 | Diary Navigation:
|
October 16, 2003
Nearly 20 weeks!
In my last entry, I had my ultrasound coming up. I won't write all about it again here, so if you haven't got the update on that, check my TTM board for the news.
Midwife Crisis
Yesterday I had my third midwife appointment. All went well as far as my health is concerned. I gave some blood since that hadn't been done yet, so they could verify my blood type (I'm B negative so I'll likely need the Rhogam shot at 28 weeks, etc), check for Rubella and chicken pox and whatever else they do. I also peed in a cup for the first time. She checked my fundal height and said I was measuring on target, and she listened to the heartbeat for a few seconds but didn't get the BPM. They never seem to weigh me, which is fine by me. I wonder if that's their policy or if they don't start until later on. But they wouldn't know my starting weight so they have nothing to compare it with. They also hadn't received the results from the ultrasound clinic yet, which seemed odd to me after a week and a half. She said it was a good sign, since if there was anything wrong they would have rushed it over. So no news is good news, I guess. Anyway, towards the end of my appointment, she said she felt she'd better give me the heads-up that the practice might be closing. She was going to another practice in the other end of the city, and she wasn't sure what was going to happen with the other midwives at the clinic of if the practice would even still exist. She gave me some numbers for other midwife practices in the area (none are nearly as close) and said they'd be in touch with me if they suddenly had to give up my care. I grilled her a bit about which others worked out of the hospital which was so close to us, just in case I couldn't have a homebirth, and she marked the two that do. I was surprised and worried, but not overly concerned yet. Then as we were leaving, Chris picked up a sheet of paper from the front reception desk written by three of the other midwives in the practice. It was a letter addressed to all the midwives' patients, and it was much more direct and conclusive. Basically it stated that the practice was closing as of the end of October. Period. So I don't know what the heck is happening with them, but they are no longer going to be my midwives, even if I wanted them to be. So here I am at 20 weeks, faced with the crisis of finding new prenatal care. No small feat in a province with a doctor shortage, overcrowed hospitals, waiting lists for vital surgeries, etc etc. I'm willing to bet it's not easy to sign on with a midwife this late in the game either. In a way I'm mad, but in a way I'm also thinking that this could be a blessing in disguise. I don't know if I touched on this at all in my past entries, but I've been fairly dissatisfied with my care up to this point. It's been impersonal (I've met with three different midwives on each occasion, and I know there's a reason for it, but still...; also, they are in a large medical clinic with one big communal waiting room, reception desk, etc.), inconsiderate (the shortest time I've waited past my appointment time was half an hour), indifferent (I've always had to ask ALL the questions, and at times felt like I had to prompt them to ask me things) and if I was being really honest, insufficient. I just felt like they didn't go the distance at prenatal appointments. In my second one, the MW felt my uterus, checked the HB briefly with the doppler, filled out some forms, asked if I wanted an u/s but didn't really address my concerns either way, filled out a blood requisition form, and that was it. It was maybe 15 minutes, no different from what I'd expect from a mediocre OB, and certainly not what I'd expected from midwifery care. So I guess I'm not totally upset about this. As long as I find a new midwife that I'm happy with, it's probably good that this happened. But if I have trouble finding someone to take on my care at this point, I don't know what I'll do. It might come down to having to find an OB at this point, and just sign on with a really good doula. I hope it doesn't come to that. I've already called one MW practice and they filled out a form with me over the phone and will get back to me within a few days. I'll be calling another today.
Rock-a-Bye Baby
Last weekend was Thanksgiving here in Canada, and Chris and I took the Friday off. So with the Monday holiday, we had a four-day weekend - woohoo! We hit the road Friday morning and headed for Ottawa, where both sets of parents live. It was a nice weekend, filled with relaxation and lots of good food. Chris' parents presented me with a belated birthday present and really surprised me. It is an antique cradle that I'd admired when we were in PEI in August. I thought it was great because it was unpainted (no fear of toxic or lead paint) and the rungs were so close together (no fear of baby's head getting stuck between them). It seemed safe, despite the fact that it was an antique. So sure enough, after we left I guess Chris' mother went to the store, talked down the price and bought it. She then had a piece of firm foam cut to fit, and made a thin quilted cotton mattress cover for it (with a waterproof layer). It zips on and off, and is the same on both sides so the whole mattress can just be flipped. I was so blown away by all the effort she'd gone to! I had planned on finding some sort of little cradle or cosleeper for beside our bed. I don't think we'll be into cosleeping (we'll see though) but I do want the baby close by and in our room for the first few months. So a small cradle or cosleeper was definitely on my list of things to look for. I hope this will fit the bill perfectly. It does rock, but I'll likely alter it so it doesn't rock quite so much. I can just see Chris tripping over it on the way to the bathroom, and rocking the baby right out of it! So we'll make sure it's good and safe before we put the baby in it.
Poke, poke
In the last few days, I *think* I might have felt my first movements. The first time it just felt like someone was doing the finger flick on the inside of my belly, only really gently and just twice. It was so faint I wondered if I'd imagined it. Then the other night I felt this very gentle poke, poke. Again, very gentle and could have been my imagination or my digestive system. I'm very aware of things now, so I'm concentrating like mad at the slightest gas bubble, trying to feel more and see if it's just gas or really this baby!
Prenatal classes already!
Tonight we have our first prenatal class. I know, it's early, but the woman who offers the ones I'm interested in has them starting now or in late January, which *could* be too late for me. So we signed up for these ones and I'll likely be the least pregnant person there. She is influenced strongly by "Birthin from Within" by Pam England, so I bought that book and have only just started it. But I already have an idea of the sorts of things we'll be doing - birth art, etc, along with the more practical stuff. Chris will probably think it's all a bit "out there," but I told him to keep an open mind and have fun. He said he'd try - what a guy.
So I think that's all the news that's fit to print for now. I'll write another entry as soon as this midwife situation is resolved, or if it gets so stressful I need to vent!
Thanks for reading!
Jen
P.S. Alicia, if you're reading this, I am thinking about you.
********* TALK TO ME *********
Has anyone used an antique cradle for a real, live baby? Any scary stories? Anything else I should be concerned about?
Do you agree that my prenatal care up to this point has been less-than-satisfactory? Or are my expectations too high?
Do you think it's movement I've been feeling, or wishful thinking???
 |  |
|
want to keep a diary on iParenting?
Authoring a diary on the iParenting network allows you to chronicle your family's story, preserving it for years to come. It's also a great way to get the most out of the iParenting community. Click here to start...
|
The iParenting Media Awards program helps parents find the best products for their families. 
