May 2013 Due Dates

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Replies

  • LadyJocc
    LadyJocc Posts: 151 Member
    Checking back in!

    Just had my 38+ week appt and am still holding strong at 1cm and just 'starting to thin out' (which I read as: not effaced much). But, while leaving my urine sample at the doctor's I did have my first blood spotting in this entire pregnancy. It was bright red, and just a tiny, tiny amount (so no-go on the mucus plug), but it was still something, which was a bit exciting since I'm not having any other labor sighs.

    The doctor said it was probably due to my cervix opening a bit over the night .... so, maybe things are going to start happening... who knows. :smile:

    How's everyone else? Roll call!
  • RBXChas
    RBXChas Posts: 2,708 Member
    That's good news! I'm sitting in the waiting room, so we shall see! I never thought I'd make it to this appointment.

    ETA that I only gained .5 lb this week, which is good. I'm just waiting for an empty exam room so I can sit and wait, bottomless, which is totally my favorite!!!!!!

    EATA that I am 2.5cm dilated, still 70% effaced, but my OB says that I've progressed a lot (she said most women aren't 100% effaced until they're in labor), so she said any time now. I can't go on much longer, so induction date is 5/28 if I don't go on my own first.
  • ehg87
    ehg87 Posts: 430 Member
    I'm still here....hanging around...super irritable this week, especially the past 2 days. As in, EVERYTHING makes me mad. My poor children :) My 38 week appt is tomorrow afternoon, so maybe some progress will have been made. I'm thinking I should at least be at a 2 by now.
  • RBXChas
    RBXChas Posts: 2,708 Member
    I'm still here....hanging around...super irritable this week, especially the past 2 days. As in, EVERYTHING makes me mad. My poor children :) My 38 week appt is tomorrow afternoon, so maybe some progress will have been made. I'm thinking I should at least be at a 2 by now.

    I'm very short on patience right now, which I guess is good for some of my clients ;) Not so good for my husband. I've managed to keep it in check with my son, but he's so little that he doesn't understand if he's getting on my nerves. It also helps that he's cute (at least to me).
  • LadyJocc
    LadyJocc Posts: 151 Member
    That's good news! I'm sitting in the waiting room, so we shall see! I never thought I'd make it to this appointment.

    ETA that I only gained .5 lb this week, which is good. I'm just waiting for an empty exam room so I can sit and wait, bottomless, which is totally my favorite!!!!!!

    EATA that I am 2.5cm dilated, still 70% effaced, but my OB says that I've progressed a lot (she said most women aren't 100% effaced until they're in labor), so she said any time now. I can't go on much longer, so induction date is 5/28 if I don't go on my own first.

    That definitely sounds like progress - I bet your feel better having an induction on the calendar just in case. Your induction is on my due date, so at least one of us will have a baby that day. :wink:

    Have fun sitting bottomless - totally my favorite too - even better that we get to pay to do it! errrr...

    Oh, and congrats on the .5 weight gain - that's awesome.
  • LadyJocc
    LadyJocc Posts: 151 Member
    I'm still here....hanging around...super irritable this week, especially the past 2 days. As in, EVERYTHING makes me mad. My poor children :) My 38 week appt is tomorrow afternoon, so maybe some progress will have been made. I'm thinking I should at least be at a 2 by now.

    I will cross all my fingers and toes for you. Let us know how it goes tomorrow with the dilation progress!

