There seems to be a special glow surrounding pregnant women. They are, after all, carrying a tiny developing human inside them. One day that baby will be born and grow up to be a separate human being. But pregnancy is also a time when it is necessary to be careful and to do everything possible to protect the health of both the mother and the unborn baby. With help from an obstetrician Los Angeles mothers can have trouble free pregnancies.

It is a common misconception that obstetricians and gynecologists are the same. There are many overlapping areas between the two professions but they focus on different things. Gynecologists are concerned with the overall health of the female reproductive organs, regardless of whether the patient is pregnant or not. Obstetricians, on the other hand, concern themselves solely with the care of pregnant women and their unborn babies.

Not every pregnant woman can afford the services of obstetricians. They are, in fact, very expensive. These women make do with the services of their general practitioner and during the birth they are often assisted by a midwife. Thankfully, most pregnancies are concluded without any problems or difficulties. Unfortunately, general practitioners and midwifes are not able to cope with severe complications and the lives of the mother and baby may be in the balance.

Obstetricians are highly qualified specialists. With the aid of modern technology and new diagnostic tools and procedures they are now able to identify many potential problems in the very early stages of the pregnancy. Many of these problems can be treated long before the baby is born and it is not uncommon to even perform surgery on fetuses. This is why obstetricians perform many tests on both mother and baby throughout the pregnancy.

Because the services of obstetricians are so expensive, many patients will only see them during the last stages of their pregnancy or book them to attend the birth. This may help if there are complications during the birth but latent problems will not have been diagnosed and treated in good time, preferably early on in the pregnancy. Many problems cannot be treated just before the birth and this may lead to long term health issues.

Once obstetricians are satisfied that the birth went smoothly and that both mother and baby are in excellent health, he withdraws from the case. The only exception would be if there were complications during or directly after the birth, in which case he will remain involved. In most cases, however, further care of the mother and infant is handed over to competent and trusted pediatricians and gynecologists.

There is a great deal of intimacy involved when treating the female reproductive organs and the same holds true for pregnant women. Women in general eventually build a relationship of trust with their gynecologists and are often hesitant to receive treatment from a different specialist during pregnancy. That is one of the reasons why so many obstetricians are also qualified gynecologists. It allows them to offer a one stop service.

Obstetricians have certainly saved the lives of many pregnant women and their babies. That is why so many pregnant women will rather sacrifice in other areas in order to make sure that they have the best possible medical care. She is, after all, carrying a precious life.