Talk 2 ur friends first, and get the names of some good Ob’s in ur area.
Find out if the one recommended is on ur insurance plan (most important).
Ideally, ur OB and the hospital that she/he conducts deliveries should be w/i 30 min driving distance. For me, I wanted an all women OB group, as I’m not comfortable w/ the chance that a male OB might be on call when my baby decided to come out.
Also, try NOT to schedule induced delivery/ elective C-section before u’re at least 39 weeks pregnant, unless u’ve other complications that might ur OB wanna induce u sooner. For normal pregnancies, its best to carry your baby all the way to 40 weeks.
Also, try 2 pick an experienced OB, more so, if u’re ‘ving complications and might expect a difficult labor. Most of the OB’s nowadays, dont do vacuum extraction, as it can be damaging 2 baby’s brain. But, some do forceps extraction. And, a lot of the newer OB’s dont get enough training in forceps/vaccum during residency, as a lot of teaching hospitals dont encourage those & even if they do, they’ve d more experienced OB’s do the actual procedure, while the residents assist. But, even OB’s fresh out of residency are well trained in C-section; so, dont worry, if u’re gonna’ve an elective C- section. Again, 4 that matter, try not to go to a teaching hospital for ur delivery; but, if u’ve to, double check w/ ur OB that she or her partner will be present at the delivery.
Also, make sure tht ur OB doesnt ‘ve many malpractice claims against her. Go 2 http://www.fsmb.org/directory_smb.html#b11 & under the specific state medical boards, there’s a section for consumers to obtain information on all the docs licensed (BELIEVE ME!!! U WANNA MAKE SURE THT UR OB IS BOARD CERTIFIED TOO) in that particular state.
Most important of all, ur OB shuld be approachable & easy to get hold of during after hours and weekends, as u’re gonna ‘ve a lotta Qs and worries during even a totally normal pregnancy.