Linda went to the doctor today. We were really hoping for some sign that the baby was getting ready to budge, but no such luck - Batman is not ready to leave the Batcave. Her next appointment is on Monday, and it's an odd mixture here of disappointment and excitement. Frustration, too, on more than one level. Linda and I have talked a lot about labor and the drugs they might give her. Beyond the epidural, we want to let her body do its thing (as long as the baby's not in distress). We've read up on what's popular, the side effects, and what's necessary. When Linda asked the doctor about it today and expressed her concerns, the doctor said, "The most important thing to remember is to be flexible." Gee, get defensive much? I can see the logic behind the doctor's statement, but I can also see it as another way of saying, "Just do whatever we tell you. We know what's best," and I get nervous whenever I hear that.
2 days until baby.
Your post stirs up a lot of familiar feelings!
ReplyDelete1) It is so hard to trust yourselves b/c this is the first time of something completely new, and it is hard to trust the doctors b/c we're afraid they are so skewed towards 'medicine. (Go figure!)
Also,
2) Like Mr. Petty says, 'The waiting is the hardest part.' Carter was induced 8 days after due date, and it felt so anticlimatic knowing the 'plan'. Good news is, we still got that Carter baby to love, and you will get your little bundle too! Sooner or later!
I don't think the doctor is being defensive. I think the doctor has seen women in labor ask for all sorts of things that they previously said they wanted no part of.
ReplyDeleteExample: I swore up and down I wouldn't have an epidural. Two and a half hours into labor, I was BEGGING for one. Apparently, the look on my face was priceless when I was told I was too late in asking for it. Paul said that was the worst part of labor for him. Yeah, ME TOO.
I also swore I'd have no demarol derrivatives, as I knew that they made me puke. But when I was told I could have a demarol derrivative or have the baby without anything, I took the demarol derrivative and puked. That doc knows what he/she's talking about. Be flexible.
Amy BG - Thanks for the talk / advice today. It was reassuring to hear your experience - for me and for Linda. I hope ours is a good one, too.
ReplyDeleteAmy - Thanks for your honesty. I'm sure the doctor has plenty of experience, and we can't know beforehand how Linda will feel or what she'll want when the pain hits hard and true, but we just want a doctor who doesn't brush our concerns aside.