Prental care, when is the latest i can start?

Question

I am 5 weeks pregnant, i was tracking my periods for a year, and i am quite positive in terms
of the time i am due , give or take a week. I already take my prenatal vitamins and was
taking them before i got pregnant.

I am going to start having insurance in about two months, i could get on Medicaid but the
doctor i want, Columbia Presbytarian High Risk Obstetrics Department, doesnt take Medicaid.

So, should i just go to any random doctor for the first two months and then change, or is it
ok to just wait until i will have insurance coverage?

What happens during Prenatal care anyways, everything i read says that first trimester is really
just monitoring, and taking prenatal vitamins and general advice, but with the internet
and my husband being an RN, i think i can be ok without that, unless something ELSE happens
during prenatal care that i should know about.

So to make a long story short, do i wait till insurance or go anywhere because its necessary?

No, i am High Risk... thats why i want the high risk department. I have a rare Mullarian Anomoly

Answer 1

I was high risk and for me the first trimester and last were most important. I got weekly ultrasounds to check development and had up to 3 appts per week. For high risk mommies to be it's a lot more important to have regular checkups. I would suggest going ahead with the medicaid and switch later, it'll be easier because most medical records are stored digitally so changing OB/GYN's is super-simple, plus I bet you'd feel better knowing everything was OK instead of just hoping for the best...

Answer 2

I would definitely go with the doctor that you want and start the ball rolling quickly on getting a private insurance plan.

In the meantime, you could schedule just 1 visit at Columbia and pay out of pocket for that one visit, or ask if they can defer billing until your insurance is approved. Or they might only ask for a small co-pay.

It's not crucial that you have an early pre-natal appointment. I don't see my midwife until I'm 12-13 weeks along, and even then I'm not insistent upon it. If I had my way, I'd only be seen a few times throughout my pregnancy!

All the best and congrats on your pregnancy!

Answer 3

You should really go and be seen, early care is important, especially if you're high risk. Call the Medicaid office BEFORE you get formal approval and ask them if there are any restrictions to certain clinics, and use an OB or midwife at one of their approved clinics.

In many states (perhaps all?) when you are on maternal Medicaid, although they give you a formal "accepted" date, they typically will retropay for any visits related to the pregnancy, or for about 90 days.

When you go for your appointment and they ask for your insurance, tell them you've applied for maternal Medicaid. They can send you a bill later.

Good luck!

Answer 4

if you are high risk you should go as soon as posible. i was high risk so the OB dr seen me within 2 weeks of me taking a home pregnancy test. different dr's do different things. being 2 months pregnant isnt to late to change your dr's. just think real hard about what you are doing before you do it!

Answer 5

How old are you, are you in good health, have any of your sisters if you have any had complicated births? If you fall into a low risk category waiting a couple of months shouldn't be that big of a deal.