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A Little Poll... How long do your OB appointments last? Midwives?

1K views 20 replies 18 participants last post by  segolilymama 
#1 ·
How do they break down?

-Commuting time

-Wait time before appointment

-Time with assistants/nurses/etc.

-Time waiting in exam room/etc.

-Time actually spent with OB or MW

-Also, was your first appointment/intake significantly longer? How long was it?

Just wondering what the norm is!
 
#2 ·
I see a midwife (actually a team of 3 midwives - rotating).

-Commuting time - 15 minutes one way.

-Wait time before appointment - 5 minutes. I think once or twice I had to wait about 10-15 minutes.

-Time with assistants/nurses/etc. - None.

-Time waiting in exam room/etc. - None.

-Time actually spent with OB or MW - About an hour each time.

-Also, was your first appointment/intake significantly longer? How long was it? No, they have all been the same.
 
#3 ·
I see an ob/gyn in a hospital.

-Commuting time - 45 min each way

-Wait time before appointment - from 10 min to 1 hr

-Time with assistants/nurses/etc. - 15 min

-Time waiting in exam room/etc. - arghhhh you hit a nerve there, anything from 30 min to 1.5 hours (that was the last time, when I had to have my 2yo DD with me, and keep her entertained and away from the computer/ waste bin etc. in a cramped exam room)

-Time actually spent with OB or MW -15 min at most, thankfully so far my pregnancy has been very uneventful so he just checks for the heartbeat, any signs of oedema, measures my uterus, asks how I 've been, tells me when to schedule the next appointment and talks about any upcoming tests and that's about it.

In the first appointment, the time that I actually spent with him was quite longer, probably something like 45 minutes, he had to run some tests and discuss my past pregnancy, history etc. Maybe that was because I was also a new patient, so he needed more info on my background.
 
#4 ·
From my first pregnancy I saw an OB, and I'll give you the details below. I plan on seeing a midwife this time around (whenever I actually get pregnant), and I hope the experience is very different!

-Commuting time 0 - I worked in the same building and would just walk up the stairs

-Wait time before appointment - I once waited as long as 2 hours (!!!), but typically 45 minutes to 1 hour

-Time with assistants/nurses/etc. - 2/3 minutes (B/P, weight, checking urine)

-Time waiting in exam room/etc. - 15-20 minutes

-Time actually spent with OB or MW - 5 minutes or less

-Also, was your first appointment/intake significantly longer? How long was it? I don't remember too clearly, but I would say yes it was probably 10 minutes to take a history (that would have been taken by a nurse or resident).

It's no wonder I plan to use a midwife this time around!!
 
#5 ·
We are seeing the same midwives as last time.

-Commuting time - 10 min each way

-Wait time before appointment - 0 to 5 min, I think I had one appointment when I waited for 10 min.

-Time with assistants/nurses/etc. - 0 min

-Time waiting in exam room/etc. - 0 min

-Time actually spent with OB or MW - approximately 45 min.

-Also, was your first appointment/intake significantly longer? How long was it?

this time our first appointment was about the same, as we already knew everyone. With my first pregnancy the first appointment was probably about an hour, as it was more of a getting to know you session then anything else.
 
#6 ·
-Commuting time - 15-20 minutes each way

-Wait time before appointment - None

-Time with assistants/nurses/etc. - with both assistant and midwife the whole time

-Time waiting in exam room/etc. - none

-Time actually spent with OB or MW - 45 minutes to 1 hour

-Also, was your first appointment/intake significantly longer? How long was it? Same
 
#7 ·
Cool! Well, I might as well answer my own survey...

I am seeing a 2-midwife HB practice in the US, first baby. I just had my first "real" prenatal appointment last week @ 11 weeks, but have actually seen them a total of 4 times for things related to my first pregnancy, an "early" (~8-10 week) loss that completed only 6 weeks before I conceived again... so I can kinda answer most of these questions.

-Commuting time

0 minutes for most appointments, as they come to my home. In the late 2nd/early 3rd tri, they coordinate "group" visits that are longer and involve the handful of other moms who are due around the same time you are. Those are held at one of the MW's houses, but I've been there and it's only 7-8 minutes from my house.

