Friday, August 29, 2008

Absent

My doctor let me know at my appointment she's leaving for vacation two days before my due date. As much as I understand I'm not her only patient and I certainly can't expect her to arrange her schedule around my needs, I'm disappointed.

For my first baby, I was really hoping and looking forward to having my doctor do the delivery. Obviously, I knew in the back of my mind that there was always the possibility that it wouldn't happen that way, but now that the confirmation is basically there, I'm bummed.

There is the chance that I'll have this baby a few days early, but I don't have my hopes up because neither my mom or mother-in-law had their babies early. Besides, I've always heard that first babies tend to be on the late side.

My doctor did offer to induce me a few days early, and while its certainly enticing, I'm not sure that's the wisest choice. I'm initially pretty hesitant to have any unnecessary interventions because I don't want to risk a c-section. Not to say that a little pitocin means you are going to have a c-section, but the whole thing makes me nervous.

At the same time, it makes me really nervous to have a doctor I've never met deliver my son. I know it has so much more to do with the nurses than the doctor, but it bothers me. So...I guess I have to weigh my options: get induced a few days early and have my doctor do the delivery or wait for my body to start labor on its own and have Dr. Mystery do the delivery. The one catch to my latter option is that something could still happen and I would end up with a c-section regardless and then I would really be sad...to be overdue, needing a c-section and have it performed by mystery doctor.

I would very much like to hear people's birth stories and any advice or thoughts on the subject...

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Andrea,
You are going to be suprised at who is commenting on your post. :) I hope you can remember me, this is Molly Hutchins (formerly Bowen). I was in the First Pres. youth group with you. We even built a house together. I also was in a small group with you that met at your house. Anyways I found your blog by accident when I went to Jason and Erin Farley's blog, then went to Jesse Parkert's blog and then accidently clicked on your blog. Then I saw you and was like, that's Andrea Boyle, well was Andrea Boyle...Congrats on your marrige. Furthermore, congrats on your baby coming. Anyways, in response to your post, have you ever thought about a doula. I had one and loved it! I went into labor in the middle of the night and it took a while for my doctor to get to the hospital. I found a doula to not only be a great help to me and my husband, but also to be a constant person who knows about birth and about what I wanted. So no matter who you got as a doctor, you would have the circle of your husband, and doula always around you. And as I know you know, in most cases the doctor just catches the baby. I found a doula helpful because even though a husband can be wonderful in labor, there is still such a thing as a "woman's touch and intuition". My husband I think was more thankful for our doula than I was. She helped him be more of a help to me. Do you have facebook? I am on that. My e-mail is unsinkablem@hotmail.com, I would love to hear what you have been doing since high school. :) I was married in 2005, have a two year old daughter, and live in Maine. Blessings Andrea!

mom2lo said...

I know exactly how you feel! And I think it's true that first babies tend to run a little late. I went the induction route so my doctor could do the delivery and wouldn't you know we missed the 12PM cut-off of when the doctors switched call! Oh, well! My induction was okay but the delivery was TOUGH! You can read all about it here. All I know is I think it'd probably be best to wait for your body to decide when it's ready to go into labor. For some reason, I'm thinking that way would be the easiest for you and your little boy! Overall, the doctor that delivered was fine (I had seen him once during regular check-ups) and he really was only in the room for such a SHORT time! It really is all about the nurse(s) you get. Mine was my sister and she made all the difference!

Vance Family Adventures said...

Andrea,
It is a really hard decision to make and well understood that you would feel most comfortable with your own doctor. As a mother/baby nurse I have a slightly different perspective. I would recommend waiting for labor to start on its own. Pitocin can be a great drug when needed, but I have seen some rough labors resulting in c-sections because of it. Your body knows this baby best and he will make his entrance into this world when he is ready. Of course, if it's medically necessary to induce you, then that will be the best outcome for you. But, you could always try more natural methods also (as long as your doctor okay's it). Try extra walking or nipple stimulation prior to your due date. And remember, at the end of the day what really matters is a healthy baby. 20 years from now you won't even remember what doctor delivered your baby; you'll remember how you felt the first time you held him in your arms. Every OBGYN has been through medical school and has the same training. In the end, it's your hubby, family, and nurses that will truly support you. Only you can decide what's best for your son. I hope your pregnancy is going well..you are very cute prego!
-Julie Vance