I LOVED HER!!!!!!! It went even better than I was hoping. She was sooooooo comfortable to talk to. I felt like I could say anything to her. Even though I liked Dr T, I often felt that she wasn't open to opinions different from her's and so I had to word things carefully or plan out what I was going to say -- or even refrain from saying something that came to mind. The doctor I met today, Ann/Dr S, was so easy going and friendly and warm that I had no inhibitions. I thought I was going to be nervous but she put me right at ease. (My blood pressure was 122 over 70 which was great.) Needless to say, I'm officially her patient!
She had me sign a medical release so that all of my records from Dr. T will be sent to her, and I canceled my appt. with Dr T so there's no going back now!
I liked the building, the receptionists, and nurses as well. Maybe they were acting extra nice because I was a new patient, I don't know, but they were SUPER friendly. They all talked and talked to me like we were life-long friends.
The hospital seems like a bit of a drive compared to my less-than-5-min drive to Dr. T, but mapquest says it's only 3 min farther than my last hospital (24 min vs 21 min) and in July I'm not going to have to worry about bad weather so unless my baby falls right out then I don't think that should be a problem when I'm in labor. :p Also, by the time I start seeing her more often for check ups, winter will be over so I shouldn't mind the drive unless it's during rush hour!
Anyway, so I told her the story about Logan's birth and how Dr T said this needed to be a scheduled c-section and asked if that was her opinion as well. She said she could see where Dr T was coming from and we would need to treat my labor more carefully than if my first baby had come out easily (i.e. if my pushing phase is going slowly again then it will be brought to a stop/c-section) but there is no reason why I can't try to have a vaginal birth and for that to be the goal. She said there is just as much of a possibility for this baby to come out easily as there is for difficulty, it is not something anyone can predict because even doctors are unable to give a explanation for the whole "pelvis problem." She said some women's bodies are made so that for some reason the pelvis is not in the correct shape for a baby to fit through it. However, the fact that I did do it (I didn't have a c-section) means that at least a 7 pound 14 oz baby can fit. (And it's not for sure whether I have that issue or not, since there were other factors that played into Logan's long pushing phase.)
She said the same thing as Dr T as far as if I am more active in this pregnancy, if I don't gain as much weight, if the baby is a girl, or if it's born any earlier -- this baby is likely to be smaller which will help things out. So I will do the things that are in my control and hope for the best, but prepare myself that a c-section may still happen. I told her I was okay with that if it is necessary, as I obviously don't want the baby's oxygen to get cut off from the shoulders getting stuck or any serious complications! I just want the option to wait and see how things are progressing during labor before the decision is made. She said that was perfectly fine and she had no problem with that!
She did warn me, however, that it is a more serious c-section if I do end up with one in that situation (a harder recovery, and more chance for complications rather than if a scheduled c-section is done before labor) but that they do them all of the time so they are highly skilled at doing the best job. But it was already in the second trimester when Logan began growing at a faster-than-normal-pace, giving us indication that he was going to be a big baby so I think I will have a good idea by the third trimester whether I might need a c-section.
As I've said before, so far this pregnancy is different. I've had heartburn three different times whereas with Logan I had it one day in the third trimester and that was it. I'm also noticing circulatory issues which I didn't have until my final month of pregnancy -- hands and feet falling asleep. I haven't had much fatigue -- I've had a lot of energy again since Monday, although I am sleeping well. I went five days without nausea last week only to have it three days in a row while we were traveling for Christmas :( Today I have been feeling good again (we returned home last night) so maybe it was just the stress of traveling and now that I can rest, so will the nausea (although we're going out of town for our last Christmas this weekend). Or maybe it's like last time where it didn't just turn off with a light switch -- when it was tapering off I would go a few days here & there without any before it stopped completely. So maybe this time it's more align with the "ending with the first trimester" in two weeks. I hope so! I feel like such a wuss since it's been so much better than last time and not for as long. It sounds odd that I don't mind natural childbirth but I can't stand any sort of nausea! But had I felt it today then I was going to ask Dr S for a prescription!
The highlight of the appointment was when I got to hear the baby's heart beat for the first time! It was just as sweet/special as last time! I have a little baby inside me!!!!! :-) It was 175 beats per minute!!! I came home and told Joe "It's a girl!" LOL. Of course we still have no idea, heartbeat-gender-predictor is just an old wives tale that has been dis-proven just as much as proven. I've been trying to read online, though, whether it's one way more often and it does sound like if it stays up here it is likely a girl. The problem is that I'm ten weeks pregnant (will be 11 weeks in 3 days) and apparently this is the week when it's the highest it will ever be for everyone. It's going to go down from here -- but whatever it is next time is likely to be where it will stay the rest of the pregnancy. I didn't hear Logan's at this stage so I can't compare. . .all I know is that from week 12 on his was always 140-150.
I can take the Intelligender test now, though! It's an at-home test you can buy at the store that is 90% accurate at predicting the gender. But I looked at several message boards online and there are a lot of people it was wrong for, not to mention someone I know in person. It's $35 so it's kind of a waste of money since I still wouldn't know for sure. I'd hate to spend the next 9-10 weeks thinking it was one thing only to have it change at my ultrasound! On the other hand, it'd be fun to try. . . I still haven't decided for sure.
I didn't have to have an exam since I just had my annual exam on Sept 30 so that was a relief. It was was an easy appt. and sounds like my next one (Thurs. January 27) will be the same! Here was the post I wrote after my first heartbeat appt. with Logan:
Guess The Gender
(I took the test again for this pregnancy and had pretty equal results on boy vs girl again, so can't tell from that!)
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So, that's what my OB assured me of as well .. no c-section unless necessary. Your doctor sounds lovely, but enforce your belief to her every now and then and make sure she sticks to it and doesn't deviate. Just do it a couple of times .. every 3rd appointment or so and see her reaction. That will give you the reassurance and then the resolve if she happens to budge later.
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