-Wait time before appointment

-5-10 minutes.

-Time with assistants/nurses/etc.

0 minutes. Though their apprentice will be attending many of the appointments, she won't be leading or doing anything without a MW right there.

-Time waiting in exam room/etc.

0 minutes.

-Time actually spent with OB or MW

It should be about an hour for most appointments, though longer for the "group" appointments.

-Also, was your first appointment/intake significantly longer? How long was it?

2 hours.
joy.gif
All but 5 minutes of which consisted of me asking questions and talking about me and DH... My favorite subject.
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---

I'm not terribly surprised, of course, that OBs spend less time with people than MWs. But the disparity is still pretty shocking! And an hour and a half waiting in the exam room? Ay naku!/Oy vey!

Another part of why I asked was to confirm that I made the right decision (financially) by going with my current practice. My only other reasonable choice for a HB would be a much larger practice-- and though they do HBs, I would have to commute 1-2 hours round trip (depending on traffic) to their birth center for all but one of my appointments. Plus, given how much larger and busier that practice is, I'd have to imagine I'd be spending at least some time in their waiting room, etc. It's true that they are somewhat cheaper than my current MWs because my insurance would cover them more fully, but since I work from home running a sales-based business, and it's easy for me to literally value my time in $$, I think it at least evens out in opportunity cost/work missed. Even if my MWs are super-late, need to reschedule because of a birth, etc., it's little to no skin off my back, as I literally go from working on my computer to being at a MW appointment at the ring of my doorbell.

...plus, very little gas money spent! And easier for DH to be at the appointments as well.

(But no wonder my MWs, while "comfortable," probably make 20 cents on the local OB dollar-- even with almost no overhead and barely needing "office staff." They clearly can't take near as many patients!)
 
#8 ·
-Commuting time - 10 minutes each way,from home...longer when I go in straight from work

-Wait time before appointment - 5-10 minutes....20minutes was the longest

-Time with assistants/nurses/etc. - none

-Time waiting in exam room/etc. - none

-Time actually spent with OB or MW - 45 minutes to 1 hour

-Also, was your first appointment/intake significantly longer? How long was it?

pretty much the same...the lenght of my appointments depend on what is going on and what we talk about.

Quote:
Originally Posted by StudyingStones View Post

It's no wonder I plan to use a midwife this time around!!
I'm in Ontario also and this is what most of the people I know who've had an OB have reported... I've always had a great experience with our midwives. Yea, sometime the wait has been up to 20minutes, but I don't mind because when I am with the MW, I know I have her full attention for an hour. I just don't get why anyone in Ontario with a normal pg would get an OB instead of a MW...we are soooooo lucky here to have the option and that it's covered!!
 
#9 ·
I see a midwife (actually, a group of midwives) at an out-of-hospital birth center

-Commute time: 40-45 minutes

-Wait time before the appointment - 15 minutes to an hour - half an hour is honestly pretty normal, which is kind of frustrating

-Time with assistants/nurses/etc. - Basically none, though sometimes a student does part of the exam, but always with one of the midwives observing

-Time waiting in exam room/etc. - None - if they're taking you into the room, they're ready to see you, which is nice

-Time spent with the OB or MW - 15-45 minutes - this mostly depends on how many questions I have. They are done with checking things and asking me questions in 5-10 minutes. It seems so short, but really, I don't know what else they would check! They always check BP, HR for baby, fundal heigh, and, since about 28 weeks, position via palpation. I'm responsible for getting my own weight, which I relay to them. Oh, and they look at my edema and just shake their heads! (They worry a lot about pre-e with all the swelling, but my blood pressure is always great and my urine fine, so they just shake their heads!)

-First appointment/intake - Yeah, waaaaaaaaaaaay longer. At least an hour, maybe more. They asked zillions of questions.

I wish things ran more on schedule at my mw. On the plus side, I don't worry much about being late, since I figure they won't see me on time, anyway.
 
