I have a new doctor this time. Like, she just finished as chief resident in 2010, new. Also, new to me. I live in a pretty small town, and there's one hospital to have babies at, and one practice of really good obs (all the rest of whom I've met at various functions and like, alot, but none of whom are accepting new patients). The other choices in town are not acceptable, so I really don't feel like I can or want to switch. This is my 8th pg but 4th child, hopefully, and I've had preterm labor every time.
My last doctor was amazing, took her inspiration from midwives, as far as how to attend patients/births, sat in a chair in the corner of the room knitting and drinking tea while I labored, was an osteopath and doing research on osteopathic manipulations in regards to stopping preterm labor, saw me nearly every week of my pg, stopped preterm contractions and kept me off bedrest. And all of her previous experience was with Amish ladies, so she had tons of experience with medication free births, and was trying to teach the nurses how to help women be more comfortable and empowered to birth naturally. Amazing. She's teaching full time now and not seeing patients. So, maybe i'm mostly in mourning and fear over losing her, right? But I think my concerns about this new doctor are valid, and I need to figure out how to get over it and get on with it, since I'm kind of stuck with her.
Pros: She seems calm and confident, which I'm sure I'll need to counterbalance, well, me. She seems to not jump to worst case scenarios, but weigh the evidence before her. She's in a great practice with great doctors who put a lot of emphasis on good care and good patient rapport. If she's not available she's got three doctors as backup who I would be happy to have in the delivery room.
Cons: When I asked her if she had many patients who had unmedicated births she actually laughed out loud and said "Well, I would never do that, myself, but hey, if you want to try it, go for it!" Scary? When I told her I much preferred natural childbirth, and had experienced both ways, she just sort of snorted and said "Well, its up to you, but I could never handle it." Also, she doesn't have any children of her own.
Not sure: When I told her I was terrified of being on bedrest for 4 months again, like with my 2nd son, she assured me she never puts anyone on bedrest, the evidence doesn't support it. Which sounds fine, for a second, until she said, "If your cervix is shortening at 24 weeks or something I'll be sending you over to Children's to lay in the hospital." So, yeah. Maybe evidence doesn't support bedrest as an aid to stop preterm labor, but I've done it twice, and kept babies inside until term or close to it. And I'd for sure rather have bedrest at home than in the hospital 4 hours away. And being in the hospital on bedrest IS bedrest, only worse than at home, I think. So I guess that's a Con.
I'm trying really hard to focus on the pros, and not compare her to my last doctor, and hope the cons sort of work themselves out, but I'm already getting these moments of worry, maybe terror. Have any of you had good outcomes with less than ideal providers? Or been succesful in changing your provider's beliefs and practices? How have you made the best of it?
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