Last week I had my regular OB appointment. Keeleigh and my mom got the opportunity to go with me. After arriving late thanks to stupendous NOLA traffic and a long wait, we were finally called back. I was happy to find that I weighed two pounds less on their scale than the scale at the ultrasound office, ha ha. It was also great that my BP is still wonderfully perfect. The doctor saw us quickly since we'd had a long wait, and because my mom and Keeleigh were there, she did a little impromptu ultrasound right then and there to show them the babies. She took her time pointing out all their little parts...feet and fingers and other slightly less cute sounding things like brains and amniotic sacs.
I will now be seeing the doctor every two weeks and because preterm labor is a risk in twin pregnancies the doctor wanted to check me for dilation. I was actually opposed to this mainly because it seems pretty pointless to me but consented. Of course I was not dilated at all and the twins were still "really high." Happily the doctor did not think to order my glucose test. Perhaps she will just forget it all together? This is yet another thing that I find totally pointless for me. I'm considering refusing it. I'm so not good at saying no, though. It feels like that isn't even an option. Doctors feel so authoritative! I really need to look more into patient rights, I suppose.
Another thing that the doctor discussed was birth. I keep trying to forget that I will have to actually do that and she just keeps on bringing it up! Sigh. I am constantly reminded that if the "presenting" twin is breech that I MUST have a c-section. Which to me is dumb because 1.) I typically have small babies so adequate dilation should not be an issue, 2.) this is my fifth pregnancy and I'm ever confident that my body knows how to handle birth, and 3.) countless numbers of babies have been and are born naturally and safely in the breech position. I do not like doctors treating everyone as if they are to die any second. Of course, should the presenting twin be head down and the second twin be breech, my doctor is okay with a vaginal birth but recommends an epidural which I do not want so that she can perform a "breech extraction." That means she will stick her hand inside of me, search around for a foot, and pull. Which will hurt. A lot. And which will probably also require an episiotomy. Which also will hurt. A lot. And which is also probably completely needless. Of course I could avoid all of this pesky birthing stuff and just schedule a c-section if I want! So, again I guess I need to look more into patient rights. I don't want to get pushed into having a c-section. I don't want a breech extraction, and I sure as heck don't want an episiotomy. Can I just say no to all of that? Am I stuck in the hospital trap? Shouldn't I just be satisfied with a healthy mommy and two healthy babies?
no epidural and an extraction HURTS ..it is excruciating. Just remember a Doctor isn't telling you what to do, they are telling you what you should do and give you the most matter of fact and worse case scenario. They have to tell you these things b/c of potential lawsuits. Lame, right? Do stand up for your beliefs and what you want to do. Be realistic too and keep options open. The biggest mistake I did was disagree to a C Section w/Kurt. He was stuck. He was big too. All my babies were and I only had delivery issues w/number 2. He got stuck but delivered ok and I required 12 stitches. Kurt on the other hand was big and he was literally stuck. I was ripping (episiotomy wasn't helping)I was advised to have a C SEction and the idea of one was just flat out no. He was extracted and at the same time my vaginal wall ripped, perinium also tore. The only thing intact from the delivery was the urethra.
ReplyDeleteSo, make sure you think long & hard about the options presented to you. Be careful about delivering breech naturally too. It was a awful /traumatic delivery for me and I wished I wasn't so stubborn. I"m not 100% back to normal either and have to have cosmetic surgery too. Hindsight, the C Section would've been the safer and better option...So keep an open mind, k?
Btw, what happend to your facebook page?
Thanks for the encouraging story, Jen, lol. I definitely believe medicine and medical intervention can be a good thing and can be life saving so I feel like I'm fairly open minded about it. That said I also do not believe that a lot of the "standard procedure" practices endorsed and even forced upon women in hospitals are the most beneficial.to moms and babies. I believe in normalizing birth and believing in our bodies instead of being afraid we're all on the edge of death like most doctors would lead you to believe! I have a long list of questions for my doctor that I'm taking with me to my next appointment. I really just want to be as informed as possible and hope to stay calm and rational enough to make good decisions.
DeleteOh and I just decided to take a break from FB for a little while. I'm not sure when or if I'll get back on there but hope to keep the blog up to date. You can also communicate with me via email. Mine is TraciL _Combs @Yahoo.com.