    And understandable on the irritation - it's hard walking around as a ticking time bomb. So close!
  • prplrose33
    prplrose33 Posts: 78 Member
    Still here and also feeling completely irritable. I had a dr. appt this week and still at a 1. Dr. said I was thinning out though, which is good. I was just hoping for more than a 1. Dr. guessed on babies size and said he/she was probably around 7.5 lbs already and if I go to by due date he/she will be around 8.5 lbs. :noway:
  • TheLaser
    TheLaser Posts: 338 Member
    Hi Ladies! I don't have much time now but I wanted to check in and let you all know that my adorable baby boy came crying hither in the wee hours of Wednesday morning! It was a very intense, all-natural 3-hour labor that came on with almost no warning signs. I was afraid we weren't going to make it to the birth center! Although my body never had time to ease into labor, I credit my quick recovery and healing to my athletic lifestyle and healthy eating. My sweet little son looks incredibly robust and is already nursing well. I will update when I can with the birth story and a picture.
  • ehg87
    ehg87 Posts: 430 Member
    Congrats!!!! A 3 hour labour = AMAZING!!! I can't even imagine! My shortest was 6 hours! I also can't imagine an all natural birth...I try every time and every time just can't take it. WAY TO GO! Can't wait to read your birth story.
  • LadyJocc
    LadyJocc Posts: 151 Member
    Hi Ladies! I don't have much time now but I wanted to check in and let you all know that my adorable baby boy came crying hither in the wee hours of Wednesday morning! It was a very intense, all-natural 3-hour labor that came on with almost no warning signs. I was afraid we weren't going to make it to the birth center! Although my body never had time to ease into labor, I credit my quick recovery and healing to my athletic lifestyle and healthy eating. My sweet little son looks incredibly robust and is already nursing well. I will update when I can with the birth story and a picture.

    Yay!! That's so wonderful to hear! I was hoping that your turn had finally come when you weren't posting -- so glad that you had the birthing experience that you wanted and that your boy is healthy and feeding! Looking forward to your birth story whenever you get around to it - rest up and enjoy your family! Cheers!!!
  • rubybeach
    rubybeach Posts: 529 Member
    Hi Ladies! I don't have much time now but I wanted to check in and let you all know that my adorable baby boy came crying hither in the wee hours of Wednesday morning! It was a very intense, all-natural 3-hour labor that came on with almost no warning signs. I was afraid we weren't going to make it to the birth center! Although my body never had time to ease into labor, I credit my quick recovery and healing to my athletic lifestyle and healthy eating. My sweet little son looks incredibly robust and is already nursing well. I will update when I can with the birth story and a picture.

    Congratulations!!!! Wow!
  • RBXChas
    RBXChas Posts: 2,708 Member
    Hi Ladies! I don't have much time now but I wanted to check in and let you all know that my adorable baby boy came crying hither in the wee hours of Wednesday morning! It was a very intense, all-natural 3-hour labor that came on with almost no warning signs. I was afraid we weren't going to make it to the birth center! Although my body never had time to ease into labor, I credit my quick recovery and healing to my athletic lifestyle and healthy eating. My sweet little son looks incredibly robust and is already nursing well. I will update when I can with the birth story and a picture.

    Yayyayyayyayyay!!! CONGRATULATIONS!!!

    I had just been thinking about you this morning because you'd be 41 weeks (eek!) today :)

    SO glad it was quick! It sounds like it was hard, but you got to have the all-natural birth you were hoping for, and in the end both you and your baby are healthy :heart:

    Looking forward to hearing more and seeing a pic!
  • RBXChas
    RBXChas Posts: 2,708 Member
    Still here and also feeling completely irritable. I had a dr. appt this week and still at a 1. Dr. said I was thinning out though, which is good. I was just hoping for more than a 1. Dr. guessed on babies size and said he/she was probably around 7.5 lbs already and if I go to by due date he/she will be around 8.5 lbs. :noway:

    Sorry :frown: You can still be a 1 and go into labor any time, though! Glad to know the baby is good-sized, though I wouldn't put much stock in the specifics. My OB thought my last one would be big based on her guess, and he was 7lbs 3oz - not small, but hardly big.

    I was sooooo uncomfortable after yesterday's appointment. I swear, she is messing with my cervix so much that it literally causes everything to hurt. This morning I'm still a little sore, so all I want to do is lie around. I'm considering leaving the office early to get some rest...

    ETA that I am 38w5d today, which is where I was when my son was born. I'd be really surprised if I had this baby today!
  • rubybeach
    rubybeach Posts: 529 Member
    Hey ladies, how are you doing??

