Third midwife visit.
Nov. 1st, 2004 11:27 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rivkaQuick summary: everything looks great.
I was supposed to meet the third midwife of the three-midwife practice today, but she was at the hospital with a client. So instead I had Julie, the first midwife I ever saw there. I think I love Julie. I hope she's on call when I go into labor. She's just very likeable and down-to-earth; simply being around her makes me feel relaxed.
Once we'd straightened out a bit of confusion with the ultrasound report (they'd mistakenly recorded my LMP as 6/6/04, instead of 6/26/04, which meant that they thought I was three weeks further along than I am), she told me that everything about the report looked excellent. She puts no stock in the ultrasound tech's revision of my due date, because it's well within the margin of error, so we're continuing to stick with the original due date of 4/3/05. She took my blood pressure - also excellent - and dug her fingers into my ankle to see if there's any swelling. (No.) I tested my own urine (no protein, no sugar) and weighed myself: up two pounds from my lowest pregnancy weight, still down five pounds from my pre-pregnancy weight. She didn't seem concerned about the meager weight gain, so I'm not either.
We talked at length about my pain. Like the other midwife I spoke to on the phone, Julie thinks the pain is probably caused by stretching scar tissue. She's glad I'm planning to see an orthopedist (I've got an appointment scheduled for the 11th), but she also reminded me that there have probably not been a lot of pregnant women with my particular orthopedic history - so I should count on some uncertainty. She'll be happy to discuss matters with my orthopedist in hopes of coming up with collaborative solutions. I mentioned that I was hoping he would prescribe physical therapy, and she thought that sounded like an excellent idea. I confirmed with her that I should avoid X-rays if possible, and she gave me advice about what to consider if he recommends them. (For example: if any intervention would be delayed until after delivery anyway, then diagnostic X-rays can be delayed until after delivery as well.)
We also talked a bit about delivery. I told her that I've been reading Naomi Wolf's book Misconceptions, and that it led me to wonder whether having a hospital birth will compromise some of the advantages of midwife care. (Wolf found that her hospital had a "protocol" for labor which her midwives were not permitted to disrupt - for example, when she didn't dilate according to a strict schedule they insisted on inducing labor.) Julie assured me that there is no required schedule and no point at which interventions are seen as mandatory. She also said that the OBs at the hospital are very respectful of midwives and don't try to take over if they're brought in to consult. We talked about fetal monitoring in labor. (Continuous fetal monitoring pins you in place, so you can't walk around - plus it leads to a greater likelihood of interventions, because the baby can appear to be in distress when, in reality, nothing is wrong. This practice uses intermittent fetal monitoring instead.)
All in all, I was much reassured. Julie said, "We encourage you to read rabble-rousing books, because we don't want you to be a passive and docile patient. But as you're reading them, you should keep in mind that women often write rabble-rousing books in order to work through their own birth experience. Your birth experience might be very different."
She wants us to start thinking about pediatricians and scheduling "getting acquainted" visits. She had advice about how to choose a pediatrician, and a list of doctors recommended by their clients. Most of those are in the suburbs, though, so I think our urban friends with children will be a better source of information.
Finally, I hopped up on the exam table so we could look and listen for Li'l Critter. She measured my fundal height (from the pubic bone to the top of the uterus) and said it was just as it should be. Then she got out the Doppler. Li'l Critter was harder to find this time - probably because my uterus is bigger, I guess, and because she's moving more. We heard several sharp "thunks" which she said were kicks, and then finally the heartbeat. It's so much louder than it was at 13 weeks! It sounded like someone hammering nails. And fast, fast, fast.
I came away from the visit so pleased with our midwife practice, and feeling good about the hospital, too. Yay.
I was supposed to meet the third midwife of the three-midwife practice today, but she was at the hospital with a client. So instead I had Julie, the first midwife I ever saw there. I think I love Julie. I hope she's on call when I go into labor. She's just very likeable and down-to-earth; simply being around her makes me feel relaxed.
