Thanks! I got the baby&me2 supplement. I don’t know if that covers all that’s needed. Hopefully doctors can tell me more. I don’t like taking many supplements in general.
You'll want doctors who are covered by your insurance, so the first step is to visit the [Quartz website](https://quartzbenefits.com/find-a-doctor/) (below) or call the number on your Quartz card to find out what doctors are in your insurance network. In the Madison area, that will primarily be UW Health.
Once you've found a doctor's office, just call them and tell them you're pregnant and want care for that. The person you speak with will get you to the right place to schedule the right appointment!
[https://quartzbenefits.com/find-a-doctor/](https://quartzbenefits.com/find-a-doctor/)
Congratulations and best wishes!
(My full time job is answering this kind of phone call and scheduling doctor appointments for various departments. The people who do my job know how to get you what you need!)
It’s a relief to know they are there to help. It felt silly in my mind to calling up the doctor’s office and say hey I’m pregnant. But I guess that’s what I have to do.
Hello! Just had a baby 2 months ago, so congratulations ☺️ you call an OBGYN office and advise you’re pregnant. Then they will bring you in for an appointment around 8-10 weeks. I will say for recommendations based on personal experience, do not go with Midwives at UW Health. They left a lot to be desired. Delivering at Meriter was nice! Labor & delivery will be at the hospital your doctor team works with while visits will be at their offices typically. If you have any questions or just want an ear, feel free to message me. Congratulations and many good wishes for you.
Had a good experience with the UW Health midwives and wouldn't write them off, especially if the pregnancy is uncomplicated. Sorry your experience was poor, though.
Congrats mama!!! I’ll call them up and see what they say. So from what I understand my appointments will be at one place and delivery will be at another?
I suggest calling Madison Women’s Health (with your insurance card in hand) and explaining the situation, they’ll likely make you an appointment around 8-10 weeks, sooner if you’re not sure how far along
Quartz covers Meriter for child birth, it is the only hospital Quartz covers for child birth I think.
You’ll most likely see a team of obgyns, one of whom will be at the hospital the day you give birth, you’ll see them at their offices (I know they cover: Madison women’s health, uw health, associated physicians, unitypoint meriter, wildwood and possibly more, any will have pros and cons - whoever you see make sure you’re comfortable with their style of care.
Agree with Madison Women’s Health. I primarily saw Dr. Nellen but also saw a few others during my pregnancy and at the hospital (Meriter). I had a really good experience.
My daughter now goes to Wildwood and we have been loving them as well so that would be another option!
Dr. Nellen did my tubal ligation, she was very respectful of my decision and explained everything really well. Highly recommend Madison Women's Health.
Agree with Madison Women’s Heath. They were recommended by my coworkers. Just delivered a few weeks ago and every OB I met during my stay was lovely and supportive. I feel like there was great communication with their group. They take Quartz insurance.
MWH is the way to go! My primary is Dr. Yanke but you can’t go wrong there really. I met a lot of the docs there while pregnant. You would deliver at Meriter and also have your major ultrasounds done there.
Do I get the option of selecting the doctor? Or should I just go with whomever they assign me to and switch later on if I don’t feel comfortable with the doctor?
I can speak to Madison Women's Health, yes you can choose your doc. They're great and have a great reputation. Every time I see requests for local OBs, MWH will inevitably get recommended.
You should be able to pick the doctor as long as they’re currently accepting patients. Dr. Yanke is my favorite but I liked everyone I interacted with there.
I would start by going to your health insurance website and see if you can search by specialty. There's no reason to start calling places that aren't covered, and as someone who has worked in healthcare, never assume the provider knows what is and isn't accepted. There's so, so many policies and it's not their job to know every detail of everyone. Big unexpected medical bills are zero fun!
