Visit several OB-GYNs and interview them before making a final decision. Ask each one about her policies and make sure you have similar views on labor and delivery. For example, if you know you want to be heavily medicated during labor, you don't want an OB-GYN who's going to make you feel guilty about your pain management choices. The best answer, of course, is that the OB-GYN will respect your wishes going into labor and will consult with you throughout the event. You can't predict what your individual case will require, but you'll get an idea of the caregiver's outlook from her responses to these questions.
Bedside manner counts too.
You want a healthcare partner, not a dictator. For a more complete list of questions, see our OB-GYN Interview Sheet . Add your comments to the bottom of this page. Some physicians return all calls at a certain time each day, while others reserve a special line for messages or have nurses answer questions and act as a go-between for other information. The main thing is not who answers the calls, but how quickly they're answered.