The last 9 months have been a crazy ride for John and I. We are so excited to bring this little boy into our lives but it hasn't been easy. And I am grateful now, more than ever, for an amazing family that has been supportive.A few months ago I was talking to my brother and he suggested I "blog" about some of the challenges I faced during this pregnancy to make others more aware of how being your own health (and your unborn babies) advocate is necessary!Some women are able to simply get pregnant. Be pregnant. And deliver a healthy baby. Others aren't so lucky. Don't get me wrong, I am VERY lucky that things have taken a turn for the better but it hasn't been easy and it hasn't been without me and john doing our own research, searching for better doctors (and answers), and lots of prayers!
I am attempting to write my experience in "nutshell" form, so if you aren't interested in a long story, you can stop now! :)
The first 17 weeks of my pregnancy were typical in the sense that I was sick, had monster headaches, and was really exhausted!My doctor wasn't the greatest but I didn't think she was bad either. Every 4 weeks I would see her and she would give me a really hard time about ANY {and I mean even a pound} of weight gain. I was still teaching my classes 4 times a week and could hardly keep anything down. Believe me, I wasn't gaining any weight to be concerned about.
At our 18 weeks we went in for a sono-gram. Tech was nice but couldn't get clear pictures (or so she told us) and asked us to come back in 6 weeks. It wasn't until the next appointment with my OB that she tells me the tech had found cysts on the baby's brain... but she will look into more when we go for another scan (in 6 weeks). But this could be a genetic marker for mental retardation, brain malformations, etc. *STOP* "This could be a genetic marker for mental retardation, brain malformations, etc."!!
... Now, if a doctor tells you this and says "we will follow up in SIX WEEKS", please be smarter than me and tell them no, we need to do some following up much more quickly. I however, was too stunned, confused, unsure, and whatever else to do or say anything different than say ok.
Luckily when I told John, he was much more proactive in asking questions and finding things out online for me to go back to my doctor with.
4 weeks go by and I return for my visit. OB says nothing about the cysts and I start to ask her questions, she has no recollection of what was found in the ultrasound, nor does she take the time to look up her notes. Simply tells me to wait until the next ultrasound before I "put myself in a panic".
At this point, I am so annoyed that I can't even get a clear idea of what type of cysts were found, how many, if his BRAIN WAS EVEN DEVELOPED, etc., that I decided to look into a new OB. I hadn't convinced myself to change but when I spoke to a friend who happened to be a labor and delivery nurse, she told me it was essential to get a more thorough doctor with news like this.
I went to my follow-up ultrasound (approximately 26 weeks) with a different tech who was so rude and un-thorough in her review of his growth. Told us he was 2.5 lbs (which put him a week or so ahead) and the cysts were gone. GREAT {or so we thought}. ... this all sounded great at the time but proved to be a little inaccurate later on.
I decided to change doctors no matter what (30 weeks). I just felt that something wasn't right and I needed to make sure we knew what was going on with our little boy. I changed to Dr. Weisert who sat down with me during my first visit and gave me a better understanding of the type of cysts that were found (cystic-plasmosis) and what they could indicate. Even though the previous tech did a scan that showed they were gone, she felt more comfortable if she did another ultrasound to verify (plus she only does her OWN ultrasounds to ensure accurate readings!).
Her scan showed not only that the cysts were still there, but also that our little guy was extremely undersized in both size and brain proportion (16th percentile to be exact. So what happened to that "he is measuring a week ahead" size?) and since I was in my 32 weeks, she was nervous about his lack of size if her were born on time, let alone early. Because of this she decided to have me stop exercising and start a high fat, high protein diet (I can almost hear my previous doctor explode with disgust... this means I might put on WEIGHT!). There were a few scenario's to start but ultimately she thinks that my body has a hard time "sharing" the nutrients with the little man. So for him to get more, I have to get more... going to be awesome for the post-baby shred but all is worth it in the end! I just want a healthy baby!!Luckily Dr. Weisert's scan showed that everything else was developing fine (including the brain) despite being small and the cysts. *Huge sigh of relief*
Here I am, 38 weeks and with my doctor feeling more optimistic about his size and growth (now up to 40% +), I can FINALLY relax a bit and "enjoy" the few remaining days of my pregnancy. She even gave me the OK to start exercising again (hello, running. Let's get those contractions going!!)
I can not express enough to people how important it is to get a doctor (pregnant or not) that takes the time to be thorough and listens. It's also important to listen to those little gut (or spiritual) promptings. I am happy that I did. I knew from my second appointment with my first OB that something didn't feel right. I couldn't imagine where I or our little man would be if I had kept going to her.Believe it or not, this was the nutshell version. Crazy first doctor... scary news that was really hard to take and figure out... awesome second doctor who helped clear everything up and see to it that our little boy will be born as healthy and strong as possible.
PS: Don't take {a healthy} pregnancy for granted. Moral of the story!
Anna's Birthday!
12 years ago