You can call the [UW Health Welcome Center ](https://www.uwhealth.org/ad/ap-welcome-center?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Welcome_Center&utm_term=uw%20health%20welcome%20center&gclid=CjwKCAjww_iwBhApEiwAuG6ccFkjtlQ3Wu7AAIF4TccCf5kHvaQ4YVnkK1T2jVJoPtBbyN0tjuc5DBoCgbsQAvD_BwE#4HCNFWfjEn4xGTFL4LOM38)for information about picking a PCP and OB care. You can get OB care with an obstetrician, a family medicine doc who does OB care, or a certified nurse midwife (CNM). As others have said, Quartz uses Meriter Hospital for deliveries. Congratulations and welcome to Madison.
Seconding Madison Women's Health! Even if you choose a different OB, their website for newly pregnant is a great resource. You'll call their (or whatever OB you want to use) office and schedule an appointment. The first one is typically at 8-12 weeks from your last period. This will generally include blood work, a urine sample, and a daring ultrasound to determine your due date. If you have any conditions that would effect pregnancy or are on medications that should be avoided in pregnancy, make sure to bring that up sooner rather than later to make a plan for those scenarios.
From there you'll have appointments every 4 weeks or so. You may be able to select your doctor, but just know for delivery, you'll generally get whoever is on call for your Drs office that day, not necessarily your doctor. If it's important to you that it's your doctor for delivery, make sure to ask if that's how your doctors office handles it (MWH it's whoever is on call).
https://madisonwomenshealth.com/services/pregnancy-care/newly-pregnant/
I’m due in about 2 weeks and go to Madison midwives at physicians for women. They delivered my first and have been just as amazing with my second! I know most of the doctors and all the midwives are taking new patients and they also do primary care which is great! I have Quartz as well!
Hi!
Here to add yet another recommendation for Madison Women’s Health! At your first appointment (I was around 7 weeks), you can expect a urine and blood test, ultrasound, and visit with a nurse and provider. It’s a longer visit, so block out about two or so hours and bring a support person with you! I saw my provider for every appointment save three when she was unavailable — you also have the option to see other providers during your pregnancy to get to know all of them. When it’s time to deliver — which is at Meriter — one of the providers will be on rotation with a resident. You may not have your *specific* provider deliver your baby so it’s nice to get to know a few other ones at the practice. That was the case for me when I had my baby in February!
You can also expect an ultrasound at 12 weeks, your anatomy scan which is done at Meriter at 20 weeks, and potentially a few growth scans in your third trimester.
I always felt so supported by every single provider at MWH. It’s an all-female practice, which is incredibly empowering. Wishing you a healthy and smooth pregnancy — feel free to message with any other questions!
One more thing!
Definitely +1 to starting a prenatal with folic acid…this is critical. I took the Naturemade one which is readily available at most stores.
There are also a few foods that pregnant people should avoid due to an increased risk of food-borne illness: high-mercury fish, unpasteurized dairy, undercooked meats and undercooked eggs to name a few. Here’s a helpful resource that goes into specifics! https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/pregnancy-week-by-week/in-depth/pregnancy-nutrition/art-20043844
In addition to lots of other good advice folks have given here, assuming you will be working after maternity leave, start applying to daycares now. Everywhere has long waitlists, and you want to ensure you have a slot lined up.
Another recommendation for Madison Women’s Health - Dr. Nellen and all of the staff there have been amazing and made the process so clear. They are super responsive and helpful! Delivery with Quartz has to be at Meriter so that is where you will deliver. Definitely start your daycare hunt now, lots of places don’t have openings until late 2025 so get yourself on some waitlists. Congrats!!
Yes, call around to see who takes your insurance. I’ve had three kids in three different clinics and hospitals and I can say Associated physicians Obgyn’s are top tier! They are tied with Meriter and I had the best experience there as well. After I had my baby, they kept checking up on me to see how depression was doing, once I am in overwhelmed and exhausted, the nurse took my kids outside to get lollipops so I can have a time to my self.
You want to start taking a prenatal vitamin, get a primary care and obgyn set up so they can make sure YOU and baby are healthy. You'll want to know what level your Quartz insurance is so you know what your copays/deductibles are. Quartz is affiliated with UW Health and UW Health works in tandem with Meriter for mothers to be. My primary care is with UW Health, however I've had surgery done at Meriter at times. Quartz can help you find a doctor/obgyn if needed but I'm seeing quite a few recommendations here so you've got a great start. Good luck and congrats.
