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why so many appointments?

828 views 12 replies 12 participants last post by  gwen's mom 
#1 ·
I guess i could understand if it is your first baby that you need to be seen.

but if you have had one baby already without any complications, why every 2 weeks?

At my last appointment she said "ok see you in 2 weeks" so now we are at that point, but why do I need to go in every 2 weeks to be measured and weighed?

If anyone know why please share, if there is no real reason I may ask to space out my appointments until the end.
 
#2 ·
Just remember that one baby without complications doesn't mean that your next pregnancy/birth will be the same. Ds2 was my third, and the other two pregnancies were a breeze. But I ended up going into preterm labor with him at 33 weeks....totally unexpected!!
 
#3 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by birthmommom View Post
I guess i could understand if it is your first baby that you need to be seen.

but if you have had one baby already without any complications, why every 2 weeks?

At my last appointment she said "ok see you in 2 weeks" so now we are at that point, but why do I need to go in every 2 weeks to be measured and weighed?

If anyone know why please share, if there is no real reason I may ask to space out my appointments until the end.
You probably don't. Most pregnancies are healthy and babies are doing great. At this point, I guess a lot can change in 2 weeks' time, which is why care providers want to see us a little more often. But if I was really busy, I wouldn't be worried about missing an appt here and there.
 
#4 ·
I feel the exact same way!! I don't understand what an appointment every 2 weeks is supposed to accomplish. I didn't feel this way the first time but this time I just don't know what could change that I couldn't catch at home on my own and call the midwife about if it was a problem. All I do there is weigh myself and chat anyway...
 
#5 ·
My initial reaction to the question was ... because that's how frequently I need to get out of the house without ALL the children and have a "girls' day" with dd and my mom (and ds3, who dd says doesn't count because he's only 2 so he can be at a girls' day
) by the time I reach 30 weeks pregnant!


For me, it has more to do with the sitting and chatting with my midwives, getting to know them better and them getting to know me better so that when it comes time to give birth, I'm totally comfortable with them and they're very familiar with my preferences and needs during labor and birth.
 
#6 ·
I also think it's a great time to get to know my midwife better. I suppose if you are really knowledgable, you could catch potential problems at home; however, it is probably good to have your blood pressure checked often, make sure you aren't retaining too much fluid (both indicators of preeclampsia, which can happen at any time), etc. Sometimes even mentioning something to her that you don't think it big enough to call her about could be an indicator of something bigger you had no idea of. That said, of course, the majority of us will not see anything develop.
 
#7 ·
I never minded going to see my homebirth midwife every 2 weeks when I was pregnant with Grey, but now that I have a different situation and only go see her every couple of months due to driving distance and see a CNM/OB practice as my back-up/parallel care every 2 weeks I feel very different about the 2 week visits. I felt like I got a lot out of every single visit with my homebirth midwife when I was pregnant with my son, emotionally and spiritually. Now I just feel like I'm wasting my time going to see the CNM where things usually go like this: wait in the waiting room for 30 min to an hour, pee, get my blood pressure taken, weight, get my belly measured, baby gets listened to for just a sec and then its "do you have any questions?" Well no not really, I'd just like for you to connect to me as a person I always think, ask me how I feel, how things are going, what are my plans for the birth, etc. Everything there just feels very impersonal and rushed and like only the physical part of the pregnancy is taken into account and not the emotional/spiritual aspects at all. I'm aware enough of my own body to know if something is amiss, I can take my blood pressure at home, I can make sure I'm not swelling, etc. I can't wait to go see my homebirth midwife next week! It will be such a change to be able to just sit and talk with her for an hour with no wait time!
 
#8 ·
are you seeing a mw or ob?

one reason for visits, i would say is just to get connected with your primary care provider and talk about anything that has come up since the last visit. you know, so they can address any concerns you have or whatever.

if it's just plain annoying to have to go though...why not skip a visit? let them know you don't want to come in in two weeks. you are the one in charge.
 
#9 ·
I have to travel an hour and a half each way for my appointments now so I completely understand how overwhelming it can be. I have an appointment on Wednesday and I am going to ask if we can make a deal to meet every 3 weeks instead. I think that is a happy medium, especially since I am also seeing a midwife here in town.

-Iris
 
#11 ·
Because no matter how many kids you have that doesn't mean that something can't go wrong w/ your baby, I totally get your frustration at so many but I'd rather be safe than sorry a good example is a friend of mine had 2 completely normal pregnancies and her 3rd was normal up till just out of the blue she went into labor and had her baby at 26wks! There was no reason for it to happen it just did and now she would be considered high risk if she has anymore children even though her first 2 were fine also a cousin of mine had her first baby was normal and her 2nd they found wasn't growing well ended up being just a little over 5lbs at 40wks had something to do w/ the umbilical cord or soemthing I can't remember.
 
#12 ·
I guess it is just the idea of going out there every 2 weeks.

Right now I am seeing a MW, my next appt. I am seeing the OB just in case a MW is not available the day I deliver.

I will probably just go every two weeks just to make sure things are ok.

Thanks ladies
 
#13 ·
Quote:
Just remember that one baby without complications doesn't mean that your next pregnancy/birth will be the same. Ds2 was my third, and the other two pregnancies were a breeze. But I ended up going into preterm labor with him at 33 weeks....totally unexpected!!

Quote:
Because no matter how many kids you have that doesn't mean that something can't go wrong w/ your baby, I totally get your frustration at so many but I'd rather be safe than sorry a good example is a friend of mine had 2 completely normal pregnancies and her 3rd was normal up till just out of the blue she went into labor and had her baby at 26wks!

These posts confuse me a great deal. If both situations were previously undetected exactly what was the point in frequent prenatal visits?

I am currently 29 weeks with baby #3 and I am visiting my hb mw for the second time in early December. This relaxed schedule has been mutually agreed upon based in part on my confidence, experience and knowledge as well as the fact that I live 1.5 hours away and a prenatal visit takes a good portion of the day.

I am confident that I know the warning signs which may be an indication of a problem. I am a former Bradley teacher who has read virtually all pregnancy/cb books and thus I get very little from my prenatal visits. This is not to say that I do not like my mw; I think she is fantastic but I think the traditional prenatal schedule is a waste of her time and mine.

I would highly recommend reading Expecting Trouble: The Myth of Prenatal Care in America, written by an OB, Dr. Thomas Strong. Here is a summation from Amazon...

Quote:
Drawing from the literature of medical and epidemiological research, Strong"a second-generation obstetrician "presents compelling evidence that prenatal care in the United States does little to improve birth outcomes. The current trend toward universal prenatal care is fueled not by evidence that it is effective, he argues, but by unexamined assumptions as well as political expediency and economic greed. While stressing that access to prenatal care should not be impeded, Strong recommends that the technology and costs for uncomplicated pregnancies be scaled down, noting that prenatal care for these pregnancies could be shifted from obstetricians to midwives whose care is as effective but less costly. Obstetricians, in turn, could then focus on what they do well "assisting pregnancies with medical complications that respond to treatment" and the routine use of costly, high-tech procedures that do not improve outcome could be halted. In support of his vision, Strong explores a range of medical and public-policy issues currently under debate. Provocative and stimulating, this book performs a valuable service by bringing evidence on this vital issue out of the research literature and into public discourse and providing the tools for a long-needed paradigm shift.
 
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