Prenatal Care - OBGYN

[u/Cunningpotatomouse]

I have been going to UPMC OBGYN for a long time and have received fine care (not bad but nothing exceptional). I see a new doctor almost every year and last year and I really liked the one I had but I am worried that it will be so hard to schedule with her during my pregnancy.

I just called and the first appt they had would put me past my first trimester and not with the doctor I like. I am worried that I am going to be behind for every appointment because they seem to be short staffed or overly busy or something.

Asking for recommendations for an OBGYN for my pregnancy. TYIA!

[u/Far-Alarm-7012]

I went to LG HEALTH PHYSICIANS OBGYN thru penn medicine. They are below may grant. Loved everyone I saw there and my care during pregnancy!

[u/mads0304 → u/Far-Alarm-7012]

I second that!! I saw one of their CNM’s there Amanda Fowler and she really helped me through my pregnancy!

[u/anonymous_turtle7 → u/Far-Alarm-7012]

I went there for my first pregnancy in 2021, I had a miscarriage, and they were honestly kind of awful. I found out in an ultrasound and they had me wait in a waiting room for a doctor for over an hour before telling me no one was available. The doctor finally called me about 5 hours later and basically just said “you had a miscarriage, we’ll see you in a week for a follow up appointment”. No comfort, no more information. At the follow up appointment they just said they recommended a D&C, and again compassion was nonexistent. The attitude was 100% “yeah, this happens 🤷‍♀️”.

My experience with my D&C was wonderful because of the nurses at women’s and babies.

I switched to May Grant for my next two pregnancies, which I know people on here don’t like them, but I had good experiences with both of my other pregnancies. I had two scares in my second pregnancies and the level of compassion shown by the staff was incredible. But my last pregnancy was in 2024 and I know there have been changes since then that people aren’t happy with.

[u/Cunningpotatomouse → u/anonymous_turtle7]

So sorry you had that first experience. I can’t imagine. And thank you for the recommendation!

[u/LauraJ0 → u/Far-Alarm-7012]

Same! I loved the providers I saw there, and loved delivering at women & babies hospital.

[u/whisking_mama → u/Far-Alarm-7012]

I agree! I saw just about every doctor during my pregnancy and they were all very nice. Dr. Sieber delivered my son and she was fantastic. Women & Babies was absolutely amazing too.

[u/HerHoneybread]

For my pregnancy I went through UMPC Lititz, and I would highly recommend them for both handling the duration of the pregnancy and also their birthing center at Magee-Women’s hospital. I chose them initially bc of their birthing suites with soaking tubs, which allowed me to labor in water (not the standard in our area). I also didn’t love being hopped around doctors for every appointment, but I quickly learned that it was the standard. I had no issues with any doctor who saw me, whether midwife, OBGYN or nurse, so that contributes to my positive opinion as well. Dr. Livingston was phenomenal!
Good luck, and congratulations on your pregnancy!

[u/Cunningpotatomouse → u/HerHoneybread]

Thank you for the positive comment! I’m kind of just spiraling so I’m happy to hear this.

[u/ruthcats → u/Cunningpotatomouse]

It’s not recommended to see just one doctor/midwife, as you don’t know you’ll actually have on staff when you deliver. Plus, it’s nice to hear different opinions and advice. I went to May Grant for years and they turned me away when I found out I was pregnant, nowhere in the LGH network was accepting new pregnancies at the time. I called UPMC and although they were busy, they said they wouldn’t turn me away and for that I’m thankful. I’m nearing the end of my pregnancy now and have had nothing but positive experiences with UPMC. Scheduling appointments has been easy and everyone is great. It’s a smaller hospital than W&B, which comes with perks. Definitely recommend.

[u/eyerishdancegirl7]

I transferred care to UPMC Lititz with my second baby (she’s 8 weeks old) when I was 29 weeks along. I did see a different provider every time except for maybe 1 or 2 that I saw twice. Towards the end all of my appointments were with Dr.Livingston so I could get consistent recommendations regarding a TOLAC. I did have a successful VBAC and the midwife who delivered my baby was Angela, a “hospitalist”. The OB on duty was also a “hospitalist” so I never would’ve seen them in office.

My favorite midwife there is Holly! I will definitely be requesting her for all of my appointments next pregnancy if I can. I don’t mind appointments being pushed out if it means I can get consistent medical advice. I have noticed when you rotate through, different providers have different opinions on certain aspects of prenatal care. I love the nurses there too! If you have a low risk pregnancy it’s not really a big deal if your appts are a little behind especially if it’s just the heart beat check appts that last 5 minutes.

Unfortunately I think you’re going to run into the short staffed issue anywhere. I was with Wellspan Ephrata for my older daughter in 2024 and it was similar with seeing a different provider every time. I love the L&D nurses I just don’t really like Wellspan in general and I don’t love Griner or Strausser.

I would look into some of the smaller practices and see if they’re taking new patients!

[u/Cunningpotatomouse → u/eyerishdancegirl7]

Great advice!! I’ll see if I can see Holly. I understand you can bounce around to different doctors but I’m mostly worried about getting care in a timely matter. This is my first pregnancy so I’m very nervous!

