Today was my “yearly” appointment with the “lady doctor.”
Some of my (two) male readers just ran away screaming, right? Right. That’s cool.
You might just be proving that men are the weaker sex.
Anyway, now that I’ve offended my male constituency (::AHEM:: Husband.)…
That appointment is what it is. As always. I mean, it’s pretty awkward to have someone talking to you while checking out your business, right? (Well, the answer to that, if you don’t already know, is YES. It most certainly IS awkward.)
But I love my PA. LOVE her. She’s really easy to talk to about everything and she’s awesome.
So awesome, in fact, that she’s sending me for a sleep study.
I told her that I am chronically fatigued and have been for as long as I can remember. Even before Joshua was born and decided to never (or rarely) sleep. That practice has checked my thyroid levels no less than 6 times and every time they are perfect. The last time they checked them was in February. So there’s really no sign that this is a thyroid issue.
Enter the sleep study.
(Have any of you ever done this? Please tell me what I need to know. Do I need to buy new, matching pajamas? Or will they make me sleep in a hospital gown? Will they stick probes all over my face and make me feel like I’m in some sort of alien spaceship being studied for my brains? Who decides they want to grow up and watch other people sleep? That would just make me MORE sleepy. Or frustrated. Probably frustrated.)
ANYWAY (Gosh! I’m rambly tonight.)
I’m doing a sleep study. I’ll keep you posted.
We also discussed VBAC options with that practice. Specifically, I wanted to know if they had any sort of “requirements” with VBAC that make it virtually impossible for women to VBAC with their practice.
(Does anyone here NOT know what VBAC stands for? Vaginal Birth After Cesarean)
The short answer she gave me?
NO!!
Woohoo!!
Their only stipulation is that I go into labor on my own by 41 weeks. They will not induce or augment labor on a VBAC because inductions and augmentations of labor tend to be harder on the woman’s body and lead to higher c-section rates.
I’m totally okay with not being induced.
I almost cried as I explained to her how I felt regarding my section and she just apologized and said “I’m sorry you experienced that.” It felt really good to hear a medical professional speak those words.
I really, really like her.
She actually said to me, “You know, obviously we can’t change anything about the way things happened the first time, but what you know for the next time is that YOU are the patient. And YOU are in charge. As long as there’s no distress or danger for you or the baby, you make the calls.”
(And no, those weren’t her exact words. I do not have an audio-recording memory. It was close, though.)
But still…Awesome, right?
How empowering!
She stayed until 5:15 talking to me about my options and some statistics and I think she might’ve fist-pumped a little when I brought up the new ACOG recommendation that VBACs are safe options for women who’ve had previous c-sections. Despite the fact that she’s had three c-sections herself (due to fetal distress and a uterine “window” i.e. a small rupture that required an emergency c-section) she fully supports her patients’ rights to choose a Trial of Labor.
That appointment, despite the wait and the breezy paper gown, kind of rocked.
Despite the fact that Joshua was awake and ready to go at 5:15 this morning, and despite the fact that I went in for my yearly voluntary violation, Wednesday has been fabulous.