weeks...my dr. says it has a 50% false positive, but is much more accurate when negative.
Good Luck!!
Ive been on bedrest since 29 weeks...its tough, but hang in there!!

Re: So important. Please help. UPDATE ON ORIGINAL POST

You are in great hands with Dr. Goldstein. I am one of his patients too. He saw me for an emergency consult at 8 weeks for my clotting disorder. He gave me all the facts but didn't use scare techniques. He spends as much time with me as I need and explains it as many times and in as many ways as I need until I understand. I was actually there today for my weekly monitoring. The women in the office are great too. Very friendly and personable. They treat you like a person not just a patient.
good luck and I pray baby keeps cooking