The OB visit & 32 week update (long)

Cheryl S.
Mom to Julie, 2 yr., 3 mo.
And a boy, EDD 4.Sept



Wow Cheryl, I can't believe you had the energy to type all of that

Too bad the doc was not as great as your midwife, not helping an 8 month preg
woman up from the table is certainly not going to get any points with me!

I'm sorry to hear you are getting so miserable, why oh why did we decided to be
huge and pregnant in the summertime??

Don't beat yourself up too much about being impatient, etc. I feel the same
way. I have given in a lot to the videos and PBS more as time goes by. I
feel guility but at least I sit there with Sophie and watch it, I just don't
have the energy to do much with her anymore.

I have my next appt tommorrow, of course, right after yours!

Glad to "see" you posting!

Linda
Mommy to Sophie, 2 years
and girl #2, due Sept 7th

On 15 Jul 2003 21:19:39 GMT, (GoofeeGyrl)
wrote:

I'm sorry to hear you are getting so miserable, why oh why did we decided to be
huge and pregnant in the summertime??

I will be asking myself that in Dec and Jan -- summer here. I am
due in Jan, so it should be fun.

--
==Daye==
Momma to Jayan
#2 EDD 11 Jan 2004
E-mail: brendana AT labyrinth DOT net DOT au

GoofeeGyrl wrote in message
...
Wow Cheryl, I can't believe you had the energy to type all of that

LOL. It was right after a 90 minute nap!

Too bad the doc was not as great as your midwife, not helping an 8
month preg woman up from the table is certainly not going to get any
points with me!

Yeah, and it's not even really an OB thing - I'm pretty sure my OBs with
Julie all helped me up. I was surprised at how hard it was to sit up -
I'll be much more grateful for the help now.

I'm sorry to hear you are getting so miserable, why oh why did we
decided to be huge and pregnant in the summertime??

I also have to question my decision making skills on that one. :-)

Don't beat yourself up too much about being impatient, etc. I feel
the same way. I have given in a lot to the videos and PBS more
as time goes by. I feel guility but at least I sit there with Sophie
and
watch it, I just don't have the energy to do much with her anymore.

I have been feeling the videos calling. Julie started watching
Clifford, Sesame Street, and Teletubbies about 6 weeks ago and it has
become more and more days out of the week. So far no videos (ever!),
but I'm sure it won't be long.

Yesterday was really trying. The doctor appointment was kind of early
(for us). I spent half an hour asking Julie what she wanted to eat,
etc., and trying to get her to eat breakfast, under stress from running
a little bit late. That whole time, she wouldn't eat, but as soon as I
said "we have to go get in the car now" she had a total crying meltdown
that she was hungry. I was very not-sympathetic. Then the whole day
seemed to go like that.

I have my next appt tommorrow, of course, right after yours!

Hope it goes well!
--
Cheryl S.
Mom to Julie, 2 yr., 3 mo.
And a boy, EDD 4.Sept

Cleaning the house while your children are small is like
shoveling the sidewalk while it's still snowing.

That whole time, she wouldn't eat, but as soon as I
said "we have to go get in the car now" she had a total crying meltdown
that she was hungry. I was very not-sympathetic. Then the whole day
seemed to go like that.

Oh the joys of the toddler! That's when it is the worst, when your day starts
out with a meltdown. I know these days, it seems to set the tone for the whole
day in my mind, no matter what Sophie might be up to!

Cheryl S.
Mom to Julie, 2 yr., 3 mo.
And a boy, EDD 4.Sept

Well i hear you about the not sleeping. Im also at 32 weeks and dont sleep
well most of the time. I get most of my sleep between 6 am and 10 am. I also
feel huge at times and have a hard time with dishes. The way i have to lean
over just kills my back and i already have back problems to begin with. My
belly has stopped getting bigger and i havent gained any weight int he past
2-3 weeks but the baby continues to grow and is around 3 pounds. I am told
my baby will be about 8-9 pounds when born. i can handle the 8 i dont know
about the 9. I have already ahad a 9.9 baby... OUCH!!!!is all i have to say
about that.

