Appointments | Week of May 28th

[Deleted User]

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How far along?</b>  
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Any appointments this week?</b>  <b>

Questions or Concerns...</b>   

Please update us here, as well! ❤

MandyMost

I’m going (again) this Friday for a combo of a regular check, my GD test (the gross drink) and to listen again for the arrhythmia. I’m expected to fail the GD test since I had it with my daughter...it seems they’re waiting for those results to determine just how much extra monitoring I’ll be getting the rest of the pregnancy. My guess is I’ll be going at least every 2 weeks, alternating ultrasound and stress test, then eventually weekly. 

Ill be 25w6d come my appointment on Friday.

klj0228

22+2 

My regular 22 week check up is Tuesday morning. Should be a quick appointment. I’m a little worried that I have gained 5 pounds the last couple weeks, but didn’t gain at all from 14 weeks to 20 weeks so hoping it all evens out. 

nlc8424

I have a follow up ultrasound to get the last images needed, along with 24 week check up on Wednesday. Looking forward to seeing baby again!

lisac113

I have my 24 week appointment on Friday.  Nothing special, but I do have a few questions that I want to talk about.  I am concerned at times with the amount of pelvic pressure I feel, maybe it is normal at this point or am I doing too much?  I also want to talk about my weight and make sure everything is fine, I am sure it is I just want to make sure.  

Patience7150

26 week hi-bye on Wednesday. I go back at 28 weeks for the glucose test. H changed jobs and we were on insurance through his employer, so while our new insurance says it's effective 6/1, I just feel like this was poor timing to start appointments every 2 weeks. I've been with the same health insurance company for as long as I can remember since we had this provider through my dad, through my first job, and through H, and this is the first time in my life we're with a new provider, so it feels weird! Luckily my OB/delivery hospital is still in network with the new provider! 

klj0228

22 week appointment today. I told her I was worried about my weight gain, mostly so it wouldn’t upset me if she agreed since I was the one who brought it up. She actually said there is only so much I can do about my weight gain and that as long as my fundal measurements remain on target they won’t worry too much. This made me feel so much better. Next appointment in 3 weeks with the one MW in the practice. She is the one who made me self conscious about my weight in the first place so I’m not looking forward to that appointment. 

cbobell2009

26 weeks today! Going in for my GD test this afternoon and I'm assuming a regular check-up. They said this would be my last four week appointment and would go to every two weeks after this which seems crazy!

starla

No GD!!!

DanyTargaryen

I cannot believe our group is reaching the point of every 2 week appointments!

magnolia209

@DanyTargaryen Yep! I was told that at my 28 week appointment, I should go ahead and schedule appointments every 2 weeks for the rest of my pregnancy! Eek! I'm freaking out a little bit! H wants to go to every single appoinment, but I'm trying to assure him that it is probably not neccessary. 

DanyTargaryen

@magnolia209 - Obviously it's every couple's choice, but for us MH only comes to ultrasounds. So clearly I'm on your bench of H being at every appointment is not necessary.

I would never tell him no if he wanted to come, but it feels like a waste of time for him to come to standard check-ups with me since they're so short and he's self-employed so taking time off work = not getting paid.

stothi

DanyTargaryen said:

I cannot believe our group is reaching the point of every 2 week appointments!

I actually completely forgot that 3rd tri is appts every 2 weeks. I'm at the back of the pack at only 22 weeks, so I still have some time to go.

DanyTargaryen

stothi said:

DanyTargaryen said:

I cannot believe our group is reaching the point of every 2 week appointments!

I actually completely forgot that 3rd tri is appts every 2 weeks. I'm at the back of the pack at only 22 weeks, so I still have some time to go.

Me too - I'll be 24 weeks Thursday so not too far ahead of you. I had an early EDD with DS so it's weird to be back of the pack this time.

klj0228

@stothi me too! We still have a ways to go before we hit that third tri milestone. Heck, we still need to get to the 24 week one. I like to lurk October 2018 board sometimes since I am ahead of those ladies. Reminds me how far I’ve come.

Patience7150

@magnolia209 further to @DanyTargaryen's point, they do start internal exams soon which can be a little uncomfortable for a spouse in the room. I think around 36 weeks H started coming to every appt since there was always a risk I wasn't coming home from that appt. That's also when my pregnancy started to quickly deteriorate and he wanted to hear everything. 