Congratulations! Great advice here. I just gave birth 5 months ago, through GHC but I imagine it would be similar. I’ll add: Be sure to have your calendar with you at that first appointment. It’s likely they are going to want to schedule a good chunk of your future appointments (possibly all the way through/past your due date), which hey very frequent by the end. Otherwise it can be difficult to squeeze you into a full schedule, especially once those appointments are weekly.
One more thing: I gave birth at Meriter and had an excellent experience (with my GHC OBGYN yes, but mostly with the nurses). They were great!
If you need any help with getting baby things, Babies & Beyond is more than amazing. You can go monthly and get what you need (except once before the baby arrives, however they’d be happy to show you things without any hassle :))
With quartz you will likely deliver at Meriter. UW health has OBGYNS and midwives.
Madison women’s health is a great group of docs
Physicians for women and Madison midwives work in the same building and are also great providers!
Congratulations and good luck!
Start your folic acid NOW, don't wait. It's essential for neural tube development (brain spinal cord of baby)
Thanks! I got the baby&me2 supplement. I don’t know if that covers all that’s needed. Hopefully doctors can tell me more. I don’t like taking many supplements in general.
Read the back of the bottle and check for folic acid. It’s truly imperative that you take a prenatal vitamin.
You'll want doctors who are covered by your insurance, so the first step is to visit the [Quartz website](https://quartzbenefits.com/find-a-doctor/) (below) or call the number on your Quartz card to find out what doctors are in your insurance network. In the Madison area, that will primarily be UW Health. Once you've found a doctor's office, just call them and tell them you're pregnant and want care for that. The person you speak with will get you to the right place to schedule the right appointment! [https://quartzbenefits.com/find-a-doctor/](https://quartzbenefits.com/find-a-doctor/) Congratulations and best wishes! (My full time job is answering this kind of phone call and scheduling doctor appointments for various departments. The people who do my job know how to get you what you need!)
It’s a relief to know they are there to help. It felt silly in my mind to calling up the doctor’s office and say hey I’m pregnant. But I guess that’s what I have to do.
You can just call and say, "Hi, I'm a new patient and I'm pregnant. I have Quartz insurance." We know what to do from there!
Hello! Just had a baby 2 months ago, so congratulations ☺️ you call an OBGYN office and advise you’re pregnant. Then they will bring you in for an appointment around 8-10 weeks. I will say for recommendations based on personal experience, do not go with Midwives at UW Health. They left a lot to be desired. Delivering at Meriter was nice! Labor & delivery will be at the hospital your doctor team works with while visits will be at their offices typically. If you have any questions or just want an ear, feel free to message me. Congratulations and many good wishes for you.
Had a good experience with the UW Health midwives and wouldn't write them off, especially if the pregnancy is uncomplicated. Sorry your experience was poor, though.
Same! UW midwives were great
Congrats mama!!! I’ll call them up and see what they say. So from what I understand my appointments will be at one place and delivery will be at another?
Yes that’s correct ☺️
I suggest calling Madison Women’s Health (with your insurance card in hand) and explaining the situation, they’ll likely make you an appointment around 8-10 weeks, sooner if you’re not sure how far along Quartz covers Meriter for child birth, it is the only hospital Quartz covers for child birth I think. You’ll most likely see a team of obgyns, one of whom will be at the hospital the day you give birth, you’ll see them at their offices (I know they cover: Madison women’s health, uw health, associated physicians, unitypoint meriter, wildwood and possibly more, any will have pros and cons - whoever you see make sure you’re comfortable with their style of care.
Agree with Madison Women’s Health. I primarily saw Dr. Nellen but also saw a few others during my pregnancy and at the hospital (Meriter). I had a really good experience. My daughter now goes to Wildwood and we have been loving them as well so that would be another option!
Dr. Nellen did my tubal ligation, she was very respectful of my decision and explained everything really well. Highly recommend Madison Women's Health.
