So the first thing I did was post what my doctor told me to this Parents of Twins forum. Let me tell you that over 70 people responded and just about every single one of them had a vaginal birth with their twins and almost all of them who posted said it was before 37 weeks. I find it hard to believe that ALL these women's doctors did something risky and unsafe. A lot of these women told me flat out to find another doctor who will at least attempt to be on board with my birth plan. Which got me thinking... it IS my birth plan and while I am totally okay with the fact that things could go wrong and if it is a matter of safety of mine or the twins' lives, by all means I'll take a c-section. But to say this far in advance that I basically have a two week window where they both have to be head down and the planets need to be aligned in order for me to even attempt a vaginal birth... that's just not kosher with me. So yesterday I called MFM at my hospital to see if I could speak with my doctor there, since they rank above my OB and are strictly high risk. I thought it would be difficult to reach the actual doctor, as they are busy with so many patients throughout the day. The receptionist told me my doctor was doing rounds in the hospital all week, but his nurse would call me back. Much to my surprise only an hour or so later, Dr. L. called me back personally. When I was at my last appointment with him he told me that usually if a patient is really wanting a vaginal birth the doctors will do the best they can to make that happen, so this is why I wanted to get his take on what my OB was telling me. I explained to him what my OB said and my concerns and he said he has heard of younger doctors in large group practices starting to do this. That it is usually the head of the group that dictates what the rest of the doctors in the practice can and can't do to remain consistent. BUT... that there is NO literature out there suggesting that this line of thinking has anything to do with safety precautions. He went on to say that with C-sections there is a higher risk to the mother and a higher instance of Fetal Respiratory Morbidity- Infants born by caesarean delivery are at increased risk for developing respiratory disorders or death compared with those born by vaginal delivery. He also said that a lot of times doctors focus solely on the babies and don't take into consideration the well-being of the mother, as there is much more of a recovery time with a C-section. I told him that the Hubs and I wish he could deliver the babies, but sadly he doesn't deliver anymore. He did say he would ask around and find out the best OB in the area who has experience delivering twins vaginally and that he would get back to me. I could tell he felt a little uncomfortable steering me toward another OB and I assured him I wouldn't throw him under the bus like that and bring up his name to my current OB. I just want the best advice on how to proceed with assuring I have the most capable doctor delivering the twins.
Now, I thought maybe I would hear back from him a day or so, but sure enough he called me yesterday afternoon. He had asked around the hospital to get some ideas on who would be the best option for me. Apparently one doctor's name kept coming up so he took the time to personally call him and explain my situation. (what doctor does that!?) How absolutely wonderful of him! And get this... the other doctor said he's never even heard of an OB recommending the type of delivery based on gestational age! Dr. L. gave him the status of my pregnancy, that I am 24 weeks and in good health and all things checked out well. The doctor (Dr. S.) said he wasn't taking new patients but would make an exception for me. YAY! I called to make an appointment but they said they need my records from MFM first so I took care of that and will hopefully get a call back today to schedule an appointment. I stated that I really need it to be within the next two weeks (because in 2 weeks is when I am supposed to have an ultrasound and glucose test at my current OB's office- AND it's when we have to pay the second half of the money due for their upcoming services and we don't want to pay if we aren't going to continue using them. She said it wouldn't be a problem, they would get me in right away. So... the plan is to make an appointment with this new doctor (who has all 5 star reviews, btw) and get a feel for him to see if we like him before we cut ties with the other. Honestly, I am feeling bad about if we have to leave the other practice, as I really did like the facility, doctor and nurse there... but this is a REALLY big deal to me. The idea of giving birth is a bit terrifying in the first place, so to think that most of my options are being taken away from me doesn't make it any easier to cope with. Of course, I could very well carry to full term for twins (38 weeks) and both babies be head down so changing doctors would have been a moot point, but the fact is you never know. I do have a nagging suspicion that because I have taken such good care of myself throughout the pregnancy so far and gained ample amount of weight, that I won't go into preterm labor... but there is really no telling. Anything can happen and I don't want to run the risk of that happening and they cut me open anyway because they have arbitrary rules to follow that has no bearing on whether or not the type of delivery is BEST.
While I am sad to think I will leave my current practitioner, I am excited at the idea of finding someone new who will be more on the same page as me when it comes to my birth plan. I do joke though that when the time comes watch I'm in labor for 30 hours thinking, "why didn't I just opt for the C-section??, begging the doctor to cut them out of me! LOL. So as long as there are no medical emergencies or both babies are breech, at least I'll feel more at ease knowing whatever the outcome, I was given the OPTION to have the kind of birth I wanted.
I'll keep you posted...
No comments:
Post a Comment