DanyTargaryen

Patience7150 said:

@magnolia209 further to @DanyTargaryen's point, they do start internal exams soon which can be a little uncomfortable for a spouse in the room. I think around 36 weeks H started coming to every appt since there was always a risk I wasn't coming home from that appt. That's also when my pregnancy started to quickly deteriorate and he wanted to hear everything. 

MH was there for my physical when I was pregnant with DS and I asked them to close the curtain when they did the internal exam/pap smear. Just one of those things I don't need MH watching. Would have been the same request if he had been at any of my check-ups with cervical checks.

jhjocelyn

Omgoodness, at my first ever ob appt for our first pregnancy during mt exam the ob encouraged dh to take a look and see just how healthy my cervix was? I don’t remember exeacty, my anatomy may be wrong there.

I remember being amused, dh was fascinated, he makes things so not awkward I didn’t even thing to mind. 

edited to add: 

He does come to all the appts, we schedule them as late in the day as we can, and his work is nice so he can kind of flex the time. I find it helpful for me as he remembers to ask things I forget, and for him to hear straight from the doc as I reword things instinctively and it drives him crazy. Towards the end last time they would let him run the doppler, it was so cute to see him so involved and excited. 

stothi

My husband couldn't come to all the appts last time but he was there for many appts that they did internal stuff. Up by my head, not front row to the action.
This time he's only made the one appt so far but he's not coming to the next few cause I'd rather he'd stay home with our toddler or if we get a sitter use the time to get his work done so that he can be off work earlier in the evening for family time. Later on or for scans or interesting appointments I'd like him to come if he can. We were sent unexpectedly straight to the hospital from a routine check up last time so I'll definitely want him with me in the last weeks if possible but it's really going depend on what childcare arrangements we can make.

nackie

Last time DH came to every appointment. This time he’s only made it to 2. I’m hoping he can make it to a few more, but it will mean my mom has to pick DS up from daycare and babysit and I don’t like to ask her to do that unless it’s really important 

sclarke7

Hey gals,
Nothing for me this week. So happy @starla no GD @klj0228 glad appt went well and try not to think about what the MW will say about you're weight, if doc says you are good then trust in that. I'm glad the doc made you feel better. 
@Patience7150 thank you for heads up about the internals, i'm a FTM mom so now I know what to expect. 
Good luck to all those with appts this week  
I too am at the back of the Sept due dates @DanyTargaryen @klj0228 and @stothi and looking forward to reaching the 6 month mark and third trimester after that  

DanyTargaryen

sclarke7 said:

@Patience7150 thank you for heads up about the internals, i'm a FTM mom so now I know what to expect. 

Each practice will be a bit different with timing. My office doesn't start cervical checks until 38 weeks.

MandyMost

@Patience7150 @sclarke7 @DanyTargaryen I remember with my first pregnancy I was on these boards in the 3rd trimester and people kept talking about their cervixes, and I asked my OB why she hadn't checked mine and her response was "I can take a look if you want, but it's not comfortable and it's completely useless information". I assume if you have certain risks or conditions it might be warranted, but otherwise feel free to ask the doc what they plan to use the information for. 

MandyMost

My husband came to the early appointments, but now he's not coming to every one--although he knows to be "on call" if anything goes wrong, he can be there in 20-30 min max. That's what he did a couple weeks ago when I had an unexpected ultrasound after they heard and arrhythmia. 

My last pregnancy I had GD and by the end I was there weekly for quite a while. It was exhausting, and totally unnecessary for him to come too. 

jhjocelyn

@MandyMost

My ob was similar, she offered to check if I was curious but didn’t really feel it changed anything about how we went about life till the next appt. I didn’t have a single check until I was in labor at the hospital. 

DanyTargaryen

MandyMost said:

@Patience7150 @sclarke7 @DanyTargaryen I remember with my first pregnancy I was on these boards in the 3rd trimester and people kept talking about their cervixes, and I asked my OB why she hadn't checked mine and her response was "I can take a look if you want, but it's not comfortable and it's completely useless information". I assume if you have certain risks or conditions it might be warranted, but otherwise feel free to ask the doc what they plan to use the information for. 

