First off, the office was old and dingy. But we weren't there for the office atmosphere, so we could totally let that slide. We filled out all the paperwork and met with the Dr. in his office. He came off like he has been around the block and knew his stuff, but his office looked ransacked with papers and patient files piled and scattered everywhere. He asked us a few questions to get caught up on my file and I explained to him my concerns with our current OB. He basically had a similar policy of both of them being head down, but did say if they were positioned right that we could do a vaginal birth before 37 weeks, which is the answer I was looking for. However there were things that just didn't sit well with us about his office and demeanor. He seemed nice enough but unorganized. Didn't take all that much time to get to know us before he started writing up a script for me to get my next ultrasound and glucose test... which would have to be done at two OTHER places because they don't do either there. We'd have to go to the hospital for all our ultrasounds (which would be a bummer because A. They charge more and B. Have shittier equipment than my current OB office who has all high-tech stuff. Then I'd need to go to a lab for my blood work and glucose test, which I guess is how some offices operate but I like the idea of always being in the same place with a staff that knows me.
But anyway, he then told us to go into another room to get the heart rates checked and walked off in the other direction. We weren't sure if that was a goodbye or what! We went in the room to wait and both immediately said we weren't really impressed. We wanted to jump ship, but didn't want to leave and have the doctor see us sneaking out. We heard him in the hallway calling out to his nurses, "where am I supposed to be?" Another example of him seeming to be not quite organized. A few minutes later he popped in to do the heart rates. (So I guess that wasn't goodbye! Lol). We just went with it because we weren't about to tell him to his face that we weren't going to stick with him. He listened to the twins' heartbeats for literally 2 seconds each and then told us to meet him back in his office. When he walked in I asked what the heart rates were and he said, "oh I don't know, I didn't check. You should have told me you'd want to know. They sounded fine to me." Ummm... yeah... okay. That pretty much sealed the deal. We both left feeling like we could easily fall through the cracks at this place and that's the last thing we want! When we left, the doctor told the receptionist to have us sign a consent form for them to get my lab records from my OB office and as soon as he walked away I told the girl we needed to discuss if we would be joining their practice as new patients and would get back to her. Then high-tailed it out the door.
I was a bit bummed at how the appointment went, as we had high hopes for this guy. I really didn't want to start doctor hopping, as it really is a big process to find someone who is willing to take someone so far along, get on the books and then fill out all the paperwork. So I decided I was going to call my OB office and talk with my nurse (who is my OB's "right hand man") and express my concerns. I did so, and let her know that I spoke with Maternal Fetal Medicine and they said vaginal is actually the preferred method and safer for the babies, so I was confused as to why Dr. M. said she would do a C-section if they were preterm even if they were both head down. She said she would talk to the doctor and get back with me. I had a feeling my OB might actually end up calling me herself, which was fine with me, and she did. I went over the same thing and told her how MFM said that vaginal delivery gets the fluid out of the babies' lungs on the way out so it was their preferred method of delivery even for preterm labor, unless of course there was some sort of emergency with me or the twins. She changed her tune a bit and said if it was before thirtyFIVE weeks she would recommend a C-section depending on the size of the babies and how developed they were. Totally different than what she said during our appointment. But I'll take it! I have been taking such good care of myself throughout this pregnancy with eating right and exercising and have gained a sufficient amount of weight that I really don't foresee them coming any earlier than that. Of course, anything can happen so I am leaving myself open to the possibility, but I really feel as if they will cook as long as possible before making their grand entrance into this world.
So... I feel much better. We get to stick with the doctor I like in the office I love and feel secure. It's a lot less stressful getting to stay with the place and people I am already familiar with. Hubs is A-Okay with it too. And we actually don't feel like we wasted our time with going to the other doctor because it gave us the chance to see that the grass wasn't necessarily greener and it made us appreciate how nice and put together our OB office is. I can breathe a sigh of relief now, at least with this part of the journey! Whew.
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