    I'm done, done, done. I feel like my tummy is going to split open. Not sleeping...no position is comfortable. Even sitting sucks, but I've found that sitting on the exercise ball is best.

    Misery loves company, who's feeling the same?

    I'll be 39 weeks on Monday. Oh my lord, if I go 12 days past my due date I might have a breakdown.
  • RBXChas
    RBXChas Posts: 2,708 Member
    Hey ladies, how are you doing??

    I'm done, done, done. I feel like my tummy is going to split open. Not sleeping...no position is comfortable. Even sitting sucks, but I've found that sitting on the exercise ball is best.

    Misery loves company, who's feeling the same?

    I'll be 39 weeks on Monday. Oh my lord, if I go 12 days past my due date I might have a breakdown.

    YUP. I was so happy to set an induction date because now I have an end-date-certain. I'll be 39 weeks on Sunday. SO DONE.

    For the past few nights I've actually had to get up in the middle of the night to pee (I had managed to avoid that by avoiding liquids past 8PM) because having anything in my bladder means too much compression down there and PAIN. I told my husband that last night I even laid awake for a few trying to determine if I was having contractions when I remembered from my childbirth class (in November 2010...) that you should pee first before you determine you're in labor. Lo and behold, I peed and felt a million times better.

    Today I lost what little mucus plug I probably had left today, most likely due to the fact that my OB was messing with my cervix yesterday, but part of me is holding out hope that this means the real thing is close. (There's a big part of me that feels like I'm just playing the waiting game until my induction date.)

    But I am NEVER comfortable anymore. At least a few weeks ago I could find maybe one position that was doable, but not anymore. Sitting hurts because everything is compressed. Standing hurts my back, hips, and legs. Walking hurts. I can't lie on my back, but if I could, I'm sure it would hurt because lying on either side hurts.

    I have one more scheduled OB appointment (next Wednesday) before my induction date the following Tuesday. I'm wondering if I really have to bother with a pelvic check because what is it going to tell me other than I'm close and could go at any moment - just like now? I'll either go into labor on my own, or I won't, and doing a pelvic check isn't going to tell me which one is the case. All it's going to do is make me uncomfortable again. (I do understand that I should come in to have my BP and urine checked, but I'm not really sure what the point in the pelvic check is anymore.)
  • mrs_dwr
    mrs_dwr Posts: 189 Member
    Hi Ladies! I don't have much time now but I wanted to check in and let you all know that my adorable baby boy came crying hither in the wee hours of Wednesday morning! It was a very intense, all-natural 3-hour labor that came on with almost no warning signs. I was afraid we weren't going to make it to the birth center! Although my body never had time to ease into labor, I credit my quick recovery and healing to my athletic lifestyle and healthy eating. My sweet little son looks incredibly robust and is already nursing well. I will update when I can with the birth story and a picture.

    Yay!! Congratulations on getting the birthing experience you hoped for! So glad to hear you're both doing so well - can't wait to see a picture!
  • LadyJocc
    LadyJocc Posts: 151 Member
    YUP. I was so happy to set an induction date because now I have an end-date-certain. I'll be 39 weeks on Sunday. SO DONE.

    For the past few nights I've actually had to get up in the middle of the night to pee (I had managed to avoid that by avoiding liquids past 8PM) because having anything in my bladder means too much compression down there and PAIN. I told my husband that last night I even laid awake for a few trying to determine if I was having contractions when I remembered from my childbirth class (in November 2010...) that you should pee first before you determine you're in labor. Lo and behold, I peed and felt a million times better.

    Today I lost what little mucus plug I probably had left today, most likely due to the fact that my OB was messing with my cervix yesterday, but part of me is holding out hope that this means the real thing is close. (There's a big part of me that feels like I'm just playing the waiting game until my induction date.)

    But I am NEVER comfortable anymore. At least a few weeks ago I could find maybe one position that was doable, but not anymore. Sitting hurts because everything is compressed. Standing hurts my back, hips, and legs. Walking hurts. I can't lie on my back, but if I could, I'm sure it would hurt because lying on either side hurts.