With DS I could have said no thanks but I was curious to know if I was dilated at all (even knowing that it doesn't actually mean too much if you are or not) so I let them do them.

pourmeanothermocktail

I just want to echo @MandyMost you don't generally need to have cervical exams before labor (or even in labor in most cases). I'm not saying you have to turn them down, but know that your cervix isn't a crystal ball either-you may walk around at 3-4 cm open for weeks before delivery, or be entirely closed at 9 am and be holding a baby at 4 pm the same day.

Exams can cause bleeding or introduce bacteria. You may want one to check on things, and that's fine, but know your options, and feel free to talk to your doctor about exams and whether you really need or want them at any given moment. 

magnolia209

ohhh - all of this is so interesting. I was assuming those bi-weekly appointments would be as quick and uninteresting as the 16 week and 24 week appoinments where they just checked bp, weight, and listened on the doppler. I like having DH there because, as @jhjocelyn said, then I don't have to try to explain everything to him. But, I just don't want to waste his time if it's not worth it. But, he wants to be there which makes me happy and of course I won't stop him. 

So what is this internal exam? Is that when they check the cervix? If DH was there for the early on transvaginal ultrasounds, will these internal exams be much more explicit? He was fine with that and just stayed up by my head. It's probably good for him to get used being in the room while medical people are up in my business, right? 

pourmeanothermocktail

@magnolia209 Yes, internal exams are cervical checks, doc or midwife goes up there with their hand to examine your cervix with their fingers. Depending on your personal internal shape, it could be very uncomfortable, or only slightly so. There's not necessarily more to see than with the ultrasound, except it will be in a lit up room, not a dark one. Most women do get checks in labor, and their partners are generally present for those, so it's up to you whether you want him to see them now. A lot of nurses/doctors seem to want partners to leave for checks in office but don't care in labor, which I find weird, but whatever. I'd say it's up to you guys whether he's present (and whether you want the checks).

stothi

@magnolia209 yep, just a cervical check. My last ob did not do them routinely and only did one because she offered to do a membrane sweep for me. I unfortunately was not dilated at all so she couldn't do the sweep. But then I got sent straight to the hospital for pre-e and induction so it didn't matter after all. 
My husband was there last time for 2 vaginal ultrasounds in a well lit room so a cervical check wasn't truly anymore interesting in our opinion. 
It truly is just whatever is more comfortable for you as far as if hubby stays or goes. It's your vagina. Everyone else is just visiting.

Patience7150

I will clarify to say the only place H can sit in my doctor's office is downwind so internal exams with my feet in the stirrups weren't a pleasant view for him. They did have a curtain, but it felt silly to close him behind it!

And every ob office is different. Maybe mine found useful information from the exam, maybe I'm a little less crunchy than a few others here, but if my doc found value and recommended it, I followed her advice. She went to med school, I didn't. As a ftm last time, I was balancing my desired care with what my doctor recommended. If I trusted her enough to deliver my kid, I trusted she was making the best care recommendations for me.

arcticseal-2

@pourmeamocktail Agree with you!!   I got sent home at a stretchy 4cm from the hospital with my 3rd because I wasn't in active labour at almost 40 weeks!   They didn't want to intervene and risk a c-section and I agreed (despite the disappointment). I did go into active labour 2 days later and had a really smooth, quick delivery. 

stothi

@Patience7150 that would be awkward if hubby was basically in the right spot to help hold the speculum. I'm not crunchy, but I don't like the cervical exams so I was real happy my doc didn't recommend them. I get real cranky with my body becoming open to visitors so I prefer as little time with others in my vagina as possible. I swear with my induction there had to be at least a dozen people who passed through my lobby. I was not amused.

MandyMost

LOL @stothi I totally agree. "...at least a dozen people who passed through my lobby" i'm dying...that's so accurate for me too. 