Once we'd straightened out a bit of confusion with the ultrasound report (they'd mistakenly recorded my LMP as 6/6/04, instead of 6/26/04, which meant that they thought I was three weeks further along than I am), she told me that everything about the report looked excellent. She puts no stock in the ultrasound tech's revision of my due date, because it's well within the margin of error, so we're continuing to stick with the original due date of 4/3/05. She took my blood pressure - also excellent - and dug her fingers into my ankle to see if there's any swelling. (No.) I tested my own urine (no protein, no sugar) and weighed myself: up two pounds from my lowest pregnancy weight, still down five pounds from my pre-pregnancy weight. She didn't seem concerned about the meager weight gain, so I'm not either.
We talked at length about my pain. Like the other midwife I spoke to on the phone, Julie thinks the pain is probably caused by stretching scar tissue. She's glad I'm planning to see an orthopedist (I've got an appointment scheduled for the 11th), but she also reminded me that there have probably not been a lot of pregnant women with my particular orthopedic history - so I should count on some uncertainty. She'll be happy to discuss matters with my orthopedist in hopes of coming up with collaborative solutions. I mentioned that I was hoping he would prescribe physical therapy, and she thought that sounded like an excellent idea. I confirmed with her that I should avoid X-rays if possible, and she gave me advice about what to consider if he recommends them. (For example: if any intervention would be delayed until after delivery anyway, then diagnostic X-rays can be delayed until after delivery as well.)
We also talked a bit about delivery. I told her that I've been reading Naomi Wolf's book Misconceptions, and that it led me to wonder whether having a hospital birth will compromise some of the advantages of midwife care. (Wolf found that her hospital had a "protocol" for labor which her midwives were not permitted to disrupt - for example, when she didn't dilate according to a strict schedule they insisted on inducing labor.) Julie assured me that there is no required schedule and no point at which interventions are seen as mandatory. She also said that the OBs at the hospital are very respectful of midwives and don't try to take over if they're brought in to consult. We talked about fetal monitoring in labor. (Continuous fetal monitoring pins you in place, so you can't walk around - plus it leads to a greater likelihood of interventions, because the baby can appear to be in distress when, in reality, nothing is wrong. This practice uses intermittent fetal monitoring instead.)
All in all, I was much reassured. Julie said, "We encourage you to read rabble-rousing books, because we don't want you to be a passive and docile patient. But as you're reading them, you should keep in mind that women often write rabble-rousing books in order to work through their own birth experience. Your birth experience might be very different."
She wants us to start thinking about pediatricians and scheduling "getting acquainted" visits. She had advice about how to choose a pediatrician, and a list of doctors recommended by their clients. Most of those are in the suburbs, though, so I think our urban friends with children will be a better source of information.
Finally, I hopped up on the exam table so we could look and listen for Li'l Critter. She measured my fundal height (from the pubic bone to the top of the uterus) and said it was just as it should be. Then she got out the Doppler. Li'l Critter was harder to find this time - probably because my uterus is bigger, I guess, and because she's moving more. We heard several sharp "thunks" which she said were kicks, and then finally the heartbeat. It's so much louder than it was at 13 weeks! It sounded like someone hammering nails. And fast, fast, fast.
I came away from the visit so pleased with our midwife practice, and feeling good about the hospital, too. Yay.
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no subject
Date: 2004-11-01 09:01 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-11-01 09:06 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-11-01 09:11 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-11-01 09:31 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-11-01 10:15 am (UTC)What was that film with Michael J. Fox and the ghosts? That's what it reminded me of.
no subject
Date: 2004-11-01 09:18 am (UTC)This is so exciting!
no subject
Date: 2004-11-01 09:26 am (UTC)I think I love Julie, too.
no subject
Date: 2004-11-01 09:42 am (UTC)Are you taking belly pictures? I did and I'm glad I did. Even a few months after delivery, I have trouble believing I was as big as I was.
no subject
Date: 2004-11-01 10:28 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-11-01 10:44 am (UTC)Yay!
no subject
Date: 2004-11-01 01:18 pm (UTC)Sounds like you have a great setup.