    I have one more scheduled OB appointment (next Wednesday) before my induction date the following Tuesday. I'm wondering if I really have to bother with a pelvic check because what is it going to tell me other than I'm close and could go at any moment - just like now? I'll either go into labor on my own, or I won't, and doing a pelvic check isn't going to tell me which one is the case. All it's going to do is make me uncomfortable again. (I do understand that I should come in to have my BP and urine checked, but I'm not really sure what the point in the pelvic check is anymore.)

    I would opt-out of the pelvic check if I were you - totally agree - what's the point? And yes x 100 to peeing being the bringer of all relief in the middle of the night. I try so hard to stop drinking liquids by 8:30 but I feel so dehydrated all the time (even though I drink at least 100oz a day) that I generally end up taking a sip here and a sip there until bed time, which means I get up at minimum every 2.5 hours during the night. Granted, I do have a hard time distinguishing between 'real' pee feelings and 'fake' baby's just on my bladder feelings, but man does it feel good to go when it's really necessary!! :smile:

    I'm glad that you have everything scheduled and ready to go for the 28th! Sounds like you are very ready to be done with this pregnancy, so having that light at the end of the tunnel is probably a bright spot! And hey - with the rest of your mucous plug gone, maybe you'll still go naturally before then! Are you getting excited to see the baby's sex?
  • LadyJocc
    LadyJocc Posts: 151 Member
    Hey ladies, how are you doing??

    I'm done, done, done. I feel like my tummy is going to split open. Not sleeping...no position is comfortable. Even sitting sucks, but I've found that sitting on the exercise ball is best.

    Misery loves company, who's feeling the same?

    I'll be 39 weeks on Monday. Oh my lord, if I go 12 days past my due date I might have a breakdown.

    39 weeks on Tuesday for me - Rebecca, you and I are in a row. :smile:

    Totally hear you on the exercise ball - I'm not sure I could get through a day at work without it! Are you having any labor signs?
  • LadyJocc
    LadyJocc Posts: 151 Member
    Okay - I have to rant:

    We love our OB - she's relatively young and very laid back with her approach to pregnancy and the associated tests, and always makes us feel calm and empowered rather than nervous about the test results, or hung-up on things in a black and white sort of way. Basically she's just a good fit with us and we felt really glad to find her. We even decided to stay with her at the beginning of this year when she switched her practice and was now Out-of-Network for our insurance plan, and will cost us 20% more in co-insurance for her to deliver us at our hospital.

    However, yesterday at my appointment, she did her cervix check and yada yada, then says 'well, next week I will be in town, so that would be good, but you can't have your baby the the week after because I won't be here. So either next week, or hold off for two weeks'. She said this with a joking tone, so I wasn't sure if she was being serious. I asked her where she was going: Italy. For a friend's wedding.

    Once I hear 'Italy' I realize that she's not joking - and that she will most definitely not be available the last week of May.

    Here's the thing - this is the first I'd heard from her, or anyone at the office, that my OB is scheduled to be out of the country the week of my due date. Does that strike anyone else as odd?? I mean, of course she has every right to plan vacation and go to her friend's wedding, but as a doctor, wouldn't she have had to put this on the calendar at least 3-4 months ago? And is it just me, or is it a bit unprofessional to not tell your patient that you are scheduled to be gone during the week she is most likely going to give birth? (She is gone from my 39+6 through my 40+5). I'm not sure that it would have changed anything, but had we known this we absolutely would have looked more seriously at switching doctors when she switched providers so that we could have saved ourselves some money and had time to bond with a new doctor before giving birth.

