Choosing a good OBGYN is like half the work done in the journey of pregnancy as he/she plays a major role right from pre-pregnancy planning, routine checkups during pregnancy, advise/guidance throughout pregnancy and most importantly delivering the baby with the mother being healthy and safe as well. When I was looking for an OBGYN, the factors that I kept in mind were the following:
1. Race - Singapore is a multiracial country and doctors are from different races, so i felt it will be better to pick one from my race so that he/she can advise on the traditional food, traditional practices followed in our country etc.
2. Gender - Times are changing and there are many male OBGYNs everywhere however some women might be comfortable to have a female OBGYN especially during pregnancy and for delivery. I personally felt that a female OBGYN would be helpful due to fact that she would not only have the knowledge but also experienced and understood everything right from menses till labor and postpartum.
3. Proximity to your house - In some emergency cases you may have to rush immediately to her clinic to see her, so it is better if she is atleast within 15-20 mins from your house by road.
4. Affordability - Everybody can't afford any OBGYN. Lot of money is involved in the whole process right from consultation charges, scan, tests till delivery charges, so it is always good to find out in advance whether we can afford the gynae.
5. Referrals - If you got a good circle of friends or relatives, you can check and get the names of those that they had visited for their pregnancy and how their journey with the OBGYN was.
6. Hospital affiliation - Some of us must be particular about the hospital where we like to deliver the baby due to a number of reasons so in that case it is better to see an OBGYN who is affiliated to that hospital so that she will the point of care starting from pre-pregnancy till delivery.
7. Reviews - It is important to see the online reviews and consider them to an extent if you got no other source to find out from.