I had my first appt. with my new doctor yesterday and got more u/s pics of those beautiful babies!
So here’s what’s been going on in my mind…
Whom
Or is it Who? lol. Even before I found out we were having twins I was questioning if I was going to return to a midwife or go with an OB. I absolutely LOVED my midwife and believe STRONGLY in midwifery in general. However, I feel that Ohio state law really limits midwives. Because they *have* to work under and OB there is a silent … strong arming going on. For example, I “had” gestational diabetes (I quote had because I think it is a questionable diagnosis) but the OB’s “allowed” me to continue with the midwives. When I questioned induction at 40 weeks simply due to a diagnosis of GD with no signs of complications my answer was “well if you questions it then you’ll have to see the OBs.” It wasn’t the midwives fault. I was clearly preaching to the choir there but their hands were tied. That isn’t to say they weren’t as flexible as they could be (we fudged my water breaking time by more than 24 hours to delay that stupid “clock” clicking down to c-section) but they are really not given much latitude in Ohio.
So, since I would like to be able to discuss my research and question non-evidence-based care I thought I would switch to an OB this time. Once we found out we were having twins the choice was made for us. No midwife in my area would see an over 35 woman with previous GD who was carrying twins. They wouldn’t be allowed.
Where
I also had Aellyn in a nice Birth Center. I really loved the atmosphere and no one batted an eyelash when I refused vaccines, vitamin k, eye goop, or when I wanted to take my placenta home. I got to catch my baby and nurse right away – no APGAR or other procedures until much later. However, this birth center doesn’t even have a nursery let alone a Level III nursery or NICU. You might feel I’m making decisions based on the worst case scenario but I really feel I should deliver where high-tech interventions are available.
All this being said we’ve decided to deliver at either Akron General or Akron City both of which are close to Akron Children’s which is a state-of-the art pediatric and neonatal hospital. We’ve also decided to use a Maternal-Fetal Medicine specialist (MFM, also called a perinatologist) who is an OB that specializes in high-risk pregnancies. It was there that I had my appt. yesterday.
They were very thorough. I was asked things no one asked me with Aellyn. She sounded VERY doubtful about chiropractic care (like she thinks they’re witch doctors or something) but she was very tactful about the flu shot (not condescending or scare-mongering). That’s all I ever want. I don’t expect a traditionally trained, allopathic, MD to jump up for joy and say “I hate vaccines!!!” but I want to be respected for my choices and I got that from her.
We talked about my goals which comes down to – “have two babies healthy enough to breastfeed like champs in the first hour after birth.” That’s all I want really. The rest falls out from that. The less intervention I have the more likely my babies will be to nurse well. So instead of listing my “wants” in labor I’m focusing on that. Secretly I also have the goal of having 14 lbs of baby! Two 7 pounders!!!
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