    So, Now I'm 10 days from my due date and wondering if I'll 'hold on' until she gets back in town (she suggested I try to rest and not take walks to keep him in there if I don't go before she leaves :huh:) or if I'm okay with whomever is on call, even though we are paying for her. Of course I'm not going to do anything differently to try to start or stop labor, as I'm sure this kid will come when he wants regardless, but really - would anyone else be annoyed at this??
  • ehg87
    ehg87 Posts: 430 Member
    Just thought I'd check in to let everyone know how my Dr appt went! I'm making progress!!!! Last week I was barely 1cm and hardly effaced. This week I am a good 2cm, over 50% effaced & midwife said baby's head is right there and fully engaged in the pelvis. So yeah that's exciting. Although I'm fully aware that I could be like this for another 3 weeks (if I go a week late), lol. (OMG I HOPE NOT!!!!!)
    I did get a schedule of who's on call for the rest of the month. I mean not that I can stop labor if someone I don't care for is on call. I just like to be in the know with who will be there. Thankfully, there is only 1 Dr with that practice that I just really do not like, and she is only on call today and this upcoming Tuesday.

    I had a really uncomfortable evening post appt. Those cervix checks really seem to stimulate things. But now that I'm home and kicked back all the twinges and Braxton Hicks contractions have stopped.

    Also, let me commiserate with everyone else and say OMG! I am super uncomfortable most of the time. And worse than that I am so short tempered and moody right now!!! Also the peeing....so annoying....I get up on average 5 times a night to pee. URGH!!! Oh well at least I'm still sleeping pretty good most nights.

    Good luck everyone! We're all so close!!! Maybe some birth stories after this weekend :)
  • ehg87
    ehg87 Posts: 430 Member
    @LadyJocc - I would be FURIOUS!!! LIVID!! Pissed even....and I'm pretty sure I would let her know just how peeved I was. I am so sorry she's done that to you. How unsettling right before an impending birth!
  • LadyJocc
    LadyJocc Posts: 151 Member
    Just thought I'd check in to let everyone know how my Dr appt went! I'm making progress!!!! Last week I was barely 1cm and hardly effaced. This week I am a good 2cm, over 50% effaced & midwife said baby's head is right there and fully engaged in the pelvis. So yeah that's exciting. Although I'm fully aware that I could be like this for another 3 weeks (if I go a week late), lol. (OMG I HOPE NOT!!!!!)
    I did get a schedule of who's on call for the rest of the month. I mean not that I can stop labor if someone I don't care for is on call. I just like to be in the know with who will be there. Thankfully, there is only 1 Dr with that practice that I just really do not like, and she is only on call today and this upcoming Tuesday.

    I had a really uncomfortable evening post appt. Those cervix checks really seem to stimulate things. But now that I'm home and kicked back all the twinges and Braxton Hicks contractions have stopped.

    Also, let me commiserate with everyone else and say OMG! I am super uncomfortable most of the time. And worse than that I am so short tempered and moody right now!!! Also the peeing....so annoying....I get up on average 5 times a night to pee. URGH!!! Oh well at least I'm still sleeping pretty good most nights.

    Good luck everyone! We're all so close!!! Maybe some birth stories after this weekend :)

    You're making great progress! Great that the baby is fully engaged - I'll cross my fingers that you do not have to wait another 3 weeks!

    And yeah - holy cervix checks. Those things are no joke! Sorry you were uncomfortable after, but at least you had some dilation progress to make it worth it. :wink:

    What I wouldn't give to just sleep through the urge to pee like the good ole' non-pregnant days. Like you, I'm still having more good nights then bad with the sleep, but things are definitely getting dicier. I don't even want to think about a week from now.

    Glad your non-preferred Doc is hardly on-call -- just have to make it past Tuesday. :smile:
  • LadyJocc
    LadyJocc Posts: 151 Member
    @LadyJocc - I would be FURIOUS!!! LIVID!! Pissed even....and I'm pretty sure I would let her know just how peeved I was. I am so sorry she's done that to you. How unsettling right before an impending birth!

    Thank you! I've been getting progressively more upset by it since she told us yesterday - and I told my husband that I think I have to say someone - if nothing else then as a courtesy for her (since she is younger) in her future dealings with patients.

