Who's from Manitoba? - Page 6

[babywearer_anon]

actually i don't mind waiting until April.   I am low-risk and healthy.  and i will continue to see my family doctor every few weeks.  I'm still crossing my fingers about getting a midwife!

[Shenjall]

I'm hoping you do too.  :)

I dont see a need for seeing right away either, but it would nice to have the choice yk?  If I'm waiting until my 2nd tri it should be b/c I'm choosing too, not b/c there's no one available.   I don't understand how they can be so busy?  Do we just have more patients now than before?  Bizarre.....

[babywearer_anon]

i know!

[prairie girl]

I'm original from Brandon, but have lived in Winnipeg for 17 years now. I'm new to the site and am 17 weeks pregnant.

[NewMumJoy]

Hi Praire Girl!  Where in Winnipeg do you live?  I'm new to Winnipeg/Canada, and live in Crescentwood/River Heights.  In my 15th week....  :)

[prairie girl]

Hi NewMumJoy,

I live in Elmwood. I'm also expecting our first, after 2 losses, over age 35 and dealing with fibroids. So beyond geography, we've got a little bit in common.

Nice to virtually meet you.

Just to catch up on the previous posts about finding  a Dr. I'm an existing patient of Dr. Alladalla's and I couldn't get in to see him till end of Feb at almost 20 weeks. My family doctor is at an Access Clinic and I'm able to see her in the meantime. She also does deliveries, so I'll be able to decide between Dr. A and her, depending on whether they consider me high risk (beyond my age) or not.

And in terms of prenatal exercise, I put my curves membership on hold and wasn't permitted to exercise during my 1st trimester - doctor's orders. I'm now taking a fitness class at my local community centre, through Fit 4 Two, and I love it. I'm also friends with the owner/instructor with Totally Fit Mom and have friends who have taken and enjoyed her classes.

Prairie Girl

Edited by prairie girl - 2/7/12 at 1:26pm

[NewMumJoy]

Ah, we do have a few things in common Prairie Girl - nice to meet you!  And thanks for sharing your experience about your doctor(s).  I did finally have an appt. here in Winnipeg last week (with Dr. Reynolds) and after all my troubles to see someone, I learned that Dr. Reynolds is just a family doctor - not an ob/gyn!  Frustrating, but I'm learning that it's common for people here to see a family practitioner for their prenatal care?  Maybe there's just a more relaxed attitude towards pregnancies, than the 'high alert status' that I'm used to in the States.  Since I'm not experiencing any complications at the moment, I'm trying to just "go with the flow" and trust that it'll all work out...

Since Dr. Reynolds works out of HSC, we plan to do a tour of the facility when my DH is back home next week.  So far I was not impressed with the basement office from my recent visit.  From there we'll decide if we'll continue to drive to North Dakota or stay put (I'd rather do the latter!!!!)

Thanks also for mentioning the Totally Fit Mom and the community centres - I will look into that too (I see that she does have a class starting at the end of this month in Ft. Garry).  For the meantime, I've ordered a couple of yoga DVDs to do at home.... but I've gotta get out of the house eventually!

[erthe_mama]

Originally Posted by jeninejessica 

I have Dr. Avery, and Dr. Corbett on my "short list" from the ratemd website. I didn't read any of the reviews for males though. I don't think I'm quite ready to give in that much yet, even though I've heard amny of them are fantastic doctors. I just personally can't have a male doing an internal, and I know I'll have to have at least one in the time between now and birth.

Hopefully this isn't taken as rudeness, but why do you *have* to have an internal?

"Assessing the progression of the ‘first stage of labour’ also relies on knowing what the cervix is doing. Some hospitals no longer have a policy of routine vaginal examinations in labour, perhaps reflecting concerns about the practice [17]. Even when vaginal examination remains an element of routine management, the timing of assessments is usually four-hourly. A vaginal examination only reveals what the cervix is doing at the time of the examination. It cannot provide information about what the cervix was doing before, or what it will do in the future. For example, a woman’s cervix may be only 3cm dilated but she could birth her baby within an hour of this assessment. Another woman’s cervix may be 9cm dilated but her baby may not be born for another 6 hours. Using a vaginal examination to determine the start of the second stage is also inaccurate. If a midwife examines a woman at 3pm and finds that her cervix is fully dilated, does that mean her second stage started at 3pm? What if her cervix had been fully dilated at 2pm but the midwife didn’t know? There is only one accurate time recording that can be made during labour – the end of the second stage because the baby is born. Although a time can be recorded for the birth of the placenta, the third stage ends with ‘control of bleeding’, which is open to interpretation."

http://midwifethinking.com/2011/09/14/the-assessment-of-progress/

[erthe_mama]

Originally Posted by babywearer_anon 

I wish there were more midwives in Winnipeg!!

Me too! And there totally would be if traditional midwifery was decriminalised. ;) 

As it is, there are only three more funded spots for certified midwives in the province anyway.

[erthe_mama]

Originally Posted by NewMumJoy 

We are still keeping my Feb 3rd appointment (with Dr. Reynolds at HSC) with hopes that things will work out with him.  Has anyone had any experience with Dr. Reynolds?  Any advice on finding good prenatal care in Winnipeg?

When I was a doula, I wrote down Dr. Reynold's and Dr. Sawatzky's names for good, natural-birth-friendly doctors. I remember, actually, that Sawatsky was going to let me teach her how to catch a baby in a standing up birthing position, but mama decided to squat over the bed instead. ;) Other folks I know who've generally favoured midwives but for some reason or another ended up having to have a hospital birth and choosing Dr. Gerard McCarthy, and being very happy with him. He's rather eccentric, but he was trained by midwives, and is very respectful of the natural process.

