This won't be a funny post, sorry y'all!
So up until the 9 week mark, (which is when we lost the heartbeat our first time in the rodeo), I approached every ultrasound with a commingling of hope and fear. My obstetrician is a fantastic person, and he understood all of this without me really having to say anything, which is why he permitted me to come in for ultrasounds on an almost weekly basis up until the 9 week mark. I can't think of anything more valuable in a doctor than empathy. (Knowledge and application come a close second). He had told me at the 7 week ultrasound that with the baby measuring the way it did, and the heartbeat being as strong, that he felt my risk of miscarriage was pretty low. He added that we could now switch to 3 weeks to a month between ultrasounds. He took one look at my face and then said, "but why don't you come in around 9 weeks for a quick peek at the heartbeat..." I love him, you guys. I heart him big time.
Anyway, the 9 week appointment was with Dr. Enrique Iglesias, and you've already heard all about that, so I don't need to recap it. Although I would like to point out that Enrique is not nearly the empath that Dr. G is, and asked me why I had been in so often. I explained, and he looked amused and condescending. After we saw the heartbeat, which service he performed as quickly as he could, he asked me, "do you feel better now?"
Arsehole. I hope his face gets put on a porcupine. It is one thing to know you are a being a hysterical female, and quite another thing to have some baby-faced prat in a lab coat TREAT you like one.
After the 9 week threshold I knew it would be ridiculous and silly to keep going in every week or two. I needed to throttle my fear. So I took a very deep breath, and then another three or four, and then I made my next appointment for 3 weeks away, at the pregnancy's 12 week mark. That's when we'd do the Nuchal Fold ultrasound screening. And as it happened, a quirk of our insurance coverage made it necessary for us to do that screening at a local hospital, instead of with my OB's practice.
But that is a story for another post...
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2 comments:
That's why older doctors have value. If govt sponsored healthcare comes in there will be no "empathy scans". I fear for people in those days and I'm glad you have a great doc. I hope Dr Iglesias reads your blog. In fact, maybe you should take a copy and give it to Dr Empathy. Young docs are trained more in science and guidelines and not at all in empathy. Tis a shame.
the psychic says it feels like it's in for the long haul. You'll be spitting the second one out before you know it.
:) I know what you mean about the miscarriages, I had my share as well.
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