    Glad to hear I'm not crazy for being angry! :smile:
  • ehg87
    ehg87 Posts: 430 Member
    Well anyone?! Anything going on at all? I'm a big whopping nothing on that. Though I did take it way easier yesterday than I have in a long time...maybe if I forced myself to be active something would happen, but what a chore!!
  • RBXChas
    RBXChas Posts: 2,708 Member
    Big ol' fat nothin' going on here... I talked to my mom yesterday and admitted that at this point I think I'm just playing the waiting game until my induction date. Funny because my OB swore the first time I'd go to term, and I delivered at 38+5; meanwhile this time she swore I'd go before term, and it sure isn't looking like it!

    I am surprisingly not that excited to find out the sex... I guess I'm just more anxious to have the baby, so that is really occupying my thoughts more than anything else.

    LadyJocc, I do have some thoughts about your situation but have yet to get somewhere where I can type comfortably! That's the problem with the weekends... However I would also be rather upset given that you stuck with her even as a now out-of-network provider!
  • RBXChas
    RBXChas Posts: 2,708 Member
    Okay - I have to rant:

    We love our OB - she's relatively young and very laid back with her approach to pregnancy and the associated tests, and always makes us feel calm and empowered rather than nervous about the test results, or hung-up on things in a black and white sort of way. Basically she's just a good fit with us and we felt really glad to find her. We even decided to stay with her at the beginning of this year when she switched her practice and was now Out-of-Network for our insurance plan, and will cost us 20% more in co-insurance for her to deliver us at our hospital.

    However, yesterday at my appointment, she did her cervix check and yada yada, then says 'well, next week I will be in town, so that would be good, but you can't have your baby the the week after because I won't be here. So either next week, or hold off for two weeks'. She said this with a joking tone, so I wasn't sure if she was being serious. I asked her where she was going: Italy. For a friend's wedding.

    Once I hear 'Italy' I realize that she's not joking - and that she will most definitely not be available the last week of May.

    Here's the thing - this is the first I'd heard from her, or anyone at the office, that my OB is scheduled to be out of the country the week of my due date. Does that strike anyone else as odd?? I mean, of course she has every right to plan vacation and go to her friend's wedding, but as a doctor, wouldn't she have had to put this on the calendar at least 3-4 months ago? And is it just me, or is it a bit unprofessional to not tell your patient that you are scheduled to be gone during the week she is most likely going to give birth? (She is gone from my 39+6 through my 40+5). I'm not sure that it would have changed anything, but had we known this we absolutely would have looked more seriously at switching doctors when she switched providers so that we could have saved ourselves some money and had time to bond with a new doctor before giving birth.

    So, Now I'm 10 days from my due date and wondering if I'll 'hold on' until she gets back in town (she suggested I try to rest and not take walks to keep him in there if I don't go before she leaves :huh:) or if I'm okay with whomever is on call, even though we are paying for her. Of course I'm not going to do anything differently to try to start or stop labor, as I'm sure this kid will come when he wants regardless, but really - would anyone else be annoyed at this??

    Ok, my take on this is that chances are she's known for a while and should have said something - the question is, how soon? My and my sister"s OB was having a tummy tuck when my sister approached the end of her pregnancy, which she only told her about a couple of weeks in advance. However in her practice when you go into labor, you end up with the on-call doctor, which could be any of the seven doctors in the practice. I guess they all trust each other implicitly, or they wouldn't be in practice together. When I went into labor with my son, my OB just happened to be on call. With my sister, she couldn't get too upset because she might not have been guaranteed to have our specific OB anyway. The only way you are guaranteed your OB is if you get induced and don't go into labor on your own first. And even though I happened to get my OB the first time, I had different OBs from the practice checking in on me when they were on call, and the one who discharged me was not my usual OB. (This time I will not get my OB unless I deliver on 5/26 or end up going in for the induction on 5/28, since she's not on-call in the interim.