Patience7150

Update: I was looking forward to dropping from 17 appointments left this pregnancy to 16 after today, but then my doctor told me about one more growth scan at 28 weeks I wasn't accounting for so still 17 appointments left to go (assuming we make it to 40 weeks). Luckily this can be done at a practice really close to my work so it isn't terribly inconvenient, I am just not sure H is going to be able to make it with starting a new job next week. Everything else looked great today at the 26w hi-bye. 

stothi

My appt was fine in that I'm told everything looks good, belly measures on track, good heartbeat and a string kick from buddy, but I did not like today's appt. I met a new midwife from the practice and she was old and spacey and did NOT instill confidence in me that she'd be good to deliver my child. She made awkward comments about my hair, eh. She skipped the part where she asks if I have questions or concerns. Don't worry, I just stopped her mid sentence and said, "I did have some questions and concerns..." In regards to my pelvic pain and clenching ute she said, "mmm...um hmm, yeah..."
Uh... So, uh, what do you think of all that? "Well some people just feel every little thing in pregnancy..." Then she said something about round ligament pain which as I understand it is not what I am experiencing at this point. So I asked about SPD and she gave the most generic basic description of it and said something about stretching. Stretching how exactly? Oh, I should just find a book... Um...ok... So how do I know the difference between rlp and SPD? "It doesn't matter... It's the same stretchs for both..." She gave no further insight into my clenching abdomen just said that it didn't sound like Braxton Hicks and to "take it easy..." When I got down off the table grunting and then limping and waddling in pain she made a comment about hating to see me in pain and repeated that I should take it easy. Thanks . That's helpful.

The report from the MFM says they want another ultrasound to monitor growth between 28&32 weeks and at 32 weeks they want to start twice weekly nst. Just cause I'm old. No other risk factors. Twice a damn week starting at 32 weeks. Are you fing kidding me!? I'm frustrated now and I want a damn doughnut.

[Deleted User]

Twice a week??? @stothi  good grief!

pourmeanothermocktail

@stothi Wow, that's bad. And she's wrong too, there are a lot of stretches that are BAD for SPD-things that further separate your pelvis that's already too loose....she sounds like an uninterested ding bat. I'm sorry.

nlc8424

Update: got all the images needed of the spine and found out baby is now head down. Nice strong heart beat. 

Found out apparently I'm a bad pregnant patient though since I should have started zantac or pepcid before omeprazole so I have a script for that now and will discontinue the omeprazole. Also found out I was supposed to wear a mask while painting unless using low fume paint (which we weren't). So I got a couple slaps on the wrist. Oh well, the NP wasn't all that worried about either one. But I'm not going to lie, the whole mask thing gives me a whole lot less incentive to paint any more and want to hand it off to my H.

stothi

BusinessWife said:

Twice a week??? @stothi good grief!

Yup. Twice a week. For 8 weeks. I guess one appt would be an ultrasound and the other would be the one where they strap you to the monitors to track baby's movement and heartrate for an amount of time?  I never had a non stress test with my last pregnancy so I don't really know the details. And of course this would start the week summer school ends and I'd have to arrange for a babysitter each time. Or my husband would have to watch Buddy and miss however much work twice a week... for 8 weeks!!! If there was something, anything that was a red flag in my pregnancy other than my age I wouldn't be upset, but when you are having a healthier pregnancy than people half your age and getting treated like a ticking time bomb it freaking sucks. I'm so frustrated. And I don't want to refuse the tests and put my baby in danger. I'm not a doctor! I don't know what's actually medically necessary for me, but I swear this seems excessive and unnecessary. Oh, and plus you know, all the regular 2 week and once a week check ups so I'm the last month I'll have 3 appts a week. No biggie.

@pourmeamocktail exactly!!! Again, I'm not a doctor, but I know for a fact that not you can not just do "any stretches or  exercises" to make an unknown issue better. That's not how it works! Anyone who's done physical therapy or sports or dance or anything like that knows that if you overtrain or over stretch the wrong thing, that you wreck your sh*t! Everyone knows that. I'm not going to start stretching and exercising willy nilly and just hope I picked the right thing.

I'm so frustrated!!! And my husband was suuuuuper helpful... "Did you complain? Did you ask to talk to admin? Did you get a note put in your files that you won't have this midwife be the one to attend the delivery? Did you do all the things and burn the building down and find a new practice on the way home immediately upon leaving that appointment cause this is UNACCEPTABLE!?" Yes, babe. I totally did. Cause that's how it works. At all the practices everywhere you get to pick the midwife/ob who delivers. It's got nothing to do with luck of the draw with who's on call... I really enjoy that not only do I get to feel frustrated about my appointment today, hubby thinks it's great to make me feel like I did something wrong on top of it. Thanks dude.

nackie

@stothi that sounds like a very frustrating appointment on multiple levels. How old are you again?  I’m 37 and my doctor hasn’t mentioned doing any additional scans. Twice a week seems like a lot!