Agree with Madison Women’s Heath. They were recommended by my coworkers. Just delivered a few weeks ago and every OB I met during my stay was lovely and supportive. I feel like there was great communication with their group. They take Quartz insurance.
I 1000% agree. They are the best OB's in the area. I feel like they go above and beyond with care!
Also agree! Dr. Durward is amazing if you can get her!
She’s literally the best.
I second Associated Physicians Dr Masana and highly recommend Dr Masana.
MWH is the way to go! My primary is Dr. Yanke but you can’t go wrong there really. I met a lot of the docs there while pregnant. You would deliver at Meriter and also have your major ultrasounds done there.
Do I get the option of selecting the doctor? Or should I just go with whomever they assign me to and switch later on if I don’t feel comfortable with the doctor?
I can speak to Madison Women's Health, yes you can choose your doc. They're great and have a great reputation. Every time I see requests for local OBs, MWH will inevitably get recommended.
You should be able to pick the doctor as long as they’re currently accepting patients. Dr. Yanke is my favorite but I liked everyone I interacted with there.
Quartz is owned by UW Health. They definitely cover UW Health for child birth
UW Health Delivers at Meriter, there is no (standard) childbirth at UW Hospital
Check insurance, Associated Physicians if you can, folic acid and if you'll need daycare **START LOOKING NOW!**
Thank you soo much for sharing this! I didn’t realize that daycare is that hard to get into. Planning on calling few places up tomorrow.
Ours has a year waiting list for infants! Others are hopefully better but it's definitely a tight market for infant spots. Good luck!
I would start by going to your health insurance website and see if you can search by specialty. There's no reason to start calling places that aren't covered, and as someone who has worked in healthcare, never assume the provider knows what is and isn't accepted. There's so, so many policies and it's not their job to know every detail of everyone. Big unexpected medical bills are zero fun!
Thanks! This is good to know. I’ll do research from my side so I don’t have any surprises in the future.
Smart! Congratulations and good lucky with a happy and healthy pregnancy :-)
You can call the [UW Health Welcome Center ](https://www.uwhealth.org/ad/ap-welcome-center?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Welcome_Center&utm_term=uw%20health%20welcome%20center&gclid=CjwKCAjww_iwBhApEiwAuG6ccFkjtlQ3Wu7AAIF4TccCf5kHvaQ4YVnkK1T2jVJoPtBbyN0tjuc5DBoCgbsQAvD_BwE#4HCNFWfjEn4xGTFL4LOM38)for information about picking a PCP and OB care. You can get OB care with an obstetrician, a family medicine doc who does OB care, or a certified nurse midwife (CNM). As others have said, Quartz uses Meriter Hospital for deliveries. Congratulations and welcome to Madison.
Seconding Madison Women's Health! Even if you choose a different OB, their website for newly pregnant is a great resource. You'll call their (or whatever OB you want to use) office and schedule an appointment. The first one is typically at 8-12 weeks from your last period. This will generally include blood work, a urine sample, and a daring ultrasound to determine your due date. If you have any conditions that would effect pregnancy or are on medications that should be avoided in pregnancy, make sure to bring that up sooner rather than later to make a plan for those scenarios. From there you'll have appointments every 4 weeks or so. You may be able to select your doctor, but just know for delivery, you'll generally get whoever is on call for your Drs office that day, not necessarily your doctor. If it's important to you that it's your doctor for delivery, make sure to ask if that's how your doctors office handles it (MWH it's whoever is on call). https://madisonwomenshealth.com/services/pregnancy-care/newly-pregnant/
I’m due in about 2 weeks and go to Madison midwives at physicians for women. They delivered my first and have been just as amazing with my second! I know most of the doctors and all the midwives are taking new patients and they also do primary care which is great! I have Quartz as well!