    Our son's pediatrician's office is different. They don't do "on call," per se, where if you call after hours you get called back by the on-call doctor (which is how my dad's and my BIL's practices work); they tell you to go to Peds Plus at the hospital (pediatric clinic) or the ER. However they open up mega early in the morning, and they each do rounds regularly. My son's specific pediatrician is awesome and saw him the day he was born, saw him early the next morning, and discharged him very early the next day. So if he told me this close to delivery that he'd be MIA, I'd be a bit miffed, especially if I were paying out-of-network co-insurance to see him. However I know a couple of the other doctors in the practice and know my baby would be ok. I appreciate that there's a big difference between that and having your baby delivered, though.

    If your OB would have delivered you regardless, then that is pretty huge. If not, then maybe she assumed you're like everyone else who just has to be ok with whatever OB from the practice. She might not know about the whole insurance thing (or she might not remember, if you told her). I would say something but say it to her personally so that she can learn from it rather than get her in trouble by talking to, say, the senior doctor or practice manager. I definitely think that's worthwhile.

    The other thought I had is that this may have been somewhat last-minute, and she jumped at the chance to go, which is a personal decision.

    Either way, telling you earlier would have been the best policy!
  • BBeccaJean
    BBeccaJean Posts: 453 Member
    Congrats on the new babies for the ones who have had them :O). I'm 37 weeks and just went to a breastfeeding class, which has made me change my mind about discussing my birthing plan with doctor. We have rotating on-call docs at my hospital too, but the lactation consultant told us that babies are born with an instinct to breastfeed, but it's greatly reduced when separated from mom. They recommend having the baby laid skin-on-skin on mom's chest for the first hour so the baby can feed and then get all the tests after! Has anyone else done that?
  • RBXChas
    RBXChas Posts: 2,708 Member
    Congrats on the new babies for the ones who have had them :O). I'm 37 weeks and just went to a breastfeeding class, which has made me change my mind about discussing my birthing plan with doctor. We have rotating on-call docs at my hospital too, but the lactation consultant told us that babies are born with an instinct to breastfeed, but it's greatly reduced when separated from mom. They recommend having the baby laid skin-on-skin on mom's chest for the first hour so the baby can feed and then get all the tests after! Has anyone else done that?

    No, but I plan on it! Last time my son had a weird grunting cry, so they took him away rather quickly to do a pulse-ox. They were supposed to bring him right back but didn't, and I was too overwhelmed with everything to speak up. Most tests they can probably do right there, so if something like that happens again, I will speak up.

    Also, if they take your baby away, they tend to just give him or her a bottle of formula and then bring him or her back all proud of the fact that they fed them to save you the trouble. That happened to me, too, so we literally didn't get to try nursing until my son was probably 5 hours old, which I think played into my production issues. They were all too happy to give him formula even though he was supposed to be exclusively breastfed. The LC gave me a hard time about it, too, but I told her to take it up with the nursery!
  • LadyJocc
    LadyJocc Posts: 151 Member

    Ok, my take on this is that chances are she's known for a while and should have said something - the question is, how soon? My and my sister"s OB was having a tummy tuck when my sister approached the end of her pregnancy, which she only told her about a couple of weeks in advance. However in her practice when you go into labor, you end up with the on-call doctor, which could be any of the seven doctors in the practice. I guess they all trust each other implicitly, or they wouldn't be in practice together. When I went into labor with my son, my OB just happened to be on call. With my sister, she couldn't get too upset because she might not have been guaranteed to have our specific OB anyway. The only way you are guaranteed your OB is if you get induced and don't go into labor on your own first. And even though I happened to get my OB the first time, I had different OBs from the practice checking in on me when they were on call, and the one who discharged me was not my usual OB. (This time I will not get my OB unless I deliver on 5/26 or end up going in for the induction on 5/28, since she's not on-call in the interim.