#10 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by monkeyscience View Post

-Time spent with the OB or MW - 15-45 minutes - this mostly depends on how many questions I have. They are done with checking things and asking me questions in 5-10 minutes. It seems so short, but really, I don't know what else they would check! They always check BP, HR for baby, fundal heigh, and, since about 28 weeks, position via palpation.
It's funny, because my MW only checked (and I assume only will check) pretty much the same things. It just seems like it's a more holistic, let's-chat-so-I-can-figure-out-what-you-need kind of thing (the other 30-45 minutes). Which is probably why even HB MWs have records just as good as hospital practitioners, even though they are sometimes at a loss for beneficial technology.
 
#11 ·
So I see a group of midwives at a partial hospital (maternity, NICU, emergency room) the the inner city.

Communte: 15 mins with traffic, it takes longer to find parking then to get there

Wait time: 0-15 mins

TIme with assistants nurses: 10 - urine sample, weight and blood pressure taken

Time waiting in exam room: my longest has been nearly 20 mins

Time spent with OB/Midwife: It usually takes about 10 mins but if I have questions or want to chat we can spend an hour easy

Intake appt: I think it was nearly 2 hours, not a dragging horrid two hours. We went over what happened at my c-section (with a differant practice) and why my shot at VBAC is so good. It was a really healing appt.
 
#12 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by buko View Post

It's funny, because my MW only checked (and I assume only will check) pretty much the same things. It just seems like it's a more holistic, let's-chat-so-I-can-figure-out-what-you-need kind of thing (the other 30-45 minutes). Which is probably why even HB MWs have records just as good as hospital practitioners, even though they are sometimes at a loss for beneficial technology.
Yeah, dh and I have both commented a few times that it feels like they do so little checking on things... but we can't think of anything else for them to check, either! And I've done a ton of reading - it's not like I have warning signs they're ignoring. Most everything has been textbook normal with my pregnancy. I have felt like CRAP a bunch, but it's all normal stuff. Baby seems as healthy as a horse, by all possible measures. I guess it's a new experience for us to deal with the 'medical' profession on such a regular basis when nothing is wrong. How chatty my mws are seems to vary depending on who I see, and also on how tired they are - when they've been up all night at a birth the night before, they are definitely less chatty! I mean, the still answer my questions, but there's not as much "visiting". I just wish they were closer by, so the commute was shorter, especially now that I'm in every week. But I chose that practice because I liked it best, even though there is a birth center literally <5 minutes from my apartment. (Though it was a little further away from our old apartment - still way closer, though!)
 
#13 ·
-Commuting time- 45 mins each way

-Wait time before appointment - 0 mins

-Time with assistants/nurses/etc. 0 mins

-Time waiting in exam room/etc.0 mins

-Time actually spent with OB or MW 45min-1hour

-Also, was your first appointment/intake significantly longer? How long was it? no, about the same as all appts.

sometimes, i feel like its a pain to drive so far, but i use to have to wait SO long for my OB, always 45min to an hour - and then have a short appt that i hated, so this is better :)
 
#14 ·
I see a homebirth midwife at her home. She only schedules one person at a time, so no waits.

-Commuting time - 2 hours there and 2 hours back (well worth it!).

-Wait time before appointment - No wait.

-Time with assistants/nurses/etc. - She has no nurses or assistants.

-Time waiting in exam room/etc. - None unless she is on the phone when we arrive or something.

-Time actually spent with OB or MW - About an hour, sometimes a little less.

-Also, was your first appointment/intake significantly longer? How long was it?

That was 5+ years ago, so I really don't remember! Probably a little longer than normal.
 
#15 ·
I'm seeing a team of midwives at a local birth center.

-Commuting time About 10-12 minutes one way

-Wait time before appointment Varies, usually 5-10 minutes max for them to prep my file and dipstick my pee

-Time with assistants/nurses/etc. n/a

-Time waiting in exam room/etc. n/a

-Time actually spent with OB or MW Anywhere from 30 min to an hour, depending on my questions or whatever. If she only asks how things are and checks the baby, that part alone takes about 25-30 minutes.

-Also, was your first appointment/intake significantly longer? How long was it? It was, but that was because there was only one midwife at the practice at the time of the appt and a newborn came in needing to be checked out for something, so we had to wait about 30 min for that to get taken care of. Entire appt only took about 1 hr 15 min.
 