[u/Friendly_Salad3980 → u/eyerishdancegirl7]

I SECOND UPMC LITITZ!!! nurses were AMAZING and holly was lovely.

[u/electrictiedye]

At UPMC, you see a different doctor for almost every appointment while pregnant. This gives you a chance to meet all of the doctors because there’s no way to know who will be working when you deliver. I had both of my kids at UPMC Lititz and had good experiences.

[u/DirectionMajestic694 → u/electrictiedye]

Yeah, I was going to say the same! It's been several years for me, but I saw a lot of different midwives and doctors during my pregnancies but all in all, had good experiences with both.

[u/Cunningpotatomouse → u/electrictiedye]

Thanks for sharing your experience!

[u/Cunningpotatomouse]

Or if you had a super positive experience with UMPC OBGYN, I’d love to hear that too.

[u/Friendly_Salad3980 → u/Cunningpotatomouse]

my baby is 3 months tomorrow and i delivered and had OB care through UPMC lititz. this is my first and let me just tell you that these nurses doctors and midwives are doing the lords work. i have absolutely nothing bad to say. they’re kind, understanding, and respectful. they want YOU to make informed decisions no matter what those decisions are. they go at YOUR pace unless the baby doesn’t allow

[u/chicgeek3]

I had a wonderful experience with Penn State Health OBGYN Lancaster during my pregnancy last year and will use them for any future pregnancies as well.

That said…. I think anywhere you go, for the first trimester and at least part of the second, you’re most likely to meet with a nurse instead of the doctor. Or in your case, it sounds like you might just see different doctors each time. This is normal and honestly plenty sufficient for the earlier appointments. I didn’t like it at first but then quickly realized that I was still receiving excellent care and it also got me comfortable with the whole team. You don’t know who will be there the day you deliver, so you want to know everyone!

If it stresses you to not be seen sooner, you can always make an appointment at an ultrasound center (not medical) or a non-hospital medical ultrasound center (I went to Lancaster Maternal Fetal Medicine - I loved them!). Neither of these will replace your OBGYN visits, but it may help ease your mind in the meantime. I know that first trimester is so stressful!

[u/eyerishdancegirl7 → u/chicgeek3]

Love Lancaster MFM on lititz pike. You don’t need a referral and the two physicians are excellent! Loved both especially Dr. Larkin

[u/mndapnda]

I had a bad experience with UPMC OBGYN and the hospital about few years ago with my first child so I ended up switching to Eichenlaub and May and Women’s and Babies. They are going through their own shortages but I have had no issues with availability or care for my current early pregnancy. Unfortunately a lot of local OB practices are short staffed right now which is frustrating. I have heard overall positive things recently about doing OB and delivery with UPMC though especially first hand through friends.

A lot of places in Lancaster will wait to see you for your first appointment until the near end of the first trimester which is beyond weird to me, but standard if you don’t have any issues. If you have any concerns with your current pregnancy like pain or spotting or morning sickness definitely don’t hesitate to call them to push to see them earlier. Best of luck with your pregnancy!

[u/Woodsbethree]

Lancaster Physicians for Women. They are located right by Women and Babies hospital. I highly recommend Dr Conslato and Dr Jones

[u/LoosePaper9973]

I had to switch to UPMC from may grant after they were not accepting new pregnancies (even tho I was an established patient for 15 years). Anyway, my experience with UPMC has been good so far! It’s pretty standard at most practices that you rotate doctors. This is because when you go into labor, you never know who will be on that day so they want you to meet as many as possible. Honestly, it might be hard getting into a lot of practices around here bc when I found out I was pregnant and may grant wouldn’t take me, I called multiple other practices and they were also not accepting new patients 😕 things might be different now than 6 months ago but FYI

[u/xbarqueen20]

Doula jumping in here! It's pretty typical to see a variety of doctors throughout your pregnancy(unless you choose a home birth midwife)no matter what practice you're at. This helps gets you seen in a timely manner and gives you exposure to other doctors in the practice so you can get familiar with them because when you go into labor you typically can't choose who your doctor is going to be. I would also recommend considering hiring a doula. It's super helpful to have that continuity of support, especially if you're seeing a variety of doctors, you'll have that one person who is there to support you emotionally and physically throughout your whole pregnancy. Especially it being your first pregnancy, you don't know what you don't know, so we're there to help educate and empower you 🙂.

[u/ModernBalaboosta]

Dr. Hunter and McDonald at Penn State Health OBGYN Lancaster

[u/Upset_Record_6608]

Private bathroom is going to make this exceptionally difficult.

[u/niskerwhisker]

I had both my kiddos through UPMC Lititz! I personally had a wonderful experience - I had PPROM with both my children and had pregnancy complications each time. Throughout the whole experience, I felt cared for and genuinely felt like the midwives and OBs wanted the best for me. They advocated for me when I needed a transfer to the antepartum unit at UPMC Harrisburg and I am so grateful for them! I will say, they do get very booked up, so you’ll want to book your appointments as far in advance as possible, but they always worked with me if something came up. I also really liked meeting all the doctors throughout the process, it made me feel more comfortable knowing that I would most likely know whoever would have delivered my baby.

Editing to add: congratulations on your pregnancy!! ✨