Good luck with everything. Soon we will be capable of getting to sleep
easily yet we will not get much still. Im looking forward to it

excited n anxious Shannon
due sept 12

Hi Cheryl!
Glad that all is going so well! I hope you will manage to fall asleep more
easily! Have you tried taking walks or doing some yoga exercises before
going to bed?
I usually practice my deep breathing for labour exercises before going to
bed, they put me straight to sleep!
I know why you feel comical trying to wash dishes - I feel comical when I'm
sitting down and feeling this big *bag* in my lap ;-)
Thank you for posting your Q & A, it's very educational - I must ask some of
the questions myself!

Take care,
Elly
28 weeks + 2 days
EDD October 6th

"Cheryl S." ha scritto nel messaggio
...
Hello, everyone. I feel like I haven't been posting much and apologize,
especially for the "congratulations" and "welcomes" I've failed to
extend lately. I've been sooooooo tired lately, because it's gotten so
hard to sleep. I've been mostly skimming the groups, often saving posts
to respond to later, then not getting around to it and losing them.

Other than lots of trouble sleeping, though, I really can't complain.
I've got no physical problems ATM aside from feeling Enormous. My
"waist" is already 40 inches around, the same as it was when I went into
labor with Julie! Yet I've gained seven pounds less than I had at that
point (and two pounds less than I had at this point). I'm scared to see
how much bigger I can get, given another 8 weeks! I feel comical trying
to wash the dishes because my belly almost prevents me from being able
to reach under the faucet to rinse. The lack of good sleep is affecting
me emotionally though - it is increasingly hard for me to be patient
with Julie and I am often wincing at the tone of my voice as I speak to
her, even as I continue to do it. Deep breaths, deep breaths.

Yesterday was my visit with one of my midwife's back-up OBs, that I
posted about for help with questions to ask. Overall, I felt
comfortable with her. She is just one of six who could be on call when
I'm in labor and I (hopefully) won't be meeting any of the others.
First, my midwife had her baby a week ago and they are doing well. The
OB couldn't tell me yet when my midwife will be back though. At my last
appointment with my midwife, she had told me she'd be out six weeks
following her birth, which would make it August 18, in which case I'm
quite confident she'd be back before I have the baby.

Apparently all was fine with the boy and me, though I wasn't told my
fundal height or the baby's heartrate. I noticed little differences,
like that the doctor didn't tell me those numbers, or ask me about my
diet or exercise, and was already busy writing in my chart after taking
the baby's measurements so didn't help me to sit up (which was somewhat
difficult to do on my own!). I had blood taken for another thyroid
level check. The rest of my visits, until my midwife returns, will be
with the other midwife, at their other office in another city (three
doctors and one midwife per location). I am on to bi-weekly visits now;
next one at 34 weeks.

I did come up with quite a list of questions, from those suggested here,
and from reading the birth center pamphlet's list of reasons for risking
out together with _Thinking Woman's Guide_. She was happy to answer all
of them, and I didn't feel rushed at all. For those who are interested,
here is what I ended up asking her, and her (summarized) answers:

Q: What are the options for medicated pain relief?
A: Stadol and morphine (which are also available in the birth center)
and epidural (L&D only)

Q: What is the standard procedure for IVs and monitoring in the
hospital?
A: It would depend on the reason for my transfer. [Not quite what I
asked, but I guess that's OK since the standard procedure probably
wouldn't apply to me in the case of transfer anyway.]

Q: What level is the hospital nursery?
A: III

Q: Do you try version if the baby is breech?
A: If that is what the mother wants.

Q: If I have a C-section, can my support person stay with me?
A: Yes.

Q: How soon could I breastfeed following a C-section?
A: In the recovery room; surgery takes 45 minutes, then another few
minutes after getting to recovery to check my vitals. DH would be with
the baby during that time.

[I chickened out on asking for her C-section and VBAC rates. Not sure
why exactly, probably because my former OB seemed
offended/defensive/evasive when I asked them, and I didn't want to get
off on the wrong foot with this one. Also there's such a large chance
I'd have a different doctor anyway. I think I will ask the midwife if
she knows the rate for the practice overall though, and why she thinks
the hospital C rate is so high (30%!)]

Q: Will the midwife remain involved in my care if I am transferred?
A: Yes, as much as possible. She may still deliver the baby.

Q: Would I be able to room-in with the baby in the hospital?
A: Yes

Q: How do you define "failure to progress"? The pamphlet seemed vague
about that - what is considered "progressive dilation" and how do you
determine "adequate" contractions?
A: It is kept vague intentionally. They don't really start paying
attention to rate of progress until in active labor, after 4 cm. They
don't adhere strictly to the 1 cm/hour rule, but would consider no
change in dilation after three or four hours to be a problem. Adquate
contractions are determined by timing between ctx, and perceived
strength from feeling the abdomen during the ctx.

