Moving during pregnancy

[dollysods]

Any one else move or moving during pregnancy to a completely different area or state?

Any tips for dealing with the logistics of switching care providers or for dealing with the stress and emotional upheaval?

I am very anxious to likely be leaving midwives and a birth center I love for an area where there are pretty much no options outside of hospital birth or unassisted homebirth.

Has anyone traveled back to their original home area for delivery?

[MaerynPearl]

I found out I was pregnant in January... having already planned a move in July... am due in September.

We HAVE moved our move date to June just for my own comfort... and because I will be nearing third tri I will be flying down with DD while my DH drives all of our stuff with DS.

As for switching providers... I found a homebirth midwife who practices in the area we will be moving to by 5 weeks (didnt want her to already be booked for my month!) and flew down once about 7 weeks ago to meet with her. Otherwise, we keep in contact over email. I informed my doctor upon my first visit that I will be moving in June, which is fine with her as she is due in late July and this way I can keep her as my doctor until the move!

It all ended up much easier than I thought. The internet is a wonderful resource for researching providers. I suggest checking the tribal area for the area you will be moving to for suggestions. Before I did that I also thought there were no homebirth midwives in the area but was pleasantly surprised to find out just how very wrong I was! I LOVE my midwife!

[aikigypsy]

I moved back to my hometown durring my last pregnancy. I already knew the local CNM by reputation, and had had a couple of bad experiences at the hospital where I began my pre-natal care, so I was quite happy with the switch.

Getting records transferred was no problemb, but it's good to get a copy for yourself in case they get lost in the mail/fax/office.

[Lauren31]

I moved from the US to Germany at 4.5 months pregnant and did just fine. I was seen by a German OB here hand loved it. I got a great, natural hospital birth. I really think its all what you make of it. I personally would recommend moving BEFORE you give birth rather then afterwards bc that is just WAY more stressful and it's hard enough moving without a newborn to care for. Plus, I turned into a homebody after birth and would not have wanted to deal with moving or being at a relatives house at that time. I think you should just meet with the OBs and see what they are all about. Check into midwives, ask around. You might find something that you like after all.

[Sobranna]

I'm doing both (moving during & after pregnancy) ... which will just have to be okay. I'm finding the website ratemds.com to be really useful in finding a new doc. I've looked up a few that have high ratings and good comments, and match it with the listings on my insurance providers' website. Not a perfect system, but it's helping!

[oakparkveggie]

I moved several states away when I was 20 weeks pregnant with my youngest. I went from a CNM practice that I loved to having to find something that worked with DH's new insurance plan.

I asked around on the tribal area and it turns out that the hospital my husband got a position at had a really high c/s rate and no one could recommend any OBs there. I did panic a bit, but was able to switch insurance options to the more expensive PPO choice. So, I found a practice of CNMs and did pay quite a bit out of pocket, but was worth it.

Moving was a bit stressful,m but I had a toddler to keep me busy and found a wonderful group of local AP friends for support. Hoping things go as smoothly as possible for you!

[paintedfire]

I'm moving approximately six blocks at the beginning of next month when I'll be just around eight weeks along.

DF and I bought a townhouse near the beginning of the year and the renovations are (finally!) wrapping up, which is good considering my apartment has already been sold. At least he has it worse than I do, geography wise. I'm only crossing over one neighborhood - he's switching islands. I do not envy him.

Good luck!

[umsami]

I'm facing this. I'm due at the end of August/early September...and am high risk. We're supposed to move roughly 1200 miles away in July. Basically, I have three options:

1) Stay where I am by myself (with the kids) and give birth here...and then move.

2) Go to my parents house, where they can help with the kids, give birth there. I'd be going up there in July--so two months before I give birth. Still about 9 hours away from DH.

3) Move to the new place in July and try and find a good high risk OB. I've done some research online, but nothing will be settled until I move.

Not sure what i'll do yet.

[LaydieBugs]

I just moved, at 36 weeks ... it's not easy but it was the best choice for a number of reasons.

When I found out I was pregnant, home was Portland OR but I was working 2 hours east in a very small town (small enough even the local hospital doesn't deliver babies).

At first I wanted to have the baby in Portland, where I'd have a myriad of options for the birth, and I'd be closer to my family and established friends. Daddy & I were "just friends" by that point anyway and it seemed fine to not have him at/in the delivery.

But over the months he and I found how we are partners in this, despite remaining "just" friends, and I couldn't imagine spending the baby's first little while away from his father. So I decided to establish myself near Dad.

The hospital 45 minutes away only had an OB practice whose methods I didn't like at all. I found a midwife at a hospital an hour away, but there'd only be a 1/3 chance she'd deliver the baby (more likely, one of her OB associates, whose answers about episiotomies and such weren't good enough). Plus the stress of all the appointments ... rushing to a 20 week ultrasound in a snowstorm was the last straw in asking, "can we really do this, so far away?"

My insurance didn't cover any other options but I looked and looked, and found a home birth midwife who served the town I'm working in. I didn't think home birth was for me, but all the other factors made sense: I could have all my prenatal appointments a few minutes away from work. I'd not have to travel far under pressure. By now we'd decided Daddy would be my birth support, and a home birth was one he could be sure to get to.

I did keep my place in Portland though, for the sake of sanity ... it's expensive but let me avoid abandoning my "home" completely, for as long as possible. At 36 weeks we settled me into an apartment near Dad's; for awhile I can't go to Portland, and I've moved most of my life here for now. But this is where I and baby have the best support for labor, and newborn days.

It's still tough every day that I'm not at "home" near my family ... I can't even practice my religion much out here ... but I'm happy with the medical care, and the things that are truly most important in the newborn days are here.

Good luck with your decision - the first of many tough ones!

[osker]

We're moving in a month. And switching providers as of tomorrow! We'll be 30 weeks when we move and it's definitely going to stink. It's going to make getting to the birth center more difficult than the hospital we would have been at. But it's a much better choice in the long run. We're sort of doing this half-move where my job is staying, my house is moving... but then after July my job is moving... so we'll be in limbo a bit, but after the birth and going home things will be lined up and very good... So we're willing to be inconvenienced for a little while to set things up better in the long run!
Technically, we'll be traveling back to former home area to deliver... but we're talking less than an hour's travel ever in either direction...

Good luck!

[Kidzaplenty]

No help from me. We have moved several times when pg. I just usually UP/UC from that point.