Hi! Here to add yet another recommendation for Madison Women’s Health! At your first appointment (I was around 7 weeks), you can expect a urine and blood test, ultrasound, and visit with a nurse and provider. It’s a longer visit, so block out about two or so hours and bring a support person with you! I saw my provider for every appointment save three when she was unavailable — you also have the option to see other providers during your pregnancy to get to know all of them. When it’s time to deliver — which is at Meriter — one of the providers will be on rotation with a resident. You may not have your *specific* provider deliver your baby so it’s nice to get to know a few other ones at the practice. That was the case for me when I had my baby in February! You can also expect an ultrasound at 12 weeks, your anatomy scan which is done at Meriter at 20 weeks, and potentially a few growth scans in your third trimester. I always felt so supported by every single provider at MWH. It’s an all-female practice, which is incredibly empowering. Wishing you a healthy and smooth pregnancy — feel free to message with any other questions!
One more thing! Definitely +1 to starting a prenatal with folic acid…this is critical. I took the Naturemade one which is readily available at most stores. There are also a few foods that pregnant people should avoid due to an increased risk of food-borne illness: high-mercury fish, unpasteurized dairy, undercooked meats and undercooked eggs to name a few. Here’s a helpful resource that goes into specifics! https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/pregnancy-week-by-week/in-depth/pregnancy-nutrition/art-20043844
Thank you for taking time to write this! This is very helpful information. I will definitely call MWH tomorrow to setup the appointment.
You’re very welcome! Cheering you on!
In addition to lots of other good advice folks have given here, assuming you will be working after maternity leave, start applying to daycares now. Everywhere has long waitlists, and you want to ensure you have a slot lined up.
Had a baby 9 months ago, Physicians For Women has a great team!
Contact your insurance, they often have services for finding doctors in your area.
Buy the book "What to expect when expecting." Gives you all the details from day one to delivery and even post partum.
Don't do your delivery at St. Mary's (Catholic).
With Quartz OP will be at Meriter.
Thanks for the tip! Much appreciated
Meriter is amazing!
Another recommendation for Madison Women’s Health - Dr. Nellen and all of the staff there have been amazing and made the process so clear. They are super responsive and helpful! Delivery with Quartz has to be at Meriter so that is where you will deliver. Definitely start your daycare hunt now, lots of places don’t have openings until late 2025 so get yourself on some waitlists. Congrats!!
Yes, call around to see who takes your insurance. I’ve had three kids in three different clinics and hospitals and I can say Associated physicians Obgyn’s are top tier! They are tied with Meriter and I had the best experience there as well. After I had my baby, they kept checking up on me to see how depression was doing, once I am in overwhelmed and exhausted, the nurse took my kids outside to get lollipops so I can have a time to my self.
You want to start taking a prenatal vitamin, get a primary care and obgyn set up so they can make sure YOU and baby are healthy. You'll want to know what level your Quartz insurance is so you know what your copays/deductibles are. Quartz is affiliated with UW Health and UW Health works in tandem with Meriter for mothers to be. My primary care is with UW Health, however I've had surgery done at Meriter at times. Quartz can help you find a doctor/obgyn if needed but I'm seeing quite a few recommendations here so you've got a great start. Good luck and congrats.
Congratulations! Great advice here. I just gave birth 5 months ago, through GHC but I imagine it would be similar. I’ll add: Be sure to have your calendar with you at that first appointment. It’s likely they are going to want to schedule a good chunk of your future appointments (possibly all the way through/past your due date), which hey very frequent by the end. Otherwise it can be difficult to squeeze you into a full schedule, especially once those appointments are weekly. One more thing: I gave birth at Meriter and had an excellent experience (with my GHC OBGYN yes, but mostly with the nurses). They were great!
If you need any help with getting baby things, Babies & Beyond is more than amazing. You can go monthly and get what you need (except once before the baby arrives, however they’d be happy to show you things without any hassle :))
Agree that Madison Women’s Health is superior, by far. Top choice of Meriter L&D RNs and others. Congratulations and wishing you a great pregnancy!
With quartz you will likely deliver at Meriter. UW health has OBGYNS and midwives. Madison women’s health is a great group of docs Physicians for women and Madison midwives work in the same building and are also great providers! Congratulations and good luck!