How to Find an OB-GYN in Aurora, Colorado: The Questions I Didn't Know I Needed to Ask

You got the positive pregnancy test.

And after the excitement, the staring at it again, maybe taking another one just to make sure, eventually comes the very practical question:

Okay...who do I call?

Usually, the answer is an OB-GYN. But figuring out how to find an OB-GYN in Aurora, Colorado—especially if this is your first baby—isn't actually as straightforward as people make it sound.

How do you pick one? Do you just choose whoever takes your insurance? Does the doctor you see during pregnancy actually deliver your baby? How often are you supposed to see them? How many ultrasounds do you get? And how in the world are you supposed to know whether you've picked a good doctor when you've never done any of this before?

I've had two babies here in Colorado, and my two pregnancy experiences were very different. Looking back, I realize there were things about my first OB that I absolutely loved—but I didn't even know enough at the time to realize those were things I should have been looking for.

So that's what this is.

Not medical advice. Not me telling you which doctor to choose. Just one mom, who has now spent a whole lot of years around babies and new parents, both as a parent myself and through my newborn photography studio here in Aurora, telling you the things I wish every first-time parent knew to ask.

First: What Is an OB-GYN?

An OB-GYN is a doctor specializing in obstetrics and gynecology. The obstetrics part is the pregnancy-and-baby part. They're one of the providers who can care for you throughout pregnancy, monitor how you and baby are doing, and manage labor and delivery.

An OB isn't your only option. Some families choose care from a certified nurse-midwife, and pregnancies needing additional specialized care may involve a maternal-fetal medicine specialist. Here in Aurora, for example, UCHealth has both OB-GYN and certified nurse-midwife practices at Anschutz, as well as a Maternal Fetal Medicine Clinic for specialized pregnancy care.

But here's the part I didn't understand the first time:

You're not just choosing a doctor. You're choosing how you want to experience your pregnancy.

My First Pregnancy Spoiled Me a Little

With my first baby, I found an OB in Parker whom I absolutely loved.

I loved her enough that I ended up recommending friends and family to her. She's no longer practicing, so unfortunately this isn't where I get to hand you her phone number and solve the whole problem.

But I had continuity. I knew my doctor. I felt like I knew what was happening. I had access to appointments and information.

At the time, I thought that was just...pregnancy.

Then I had my second baby.

My care was through Kaiser, and my personal experience was completely different. I rarely saw the same doctor. The doctor who delivered my baby wasn't someone I'd developed a relationship with throughout the pregnancy. Getting appointments and information felt much harder, and I had far fewer ultrasounds than I'd experienced before.

That doesn't mean another person will have the same experience with Kaiser. In fact, Kaiser currently offers prenatal care and multiple labor-and-delivery options to Colorado members, including The Medical Center of Aurora, and its current maternity information specifically directs members to OB-GYN prenatal care and a provider directory.

But the difference between my two pregnancies taught me something important:

There are things you should ask before you choose your care.

Because if my second pregnancy had been my first, I wouldn't have known what I personally valued.

Ask: Will I Actually See the Same Person?

This would now be one of my first questions.

Some practices are built around seeing one primary OB whenever possible. Others intentionally operate as a team, which means you may meet several providers throughout your pregnancy.

Neither automatically means better care.

The question is: Which one will make you feel better?

I liked knowing my doctor. You might actually prefer meeting the whole team because any one of them could potentially be there when you deliver.

Just don't wait until month eight to discover how your practice works.

Ask:

Will I generally see the same provider for prenatal appointments?

And then ask the question I REALLY didn't know to ask...

Who Will Actually Deliver My Baby?

I think first-time moms can easily assume, "I picked Dr. So-and-So, therefore Dr. So-and-So is delivering my baby."

Maybe.

Maybe not.

Doctors have schedules, practices have call rotations, babies arrive whenever they feel like arriving, and hospitals have their own systems.

Ask the office how delivery coverage works.

If having a familiar provider at delivery matters deeply to you, you need to know whether that's something the practice can realistically offer—not assume it because you've been seeing someone's name on your appointment reminders for nine months.

What Hospital Will I Deliver At?

This is another one I would consider much earlier than I did.

Your OB or practice may deliver at a particular hospital, so choosing your prenatal provider can also influence where you eventually have your baby.

And you're going to spend some pretty memorable hours there.

Look at where the hospital is from your house. Look into its maternity services. Ask whether you can tour it. Find out what resources are available for you and baby.

For example, Kaiser currently lists several Denver-area network hospitals for labor and delivery, including The Medical Center of Aurora and Sky Ridge Medical Center.

UCHealth's Women's Care Clinic at Anschutz is another local option for pregnancy care and has access to maternal-fetal specialists when advanced care is needed.

And AdventHealth has OB-GYN providers serving both Parker and the Southlands area of Aurora.

This is actually big enough that we're going to make where to deliver your baby near Aurora its own guide, because there's a lot more to talk about there.

Ask How Easy It Is to Get Help

This sounds boring right up until you're pregnant at 2:00 in the morning wondering whether something completely bizarre happening to your body is normal.

