Making a Switch

Since this blog is really my only pregnancy journal, I've decided I want/need to document all the important events...both good and bad. And as a warning...this post may get a little wordy, excuse me a moment while I vent. I would say that my most recent pregnancy experiences may end up being very good in the end, but they certainly haven't been very pleasant and they definitely haven't been what I expected. And before I go any farther, let's just say that Elyse & myself are both completely fine...which in the long run is really the most important thing.

At 27 1/2 weeks pregnant, Hubby & I have made the decision to switch doctors. As we enter the third trimester, we've made what we believe is the best decision for Elyse and the best decision for me...even if it is terrifying to start over with a brand new doctor at such a late time in pregnancy. My old doctor may have been fine as a gynecologist, but in regards to the OB side of things...we (myself, Hubby, my parents, close friends) have been less than impressed.

From the very beginning I've sort of felt a lack of information being passed on...you know this is my FIRST pregnancy. So when a doctor asks you if you have any questions without really giving you any information to ask about, it's hard to even know where to begin. I mean I've never done this before, so how am I even supposed to know what questions I SHOULD be asking at this point? I've recently decided that in the future, if anyone where to ask me that question and I don't have any specific questions, I should follow their question up with...."I don't have any questions, but what should I be asking at this stage?" or "What do others ask at this point?" However, bottom line is that I don't feel like I should have to rely on my lack of questiosn to gain knowledge...information should be being thrown at me almost faster than I can process it. And then I would have questions.

There have been LONG (usually hour-long & at every appointment) waits in the waiting room, lack of communication by nursing staff between themselves and lack of communication to me, all of which have lead to me feeling less than confident in their opinions...no matter how professional they may be.

The final straw came last week when I received a phone call stating that I hadn't passed my 3-hour glucose test "good enough." This might have been acceptable, except that the prior week I had received a phone call stating that I had passed but needed to watch my diet and NO further testing would be required. Conflicting information?! Definitely. I was told that the office wanted me to follow a strict diet for the next couple of weeks and then after that time when I saw my doctor for my regular monthly checkup the 3-hour glucose test would be scheduled again and I would need to retake the test. When I questioned this whole situation, the nurse making the call used what I consider to be some incredibly unprofessional "scare tactics" to convince me that this was what was best for me and my baby. She said she'd be putting a packet in the mail with my diet information and they would see me in 2 1/2 weeks at my regularly scheduled appointment. Oh...and about an hour later, I get a similar phone call from another nurse with the same information...apparently they don't document files very well in that office.

To say I was upset was a serious understatement. At first it was simply fear of taking the 3-hour glucose test again, but it quickly changed from fear to anger that they would give me conflicting information and expect me to do this all on my own without a separate office visit to discuss my situation. Things certainly didn't improve when I got my "packet" of information in the mail regarding my new diet. It was simply a pamphlet from the American Diabetes Assocation with what seemed to me a CRAZY diet for a woman who is 27 weeks pregnant to be following...it wasn't for a pregnant woman, but for someone who has diabetes.

I'm no nutritionist, and I'm not a dietician, but my common sense tells me that an 1800 calorie diet that calls for 50% of my diet to be carbohydrates doesn't really lend itself to controlling my sugar. Apparently my common sense wasn't the only one who thought this was a little strange, in the past week Hubby & I have talked with my parents, his parents, my best friends (who are all mom's and have been through this before), and even a good family friend who is in the nutrition industry. None of those people seem to think that the way I've been treated is acceptable, and they definitely feel that a second opinion is required.

This final straw has led to lots of discussion and lots of prayer, all with one goal in mind...what is best for the health of Elyse & also myself?

And after a week of going back and forth, I made the phone call on Monday. I made an appointment with a very highly-recommended OB for one day after my next scheduled appointment with my old doctor. And yesterday, I called and cancelled that appointment and requested my medical records be sent out.

It's been a stressful time, which in and of itself is not healthy for our baby girl. I feel completely at peace with our decision and I know that God has been leading me in the direction I should go. It's not about taking the 3-hour glucose test again, or following an 1800 calorie diet, or even gaining a little too much weight at my last appointment. It's all about the health of this precious baby girl growing inside of me and doing everything in my power to protect her...even before she graces this earth with her presence. Because I would do all of those things a thousand times over if it meant what was best for Elyse.

I'm so thankful for the peace I feel after making the switch...I haven't even met with the new doctor yet but the office staff has already made me feel right at home and I'm excited about the possibilities that lie ahead!