The fibroid is only an issue because (a)it's kind of blocking things where it is now, and (b)it looks like the fibroid might be partly attached to it, which is one of the big reasons I've been taking it super easy for most of the pregnancy.
The other issues, which may or may not be related, is that I was bleeding on and off through most of June (towards the end of my first trimester) and since late July I've had low fluid, which they said was no fluid 2 weeks ago, but now there's fluid again, thankfully! They've gone from thinking it was the placenta to thinking my water broke, and I'm not really sure--the placenta theory was nixed because the growth is in normal range, but I come from two families of people who tend towards 90th percentile and up growth, and plus both the growth and the fluid improved once I got more serious about rest and drinking lots of water.
It's hard to tell for sure on things like leaking fluid right now since the fibroid, in its location, is making my bladder more squished than it would normally be, so there's definitely some dribbling from that, too.
At any rate, yeah... the thing that actually annoyed me was that the OB was doing, really, less than a midwife would have done--she'd take the heartbeat, and then just read from the ultrasound reports, which I'd generally had a day or two before, and the maternal-fetal specialist (who will now be my main caregiver for the pregnancy) had already summed everything up for me. Unlike the midwives (whom several of my friends have used) the non-specialist OB didn't check for any other signs--one of my friends mentioned the midwife had noticed her chapped lips, when she hadn't even realized she might be dehydrated. Nobody noticed my chapped lips, even when I specifically asked if I might be dehydrated! (And before I started my water drinking binge these past few weeks, there were huge chunks of skin coming off regularly!) So, yeah, those little things...
As it is, I can't give birth at the hospital I was going to, since they only have a level 2 nursery and they want me at a hospital with a level 3 nursery to be safe--and I'm fine with that, since if something does happen, I'd rather be at the same hospital as my baby! (And, thankfully, living near Boston, the only thing I can complain about is that the Level 3 hospital requires driving through downtown to get to... but I also have a choice of 3 or 4 hospitals all about the same distance! I know some people have to go literally hundreds of miles from home for that sort of thing, so I'm definitely thankful...)
but, yeah, it would be nice if I could get midwife care for the regular appointments even if I still have to otherwise prep for a likely complicated delivery and birth.
At any rate, I'm feeling a bit better than I was before after talking to my mom for a bit--she pointed out that the specialist I'll now be seeing is the same one I've already been seeing, and that what's been getting me regularly frustrated all summer is the regular OB. So, now, at least, I've got the specialist who can do more than just read reports and take heartbeats.
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Originally Posted by star*mora  i can only speak from my experience living in canada (although my late godmother was a midwife in long island, then near syracuse, and lastly in the poconos). in provinces where midwifery is regulated it is part of our universal health care system which means if you want to be with a midwife it actually takes a fair bit to risk out to an ob. you do have the choice between a midwife (highest demand so you usually only get a choice between one or two midwives), a gp,or an ob.
so i am on complete bedrest because of my history of preterm labour(ds1 was a 34wkr due to unexplained pprom), and because my cervix is super short. and i have made it a full week and a half longer so far. is your major issue fibroids then? one of my girlfriends who just had a vbac with her midwives had a transfer of care at the time of delivery because she had fibroids that impeded a vaginal birth - but she didn't have fibroids this time around!
for me because i have only a few risk factors, i still qualify as low risk enough to stay with my midwife (i needed to make it past 34wks). with my ds1 it was an emergency transfer of care and an emergency c-section but my midwife was with me until they transferred me to a hospital that had a level 2 nicu. because i have more than 2yrs between births my risk for having a preemie is pretty much the same as someone who hasn't had one, and of course i get to go for my vbac - if i make it to 37wks i am allowed to go for a home vbac. the midwives have certain set parameters and beyond that they can refer to specialists etc, if required. midwives here have privileges to specific hospitals (my midwife's is less than a 10min drive away).
perhaps there is a midwife in your area who would look at taking on you as a client. i love my midwife, she is very practical and supportive and i feel like she's helped me feel like this is a normal pregnancy (outside of the bedrest!). she was really positive and optimistic through everything that happened with ds1 and his birth, and i immediately was able to transfer back to her care once my son was out of the nicu. she comes here to my house for appts since i've been on bedrest and we chat once or twice a week on the phone too.
i would have been ok with my gp as well (3 of the drs out of 5 there do deliveries), i had problems very early in the pregnancy and she shared her own vbac story with me, and how she nursed through her pregnancy with her 2nd, so i knew that i had another good option had my midwife not been available this time around.
i think i totally lucked out that i had several good options, but as i said it takes a lot to risk out to an ob if you don't want to go with one. i hope you have a chance to interview other care providers who may be a better fit for you.
btw, as i stated i had a 34wkr (33+6) and there was no time for steroid shots or anything else to ready him for the world and he didn't need any help breathing. he had fairly minor issues - no sucking reflex, tired quickly, heart murmur so he had to be fed by gauvage tube and took a LONG time to latch (i pumped exclusively for 3 months)before he finally latched, but now he is seriously one of the healthiest kids around (he's been sick twice in his 2.5yrs - a stomach flu and ear infection but no other colds or flus, which i am told is unheard of for preemies, and especially since he is in daycare - full time right now - but normally part time). 34wkrs do really well almost 100% of the time - in the nicu 32wks was considered the magic number by the doctors and nurses there as virtually all the preems at that gestation do well and catch up by the time they are around 2 years old.
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