[erthe_mama]

Oh, I forgot to mention that Sawatzky attends births at St. B., and fwiw, there were labour tubs there the last time I checked. ;) 

[heavensearth]

Welcome to all the new members!

As you know, erthe_mama, I love Dr.McCarthy! I wouldnt use anyone else for my prenatal care or delivery. The care I got from him was above and beyond anything I ever expected - he may seem like he's in a rush, but when you need him, he's there for you. I had him for both of my pregnancies (both required fertility meds that he perscribed) and I have two happy and healthy kiddos now ♥

He wasnt actually trained "by" midwives, he trained "with" midwives after he got his medicall degree. He IS a medical doctor and has a pretty impressive amount of schooling. I could go on and on about him...

Another wonderful thing about him is that he was 100% on board with erthe_mama encapsulating my placenta for me! he didnt look at me strange or question why I would do that or anything. If you havent thought about it yet, consider having your placenta encapsulated or made into a tincture - you wont regret it!

[NewMumJoy]

That's great to know (regarding Drs. Reynolds and Sawatzy), erthe_mama, thank you....

My DH and I plan to visit the maternity ward of HSC this coming week.... are there any overall preferences on this board between HSC and the other hospitals, such as St. B (yes, tubs would be nice!  And private rooms!)?  If they are equal overall, then I won't waste my time trying to find another Dr. that's affiliated w/a different hospital. since I don't want to lose more time on available appointments....

And do most Canadians/Manitobans feel comfortable with prenatal care and deliveries being done by their family doctors (as opposed to ob/gyns?).  In the U.S., this would never happen, however maybe there being fewer doctors up here (in Manitoba, which seems to be case) I could assume that they are better trained to handle a variety of patients and situations??

[babywearer_anon]

NewMumJoy,   I think its common here for a woman to see her family doctor until she gets on with an OB.  But depending on the situation it might be awhile until she gets to see an OB. (Not sure about 'high risk' pregnancies, though.)

 I don't know how many people have family doctors that do births as well.  I haven't heard of any, actually.

[babywearer_anon]

heavensearth  or erthe_mama -- what is the difference between encapsulation and tincture?    which did you choose?

thx.

[babywearer_anon]

thanks for this info erthe_mama.

I am curious - would this mean no checking at all during labour for what the dilation is at any given time?

(I had minimal checking with my first, which was great.  And when it was time to push, there was no checking needed, the other signs were obvious:)

Originally Posted by erthe_mama 

Hopefully this isn't taken as rudeness, but why do you *have* to have an internal?

"Assessing the progression of the ‘first stage of labour’ also relies on knowing what the cervix is doing. Some hospitals no longer have a policy of routine vaginal examinations in labour, perhaps reflecting concerns about the practice [17]. Even when vaginal examination remains an element of routine management, the timing of assessments is usually four-hourly. A vaginal examination only reveals what the cervix is doing at the time of the examination. It cannot provide information about what the cervix was doing before, or what it will do in the future. For example, a woman’s cervix may be only 3cm dilated but she could birth her baby within an hour of this assessment. Another woman’s cervix may be 9cm dilated but her baby may not be born for another 6 hours. Using a vaginal examination to determine the start of the second stage is also inaccurate. If a midwife examines a woman at 3pm and finds that her cervix is fully dilated, does that mean her second stage started at 3pm? What if her cervix had been fully dilated at 2pm but the midwife didn’t know? There is only one accurate time recording that can be made during labour – the end of the second stage because the baby is born. Although a time can be recorded for the birth of the placenta, the third stage ends with ‘control of bleeding’, which is open to interpretation."

http://midwifethinking.com/2011/09/14/the-assessment-of-progress/

[JelloPanda]

NewMumJoy - in regards to the family practitioner vs ob: in rural MB, there aren't designated OB's. Usually your family doctor delivers your babies, or whoever is in their "practice"  (i think they "team up" in groups of 3? I'm not sure).  I was lucky enough to get on with the midwives in our area, so I've never had to deal with doctors regarding pregnancies.

I could be totally wrong, though - like I said, I've never dealt with a doctor while pregnant!

BabyWearer_Anon - you don't really need to be checked for dilation. From the research I've done... if you feel the urge to push, you're probably okay to push.  From what I've heard, there's really no benefit to knowing how far dilated you are, other than to make you go  "dammit, only 1 more cm in the past hour?!"  

(Gosh I feel like a loser, I have no experience with that either - I showed up in hospital when I was feeling the urge to push, so I was never checked!  I swear, I really did have a baby - i just apparently missed all the "normal" parts of the process, lol)

[prairie girl]

Hey gals,

I just wanted to share this clipping from The Herald where I was interviewed about prenatal fitness.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/our-communities/herald/Expectant-mothers-keeping-fit-139305073.html

[Shenjall]

Prairie Girl!  That sounds like a great class!  I may have to go check it out on Feb 29.  :)

Babywearer - did you get your midwife?

[NewMumJoy]

Thanks for the link, prairie girl - would love it if a class were available closer to my 'hood, I will keep an eye out....

I'm still without an ob/gyn here and have yet to meet my "family practitioner" in person (he was absent during my last appointment)....... I'm going back to North Dakota next week for my 18wk u/s since it's actually easier to do.  I'm starting over now and trying to find a doctor out of St. B's (instead of HSC) and hopefully can get this all sorted out before my pregnancy is half over!

I really wish that I could have a midwife!!!  Is the midwifery hotline (for the 4-5 birthing centres) really the only way to obtain one???  I know I'm not the only one who's out of luck, just whining out loud... sorry!