And no, I’m not talking about waiting for New Girl’s arrival. We have far, far too much to do before she’s here for there to be any actual “waiting” taking place.
I’m talking about waiting at my doctor’s office.
One of the biggest hurdles I had to overcome in switching to this office was how far away it is from work when my current office is a whopping 3 minutes away–with traffic. As it is, I’ll be taking about a week to a week and a half of maternity leave unpaid (or paid via the optional short term disability insurance I’ve paid into for several years now), so I don’t have a lot of paid time to take for doctor’s appointments and I hate having to be the one always asking people to cover my classes so I can get to the doctor. I always try to schedule my appointments for the last available that day.
I left work at 3:00 yesterday to head to my second appointment at the new OB’s office because I had no idea what traffic would be like in that direction. I got there by 4:00. The appointment was scheduled for 4:25.
I was finally called into the room at 4:50. It was a million, zillion degrees in the office. I’d look at the clock and imagine the hordes of cars piling onto the roads making their way out to suburbia. I imagined myself stuck in that traffic.
I got antsy.
But, I kept breathing. I kept reminding myself that I knew the wait was worth it. That I’d made the right decision in going there. I relaxed and waiting.
Finally, I was called in to meet the NP and have my tummy check. She was with me for 20 minutes, at least, and that visit–the last of the day when I’m certain everyone in that office would rather be walking out the door–reminded me, yet again, that I’m receiving the kind of care I never would’ve gotten at my old OB’s office.
She listened to my concerns about the vagina bone pain and instead of saying “Well, I don’t think you’re in labor but I can check your cervix if you want me to” she explained what was happening and what I could do to relieve the pain. She reminded me that while annoying, this pain won’t last forever and it’s serving a purpose.
Every visit gets an ultrasound via one of the portable, laptop-sized machines. Every visit. She gooped me up and immediately said “That’s good! A head down baby!! The chin’s tucked! And anterior presentation!”
(In layman’s terms, she’s preparing herself to get “locked and loaded” in a couple of weeks. And she’s facing my spine. Oh, and yes, she’s still a she. I had the NP check!)
How proactive, right? My old doctor wouldn’t have scanned for that.
She saw my scar and asked me if I was VBACing this one.
“Yes,” I said, resolutely.
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I asked if she could still flip to breech position and the NP said, yes, but that it’s unlikely. (Whew.) And if she does flip, Dr. T will try to turn her.
Do you know what she never mentioned during that ultrasound or visit?
The potential size of my baby.
She didn’t hazard a guess or say “Oh, she’s looking big. We should get more measurements.”
She didn’t say “Oh, you’re measuring ahead of schedule.”
She didn’t try to scare me out of a VBAC by insinuating I can’t give birth to this baby because she might be big.
At my last appointment at my old office–at 28 weeks–the doctor said “Oh, you’re measuring ahead, and since you want to VBAC, we’ll need to monitor her size and make sure she’s not getting to big. Let’s schedule a growth scan for next time!”
Do you know what’s scheduled for my next visit now?
A longer-than-usual appointment to go over my birth plan WITH the OB so that we’re all on the same page when it comes time for this girl to actually exit my body.
With Joshua, I asked about writing a birth plan and I was told “Oh, just bring it with you to the hospital…”
The writing was on the wall there.
And here, the only writing I see is a giant, neon sign that says “We support you.”
Which pretty much makes the wait worth it.
5.5 weeks to go.
No matter when I schedule my OB appointments, I can expect to wait in the lobby for at least an hour, and in the exam room for at least another half hour. It is definitely frustrating, but in the end it is so worth it because of the exceptional care I get. Like your OB, mine takes the time to listen and explain, he is encouraging, and he makes me feel like I’m an important patient – not just another nameless face in his booming practice. He may not actually know me or even remember my name, but I know that when I run into him outside of work, he will always asks how my kids are (both of which he delivered). He, and his whole staff, definitely provide fantastic customer service…which is so worth the wait.
That’s exactly what I wanted to find–a place where I feel like a real person instead of a number/name on a schedule. I’m so glad I have.
I’m so glad you have a great OB now. That’s how I felt about my midwife practice. Lucky for me, there were no waits but there was plenty of attention.
When I was seeing the PAs during Joshua’s pregnancy, I got plenty of attention. I never felt rushed with either of them. But since they wouldn’t be the ones to deliver my baby, that was kind of moot, you know? I’m so much more at ease with this place.
I went through two crummy offices before I found the doctor that delivered Lulu, and it was SO worth the hassle switching docs. I couldn’t have been happier; being comfortable with your doc makes ALL the difference – I’m so happy for you!
So far, it’s been worth the hassle. Totally.
That sounds AMAZING! I actually love my OB practice but they weren’t nearly as thorough or helpful as your office sounds. I think OBs have a really hard time keeping appointments and wait times consistent because of the very nature of birth – it’s unpredictable! Emergencies happen! There are surprises! So a small practice has even more trouble with that kind of thing than one with tons of doctors on call at once.
Definitely. I know that there may be times when I’m waiting or rescheduled because he’s delivering a baby, which can’t wait. But I’m comforted by the fact that when it’s time for New Girl to make her appearance, I move to the top of the list.
So happy they are so supportive – what a blessing!
It really, truly is a blessing!
awesome! it is so important to have a doctor that you like and trust!
I agree!
Miranda- I don’t know if you remember me, but I’m a friend of Alison & Clay’s. I think we met a few times. If you don’t mind me asking, what practice did you switch to? I am currently 8 weeks and considering other options for this baby. Not totally in love with my current OB, but no major problems. Thanks!
I’m going to email you!
Thanks!
Your new practice rocks. I hate growth scans. HATE. With Vicki, my doctor gave me a growth scan at 37.5 weeks, where they estimated V was 8lbs 14oz. She was born 6 days later at 7lbs 13oz. My OB told me that she was going to suggest induction if I wasn’t already in labor. Grrrrrrr.
With Joshua, I didn’t know how wrong they could be. I didn’t know what was normal and what was “normal.” Now, I know better. No more growth scans for me.
Just (re)found your blog and hope it’s okay that I add you to my blogroll. I’m new to this and since my family is not supportive of me disclosing my identity on my blog, I’m pretty invisible there although I hope not for long. Good luck with baby girl’s delivery and don’t worry – two isn’t much harder than one, once you get the hang of it. You’ll be great! (or, at least average, right?) 🙂
Looking forward to following your story. Don’t stop writing.
Average is all I’m aiming for. 🙂
I hate that you had to wait but I LOVE hearing how great things are going with the new doctor. Yay for awesome support & encouragement!
I love how supportive this office is. Love it.