    Our son's pediatrician's office is different. They don't do "on call," per se, where if you call after hours you get called back by the on-call doctor (which is how my dad's and my BIL's practices work); they tell you to go to Peds Plus at the hospital (pediatric clinic) or the ER. However they open up mega early in the morning, and they each do rounds regularly. My son's specific pediatrician is awesome and saw him the day he was born, saw him early the next morning, and discharged him very early the next day. So if he told me this close to delivery that he'd be MIA, I'd be a bit miffed, especially if I were paying out-of-network co-insurance to see him. However I know a couple of the other doctors in the practice and know my baby would be ok. I appreciate that there's a big difference between that and having your baby delivered, though.

    If your OB would have delivered you regardless, then that is pretty huge. If not, then maybe she assumed you're like everyone else who just has to be ok with whatever OB from the practice. She might not know about the whole insurance thing (or she might not remember, if you told her). I would say something but say it to her personally so that she can learn from it rather than get her in trouble by talking to, say, the senior doctor or practice manager. I definitely think that's worthwhile.

    The other thought I had is that this may have been somewhat last-minute, and she jumped at the chance to go, which is a personal decision.

    Either way, telling you earlier would have been the best policy!

    Thanks for your input! I agree with a lot of your points. We visited our hospital's birthing center yesterday - and after talking with the nurses, I feel much better about the whole situation. The birthing center is great - everyone is very like minded with staying out of the bed to labor, breastfeeding, using birthing balls, squat-racks, jacuzzi tubs, etc. And, even though the OB on-call will not be coming from our group, there is another group that our group partners with and the nurses had nothing but great inks to say about any of the 3 doctors we could get. Since this is our first, I wasn't aware of the role of everyone in a delivery, so I feel better now knowing that my real support team will be our nurses, and that our birth will be great either way. Besides - what can you do. :smile:

    That said - I will definitely say something personally to our OB just to let her know that a heads up would have been appreciated with as much notice as possible due to the insurance situation (which she probably did forget about) and just because we do like her so much that of course we feel disappointed to know she won't be available. I think she'll appreciate hearing that and keep it in mind.

    Edited to fix quote markers
  • RBXChas
    RBXChas Posts: 2,708 Member
    Thanks for your input! I agree with a lot of your points. We visited our hospital's birthing center yesterday - and after talking with the nurses, I feel much better about the whole situation. The birthing center is great - everyone is very like minded with staying out of the bed to labor, breastfeeding, using birthing balls, squat-racks, jacuzzi tubs, etc. And, even though the OB on-call will not be coming from our group, there is another group that our group partners with and the nurses had nothing but great inks to say about any of the 3 doctors we could get. Since this is our first, I wasn't aware of the role of everyone in a delivery, so I feel better now knowing that my real support team will be our nurses, and that our birth will be great either way. Besides - what can you do. :smile:

    That said - I will definitely say something personally to our OB just to let her know that a heads up would have been appreciated with as much notice as possible due to the insurance situation (which she probably did forget about) and just because we do like her so much that of course we feel disappointed to know she won't be available. I think she'll appreciate hearing that and keep it in mind.

    Edited to fix quote markers

    You're welcome! I'm glad you feel better after having gone to the birthing center. Me, I felt like my OB was basically there to "catch" the baby and not much else, at least until she gave me my stitch and called it a day... The nursing staff is really who you are dealing with primarily. Hopefully they are cool. I liked them when I visited, but the main nurse that I dealt with overnight was kind of rolling her eyes at me the whole time, like I was being a baby about being in so much pain. (Believe me, it was horrendous.) What's funny is that I remember making small talk early on, and she didn't have any kids - so how would she know how much it does or doesn't hurt? Even if she did have kids, labor is different for every woman (and with every baby), so some women could have much worse pain than she had! However, the nurse who showed up on the next shift change and helped me hold still for the epidural was a ROCK STAR. She was very reassuring and told me she knew how much it hurt, etc. She was the one who helped me clean up afterwards, and between her and the night nurse, I'd have picked her in a second for someone to be squirting warm water on my private parts while I hovered over the toilet :wink:

    I think you have a good strategy about bringing it up to your doctor, though, in that you will present it like you chose her - so she is complimented :smile: