I mentioned last week that I decided to pull my OB late in the game and blindly go with another one I had never met before. Here's the skinny on that.
We, yes I say we because Jason plays a huge role in my success or failure, want to have an unmedicated, "natural" birth ideally with as little medical intervention as possible. This means no induction, no epidural, just me, Jason, and the uterus+vag doing our thing. Nice, huh?
I brought this up to Dr. G around 20 weeks or so, and she was very encouraging. To my fault and her credit, I didn't really lay out exactly what I had in mind. To be honest, at that time I didn't really know what I wanted or didn't want.
After more research and deciding on the things that were important to me, I talked with Dr. G about it again, this time in more detail. I asked about a heplock instead of an IV. She squirmed. I asked to be monitored intermittently so I can have free reign to move about the room. She was concerned. I asked when she likes to induce if I go over my due date. 40w4d. I was thinking closer to ACOG's guideline of 42 weeks, especially since first-time moms tend to go past their due dates anyway. If my water broke, do I have to come in immediately? Yes, for fear of a prolapsed cord. If they checked me at the hospital and confirmed the cord wasn't prolapsed, could I be released to labor at home then come back? I'd have to sign a waiver stating I was released against medical advice.
She was very open and honest with her answers, and even though it wasn't what I was hoping for, I was very glad she wasn't giving me lip service and just telling me what I wanted to hear only to go against that during crunch time. She even told me I'd probably be better off at the birth center in the next state (about an hour away), and she wouldn't be offended at all if I decided to go in another direction.
I walked away pretty bummed because I really liked her, but I knew I wouldn't be able to even attempt the birth experience I hoped for if I stayed under her care. So I started looking elsewhere. A couple doulas in town and friends who had gone natural gave me recommendations. One doctor's name seemed to continue popping up.
Dr. Tynes.
I googled her and found a lot of NB-friendly comments about her. By this time, I was 31 weeks and didn't have time to dilly dally so I set up an appointment with her, transferred my records (which was a nightmare), and now have a new OB! She does a lot of natural births and is very comfortable with every I want. Even the new hospital I'll be delivering at is NB-friendly and they have tubs which is awwwesome. Although, I'm really hoping to labor at home so long I won't have much time to use the tub there.
It was a little bit of a whirlwind at first, and a little unsettling trying to find a new provider so late in the game, but I know it was the right decision in the long run. Just knowing that the L&D nurses and my OB are on board is such a weight lifted off my shoulders and I already feel like it gives me a little extra push to succeed.
So how did I come to the decision to go med-free? That's a whole other story...See Part 2.
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