Q: What complications, other than fetal distress, preeclampsia, cord
prolapse, placental abruption or previa would necessitate a C-section?
A: Breech, if version fails. Prolonged pushing with no descent of
baby, or failure to progress.

OK, this is certainly (more than) long enough! Thanks for reading.
--
Cheryl S.
Mom to Julie, 2 yr., 3 mo.
And a boy, EDD 4.Sept

Cleaning the house while your children are small is like
shoveling the sidewalk while it's still snowing.

"GoofeeGyrl" ha scritto nel messaggio
...
I have my next appt tommorrow, of course, right after yours!

Hi Linda, good luck for the appointment today :-))
Give us your update, will ya? ;-)

Elly
28 weeks + 2 days
EDD October 6th

"Cheryl S." wrote:

Hello, everyone. I feel like I haven't been posting much and apologize,
especially for the "congratulations" and "welcomes" I've failed to
extend lately. I've been sooooooo tired lately, because it's gotten so
hard to sleep. I've been mostly skimming the groups, often saving posts
to respond to later, then not getting around to it and losing them.

I'm so sorry that you are getting so little sleep but I am glad to hear
everything else is going quite well. Good to know that at least one of the
back-up OB's is ok. More than likely the rest are also, since like doc's
tend to
practice together although that certainly isn't set in stone.

I've been doing OK on sleep but doing a lot of it. I napped in the car
every day on the way
out West. Sometimes sleeping 4 or 5 hours in a couple stretches. I'm taking
naps almost everyday now
and am absolutely EXHAUSTED when I don't. God Bless my niece who is staying
with us until the end of August.
I haven't seen my midwife since June 23. I see her again on Monday. I'm
anxious to see if bubs
is breech or vertex. I'm not sure, I *think* he's vertex. He finally turned
from transverse though and my right hip bone is
grateful as he was using it to brace his feet against.

The heat here is quite bearable. We're not going above the low 80's for at
least the next week. I hate the heat so this is
just perfect for me. I'd be totally content if it never got any hotter than
this.

K-

==Daye== wrote in message
...
Glad that things went well, but the above would annoy me. My
doctor knows not to tell me that things are normal because I will
ask for the exact numbers, esp. my BP. I have really low BP so
130/80 may be normal for some people, but that is high for me. I
need the numbers to know for sure if my BP is normal.

I used to think my BP was really low, until I started seeing some of the
numbers people post here sometimes! Lowest mine has ever measured is
90/60. Still, 118/70 sounds odd to my ears, though the nurse who took
it Monday thought that was fabulous. I think it is good that it's a bit
higher than "normal" in my case though, because I don't feel well when
it's lower than 110/70 or so.

I have to admit that the not helping you up would have annoyed
me. I was always asked if I needed help up. I usually didn't,
but I was thankful for them asking me.

It's good to hear I'm not the only one who would notice and feel annoyed
at not being helped up. It's such a quick and easy, yet thoughtful,
thing to do. It contributed to my feeling that, with a doctor,
everything is "about" the doctor, where with my midwife, everything is
"about" me, IYKWIM.
--
Cheryl S.
Mom to Julie, 2 yr., 3 mo.
And a boy, EDD 4.Sept

Cleaning the house while your children are small is like
shoveling the sidewalk while it's still snowing.

On Wed, 16 Jul 2003 10:31:48 -0400, "Cheryl S."
wrote:

I used to think my BP was really low, until I started seeing some of the
numbers people post here sometimes! Lowest mine has ever measured is
90/60.

The lowest mine has ever measured was 80/60. I have been asked
by nurses before if I felt faint after they took my bp, which
always makes me laugh.

At my last pregnancy appointment, my bp was 130/70. The doctor
said, "That looks good." I told him it was high for me. He
looked at my records, and yep, it was high. He took it again at
the end and it was 120/70, which is still high, but it was
better.

Since I had pre-eclampsia in my last pregnancy, I am always
scared when my bp is higher than normal.

--
==Daye==
Momma to Jayan
#2 EDD 11 Jan 2004
E-mail: brendana AT labyrinth DOT net DOT au