Hi all, not pregnant yet, but getting my ducks in a row so to speak. My question is: how many of you are or will be seeing a perinatologist? Is this commonplace for D and pregnancy? I honestly have no idea. I had an ob (previously mentioned, that I will NOT be revisisting) tell me that I wouldn’t need to see one, unless there was something wrong with the baby, yet I doubt anything she says. Thanks for any info!
Gina,
I was in your position almost a year ago. I went to a perinatologist to get myself ready. I was advised at that time to get on the pump and wait 3-4 monthhs before going off the pill. I found it very helpful and sometimes unrealistic (the expectations). I went to approx. 5 appointments at that time. However, I don’t have to go back until I am pregnant. He will be a vital part of my team, but not the whole team. Hope that helps.
Annette
Thanks Annette. Super helpful!
I’m in the same boat (trying to get my ducks in a row)…
I don’t even know what a perinatologist is!! I looked it up, but it’s still not clear to me. Is this the same as a high risk OB-GYN??
I will go to a new endo who specializes in helping type 1s during pregnancy on Feb 24th. So I will ask her to refer me to all the others. I’ll let you know if she says anything about a perinatologist.
From this comment, it seems that MelissaBL saw one during her pregnancy.
Let me know Kristen! I did see that MelissaBL saw one, but again, am wondering if it’s standard practice, that I’m not aware of? I look forward to your feedback!! Thanks again 
Hi Gina,
I am an Ob/Gyn doctor on a pump in Florida. A perinatologist is another name for a Maternal Fetal Medicine specialist a.k.a. high risk Ob doctor. We all do 4 years of OB/GYN residency, then you have the option to do 2-3 more years if you want to subspecialize in just one aspect of OB/GYN care. In my community, the perinatologists do not deliver complete care, but serve as consultants for many high risk conditions. So a pregnant diabetic patient will see me primarily, for many visits, including 2x/ week fetal testing at the end, and will see the perinatologist for an intial consult and recommendations, and then as need arises. The perinatolgist calls us to review the patient and make suggestions for care. Generally, a diabetic of 20 years duration or less with no eye, kidney or neuropathy complications will see the perinatologist 4-5 times throughout the pregnancy, including visits for specialized ultrasounds. If a patient comes to see me with any of those above complications, we transfer the care to the university setting (USF here in Tampa) where the perinatogists and resident doctors WILL assume complete care of the patient, including doing the delivery. We also work closely with the patient’s endocrine doc to manage the sugars. Every community is different in the role (primary versus consultant only) that the perinatologist takes on.
Thanks for this clear and helpful answer Michele! You will likely get more questions from me later!!
Ask away! All the medical lingo can get quite complicated! I’m happy to help explain anything you guys ask:)
Ditto Michelle! Thank you for your wisdom!
Terrific
I actually had a perinatologist as my OB for all 3 of my pregnancies. He was wonderful and I feel helped me keep track of my blood sugars, etc. better than a regular OB would have been able to do. I also wasn’t happy with my endo at those points, so it was preferable to just work with the perinatologist and cut out the middle man position. My kids are 5, 8 and 11 now.
Good luck!
Thanks Cara! I find your post reassuring, with your three lovely children!
I am now seeing a High-Risk OB/Maternal Fetal Specialist/Perinatologist. I am 19 weeks pregnant. Originally my regular OB told me that he would treat me unless some sort of complication came up. But after the first trimester, we all decided that it was better for me to see the High Risk OB. The regular OB’s office had very little experience with Type 1’s and I could not even deliver in their hospital because they won’t do an insulin drip.
I was nervous about the switch, but am now very happy with the arrangement. My High Risk OB is great, very supportive, and very knowledgeable about blood sugar fluctuations, etc during pregnancy. I feel very comfortable with him.
Thank you Nici! Congrats!! This is great to know. Sounds like you are on the right track and I’ll be seeking a high risk doc as soon as I need to
As someone who has been through two high-risk pregnancies myself, I would say, YES, go see a perinatologist, aka maternal-fetal medicine specialist. They are not just there in case something’s wrong with the baby (that was certainly not the case in either of my pregnancies!).
When I was working with a maternal-fetal medicine specialist, Michael Pinette, at Maine Med, I asked him what’s the best thing for a woman with health issues to do when trying to get pregnant (I was coming at it from the point of view of a 40-year-old, overweight, possibly pre-diabetic woman with a thyroid problem). His answer: “Do everything in your power to get as healthy as possible before trying. Sleep. Eat well, and regularly, and go for whole foods. Exercise. De-stress. And most of all, enjoy yourself. Because the healthier you are when you start, the healthier your pregnancy will be.” But you know what else he said? “Some people can’t have optimal health during their pregnancy - they’ve had cancer, or they have diabetes, or they’ve got other chronic problems. Doesn’t mean they can’t have a healthy baby, just means they have more work to do to support their pregnancies.” He told me that he and his team handle the sickest of the sickest — women who’ve had transplants, chemotherapy, you name it — and he’s never lost a patient, and only rarely lost a (viable) baby. Despite my “advanced” age and my thyroid problem and my prior history of pregnancy-induced hypertension, I was among the healthiest-looking women in the waiting room, so I totally believed him! So whatever anyone tells you about it, keep that in mind: if those women can do it, so can you.
Thanks Elizabeth!!
When I was pregnant I saw a regular OB, an endo, diabetes educator & nutrionist. I saw a perinatologist twice. Once for the anatomy scan at 20 weeks & another for a follow up because my daughter was being difficult. They needed to get more shots of her organs.
I also saw a fetal cardiologist to check on her heart. I was pre-diabetic & uncontolled before pregnancy so they want to make sure her heart was fine. It was. I went twice to him.
I found that the peri really only consulted with the OB. As PP said they don’t really do full care. Only consults.
To give you an idea of what I went through. I’m overweight. I smoked for 17 yrs, quit when I became pregnant. I was 32 when I got pregnant. I also suffer from panic disorder & was taken off my antidepresents once I became pregnant. I also have hypothyroidism. I found out in my 6th week of pregnancy that I had diabetes. Fast of 156. I was put on insulin, diet & exercise immediatly. My doctors said that I was a model patient. I kept my numbers in tight control for those 9 months & delivered a perfectly healthy baby girl at 38 weeks exactly. She weighed 7lbs 2oz. So if this overweight, , hypothyroid, panic attacking, smoking, diabetic momma can do it anyone can.
This time around I’m doing it right though. I’m getting my health in order before concieving. The right & less stressful way to do it.
Good luck to you Sally! Good to hear that your Endo was so helpful to you. I would think that my Endo would be as well–I love her–only issue is she is 3 hours away in Denver, and we have no High risk doctors here. I am a worrywart to the core, so even though I’m not pregnant yet, I’m worrying about this. I guess my plan will be to hopefully have my endo work closely with my regular OB here, as well as in conjunction with a high risk in Denver, and well, I guess I’ll just be making that drive very frequently for 9 months Thanks for your insight!
The one thing I did when I was pregnant was log everything. I wroght down my morning BG, before & after each meal. What I ate. how many units I took etc. Everything. Than every Monday I’d fax it to my OB & Endo. If the Endo saw something she didn’t like they’d call & change my Basal or sliding scale. Thats one thing you can do inbetween visits to keep your mind at ease.