Third prenatal checkup.
Sep. 15th, 2008 12:18 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rivkaWhen you're not a first-time mom, midwife visits really sail right past. I think I was in and out of there in fifteen minutes, and I didn't feel particularly rushed.
I met the other new midwife today, a very (!) young Orthodox woman named Bayla. In comparison to the other new midwife, Kate, she seemed more laid back and less by-the-numbers. For example, when I saw Kate at 14 weeks I hadn't started gaining weight yet, and she mentioned that "we like to have you gain 10 pounds by 20 weeks." At the time I was frazzled enough by the spotting and everything that I didn't challenge the idiocy of that statement, although in retrospect I wished I had.
Today, my weight was still right where it's been for the last 10 weeks. Bayla pointed that out, and I explained that I hadn't gained much with Alex (lost 7 pounds, then gained 15) and that I'd still had an 8-pound baby. She asked if I was nauseated and vomiting. I told her I felt fine, but didn't have much of an appetite. She asked me if I thought I was eating well-balanced meals with enough calcium and protein, and when I said yes, she just said "Okay!" and moved on. No mention of "10 pounds by 20 weeks," which at this late date would be impossible anyway.
We listened to Niblet's heartbeat, sounding incredibly strong and sure on the Doppler. Anterior placenta or not, now that my belly has popped the heartbeat is easy to find. I've reached the mathematically cool stage in which the size of my belly (from the pubic bone to the top of the uterus) in centimeters is equal to the number of weeks pregnant I am.
My blood pressure is an impressive 90/66. I'm not spilling any protein or sugar. I don't have any swelling or weird stuff going on. We're going to keep an eye on the pain in my side and back, where my scoliosis scar is. It's been a bit worse since my belly popped, but not at intervention-level yet. Bayla said I could call any time and ask for a referral to physical therapy - I don't have to go through an orthopedist, yay.
There was a med student present for the visit - apparently they rotate through the midwives' office to see some prenatal and well-woman care. What a great idea. It got me thinking about the things, big and small, that I love about the midwifery model. The big things, of course, are the focus on low-intervention births, trusting the birth process, and providing intensive support throughout pregnancy and birth.
But there are little things, too. At my midwives' office, the scale is in the bathroom. Pregnant women weigh ourselves in private, and give the number to the midwife in the consultation room. We also test our own urine for sugar and protein, in private: there are Dixie cups and test strips in the bathroom, and a chart for comparing the test strip result. These are small differences, but they do increase my sense that (a) my dignity is respected, and (b) I am an intelligent person who can be trusted with my own health care.
I met the other new midwife today, a very (!) young Orthodox woman named Bayla. In comparison to the other new midwife, Kate, she seemed more laid back and less by-the-numbers. For example, when I saw Kate at 14 weeks I hadn't started gaining weight yet, and she mentioned that "we like to have you gain 10 pounds by 20 weeks." At the time I was frazzled enough by the spotting and everything that I didn't challenge the idiocy of that statement, although in retrospect I wished I had.
Today, my weight was still right where it's been for the last 10 weeks. Bayla pointed that out, and I explained that I hadn't gained much with Alex (lost 7 pounds, then gained 15) and that I'd still had an 8-pound baby. She asked if I was nauseated and vomiting. I told her I felt fine, but didn't have much of an appetite. She asked me if I thought I was eating well-balanced meals with enough calcium and protein, and when I said yes, she just said "Okay!" and moved on. No mention of "10 pounds by 20 weeks," which at this late date would be impossible anyway.
We listened to Niblet's heartbeat, sounding incredibly strong and sure on the Doppler. Anterior placenta or not, now that my belly has popped the heartbeat is easy to find. I've reached the mathematically cool stage in which the size of my belly (from the pubic bone to the top of the uterus) in centimeters is equal to the number of weeks pregnant I am.
My blood pressure is an impressive 90/66. I'm not spilling any protein or sugar. I don't have any swelling or weird stuff going on. We're going to keep an eye on the pain in my side and back, where my scoliosis scar is. It's been a bit worse since my belly popped, but not at intervention-level yet. Bayla said I could call any time and ask for a referral to physical therapy - I don't have to go through an orthopedist, yay.
There was a med student present for the visit - apparently they rotate through the midwives' office to see some prenatal and well-woman care. What a great idea. It got me thinking about the things, big and small, that I love about the midwifery model. The big things, of course, are the focus on low-intervention births, trusting the birth process, and providing intensive support throughout pregnancy and birth.
But there are little things, too. At my midwives' office, the scale is in the bathroom. Pregnant women weigh ourselves in private, and give the number to the midwife in the consultation room. We also test our own urine for sugar and protein, in private: there are Dixie cups and test strips in the bathroom, and a chart for comparing the test strip result. These are small differences, but they do increase my sense that (a) my dignity is respected, and (b) I am an intelligent person who can be trusted with my own health care.