How do you ask a question between appointments?

Is there a nurse line?

Is there a patient portal?

How quickly are messages generally answered?

What happens if you need an appointment that wasn't already scheduled?

You may never need any of it.

But knowing how you're supposed to get help is worth asking before you need help.

And Yes, Ask About Ultrasounds

I loved seeing my babies.

So going from my first pregnancy experience to having very limited ultrasound imaging during my second felt strange to me.

But this is where my mom opinion and actual medical care need to stay in their proper lanes.

More ultrasounds don't automatically mean better prenatal care. Your provider determines appropriate imaging based on your pregnancy and medical needs. Prenatal schedules and testing can also vary based on risk factors and individual circumstances.

What you can ask your provider is:

What does a typical prenatal-care schedule look like here? When are ultrasounds normally performed? Under what circumstances would additional imaging be recommended?

Then you're not walking in expecting something your practice never promised.

What Does Pregnancy Care Actually Look Like?

This is another thing nobody really explains before your first pregnancy.

At the beginning, appointments can feel surprisingly spread out. As pregnancy progresses, visits generally become more frequent, particularly toward the end. At different stages your care team may check things like your blood pressure and weight, baby's growth and heartbeat, lab work, screening tests and other things specific to your pregnancy.

ACOG's prenatal-care guidance emphasizes that care should be individualized rather than treating every pregnancy exactly the same.

So don't panic if your friend's pregnancy calendar doesn't look exactly like yours.

And don't use this blog—or Google, or your friend's pregnancy—as a replacement for asking your actual provider.

Questions I'd Ask Before Choosing an OB Today

If I were newly pregnant again, these are the things I'd want to know:

• Will I usually see the same provider?

• Who is likely to deliver my baby?

• Which hospital do you deliver at?

• What happens if my doctor isn't available?

• What does your normal prenatal appointment schedule look like?

• What imaging and ultrasounds are typically part of routine care?

• How do I contact someone with a question between appointments?

• How difficult is it to get an additional appointment if something comes up?

• Do you offer OB care, midwifery care, or both?

• What happens if I need higher-risk pregnancy care?

• Do you accept my insurance?

That last one isn't exciting.

It is, unfortunately, very important.

Some Places to Start Your Search Around Aurora and Parker

I'm deliberately not calling this "Jen's Best OB-GYNs."

I don't know your medical history. I don't know what kind of birth you're hoping for. I don't know your insurance. And a doctor who is absolutely perfect for your best friend might drive you nuts.

Instead, these are established local places worth researching as starting points.

UCHealth Women's Care Clinic – Anschutz

Located in Aurora at the Anschutz Medical Campus, the clinic provides pregnancy and OB-GYN care and has access to maternal-fetal medicine specialists. UCHealth also has certified nurse-midwife care available at Anschutz.

UCHealth Center for Midwifery – Anschutz

For families specifically interested in midwifery care, UCHealth has a dedicated certified nurse-midwife team at Anschutz.

AdventHealth OB-GYN – Southlands/Parker

AdventHealth currently has OB-GYN providers practicing in the Southlands area of Aurora as well as Parker, which may be particularly convenient for families in southeast Aurora.

Kaiser Permanente Colorado

If you have Kaiser insurance, its Colorado maternity program provides prenatal care through its OB-GYN network and currently offers multiple Denver-area hospital options for labor and delivery, including The Medical Center of Aurora.

We'll keep this list updated as practices and providers change, because that's the entire point of creating these local guides.

The Biggest Thing I Want You to Know

You don't have to know what you're doing yet.

That's actually why I wanted to write this.

When you're pregnant for the first time, people tell you to "find an OB" as though you should somehow already know what makes an OB right for you.

You don't.

Ask questions. Ask the dumb ones. Ask the awkward ones. Ask how their office works. Ask what happens when your doctor goes on vacation. Ask who answers the phone when you're worried. Ask what happens when that baby decides 3:17 a.m. on a Tuesday is the perfect time to make an entrance.

You're not supposed to already know how pregnancy works.

You're just starting.

And there will be plenty more questions coming.

Key Takeaways

Your OB-GYN isn't just someone you'll see for a few appointments. The practice you choose can shape a lot of your pregnancy experience, including who you see, where you deliver and how you get support along the way.

Before choosing, find out how the practice actually works—not just whether a particular doctor's online reviews look good.

And remember that "best" is personal. Continuity mattered enormously to me. Something completely different might matter enormously to you.

A Little About Me

I'm Jen. I'm a mom of two and a newborn photographer here in Aurora, Colorado. I've spent a lot of years talking with parents in my studio about pregnancy, babies and all the things we wish somebody had told us before we got here.

I'm putting these local guides together for expecting parents around Aurora because sometimes you don't need another expert telling you what you're supposed to do. Sometimes you just need another mom who lives here to tell you what she knows, what she'd ask, and where she'd start looking.

That's what these guides are.

And if you're wondering where you might actually deliver that baby once you find your OB, we're talking about that next.