#16 ·
I'm so jealous of those of you with midwives! I'm on pregnancy-medicaid and it's just not an option for me. I see our family doctor who is also a personal friend, and is willing to consider doing a homebirth for me, assuming everything still looks low-risk by the end. So I'm pretty comfortable with her, but wow, it would be nice to actually have time to discus things during the visit rather than spend most of it in the waiting room.

-Commuting time

5 min. one way

-Wait time before appointment

anywhere from 5-45 min., typically 30 min.

-Time with assistants/nurses/etc.

5 min.

-Time waiting in exam room/etc.

typically 10-15 min, once went as long as 45 min.

-Time actually spent with OB or MW

scheduled for 10 min., sometimes if she's running behind and there's nothing we NEED to discus she'll hurry it shorter than that. She also is flexible enough to go over time when really needed though.

-Also, was your first appointment/intake significantly longer? How long was it?

No. 10 min.
 
#17 ·
We see a midwife.

-Commuting time 15 minutes

-Wait time before appointment 10 minutes

-Time with assistants/nurses/etc. none

-Time waiting in exam room/etc. none

-Time actually spent with OB or MW only had our first appointment so far. the MWs say that a typical appointment is 45 minutes to 1 hr.

-Also, was your first appointment/intake significantly longer? How long was it? Our intake lasted 2.5 hours, about 20 minutes of it was me filling out paperwork.
 
#18 ·
I see a family practice doctor. She delivered our baby two weeks ago and she'll be our child's pediatrician and my primary care doc.

-Commuting time 10 minutes

-Wait time before appointment at most 10 minutes. I never actually had to wait for a prenatal appointment. The first wait time I had was for a pediatric appointment after the babe was born.

-Time with assistants/nurses/etc. None. It's a micropractice, so it's just her.

-Time waiting in exam room/etc. None

-Time actually spent with OB or MW She spent between half and hour to an hour with me on my prenatal appointments, depending on whether I had questions or concerns. Some of them were just routine appointments that we could whiz through. The shortest I ever had was 15 minutes because I showed up late accidentally.

-Also, was your first appointment/intake significantly longer? How long was it? I think I spent over an hour with her at my first appointment going over medical history, etc. She's wonderful about making sure questions are answered, so appointments can take as long or as short as I want them to.
 
#19 ·
We've been to the same midwife clinic for all 3 pregnancies, each time we get a rotating team of 2-3 midwives.

-Commuting time about 10 minutes by car, but I usually go by subway on my way to work, so it takes me about 30-40 minutes.

-Wait time before appointment Usually none, they are normally ready at the scheduled time. I do my weight/pee testing before the appointment, so even if there is a 'wait', I am busy doing something anyways!

-Time with assistants/nurses/etc. N/A

-Time waiting in exam room/etc. None

-Time actually spent with OB or MW 45 mins - 1 hour.

-Also, was your first appointment/intake significantly longer? How long was it? Same, about 1 hour.

While I haven't had an OB, I have to say the environment is much much different than what I've experienced from Dr/pediatrician appointments. Moms come early to browse the lending library, the midwives come out to greet the kids/babies (even if they are not your midwife), there is usually a new mom sitting comfortably on the couch nursing a baby, etc. There is no 'rush' feeling, everything is so relaxed and comfy and homey. Girlfriends who have gone the OB route said there experience was much different!
 
#20 ·
commute -45 minutes

wait - 5minutes or less

there's no nurse or waiting room time b/c it's just the midwife

time w/midwife - 15-30 minutes

My first appointment was longer with my second b/c we had to go over everything. With my third it was the normal amount of time.
 
#21 ·
-Commuting time 0, my midwife does all appts at my home

-Wait time before appointment - again, 0

-Time with assistants/nurses/etc. - when she brings an assistant, they work together, so this is part of the appt with her

-Time waiting in exam room/etc. 0

-Time actually spent with OB or MW -approximately 1 hour per visit.

-Also, was your first appointment/intake significantly longer? How long was it? My first appt was me interviewing her, in her home. We talked for about 1.5 hours, about birth philosophy, what I want to experience this time, previous births, etc
 
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