[dauphinette]

History: I was pregnant 4 years ago and knew immediately that I didn't want to go to a doctor and started doing research online immediately and pretty quickly came to UC, felt a huge relief and never looked back.

I UPed and UCed successfully.

Thinking about the next go round I wonder what I would do differently and sometimes I wonder if I actually did have gestational diabetes because I gained a TON of weight during the pregnancy and have not really lost any of it.

So what I am wondering is to the UCers who do go to prenatal visits what do you get out of them? Do you grill the doctor and nurses every step of the way at every visit? Do you bring a pen and a pad and write down every result throughout the visit? What is the general purpose of going, this is especially directed at UCers who don't tell their doctors they plan UC....

I have always found my doctors visits to be kind of quiet, not very informative unless something is wrong....no one is really telling me what my blood pressure is etc.

 

[IwannaBanRN]

I go to find any complications that may arise. Although, I'd rather only go until 28 weeks, when they test for Gestational Diabetes. I really want to find out the sex, so that is another purpose for me to be seen. But after 30 weeks......I really don't think I'd want to be seen. My previous two full term pregnancies were without complication and my labors and deliveries went okay. And I don't plan on telling my OB that I'm planning UC. Most OB's will try to talk you out of it, and I am not up for debate on how I plan on bringing MY child into this world.

 

[MittensKittens]

I have a few ultrasounds and go straight to the (private) lab for urine and blood tests. I do it to rule out obvious complications that need treatment, or could change my birth plans. I was anemic for a while before getting pregnant, for instance, so I wanted to make sure that was not the case in pregnancy. I also wanted to know where the placenta was located.

My experience is also that OBs don't share the info they gather with you. You can measure your BP at the pharmacy or buy your own measuring device. Much cheaper than going to an OB, too!

 

[lightinmyhands]

i personally don't get anything out of prenatal visits, so I don't go to them.

 

[DirtyHippyMama]

as for things i can't do for myself, i like having the blood work done (although i suppose i could get it done at a local private lab, not sure about those rules around here), and being able to ask questions about things i'm unsure of (without googling, that is

), like heart palpitations, baby's position (i never quite got that one right, but i would be more motivated to figure it out if i needed to), etc. i also like to have a relationship with my backup care provider, jic there is an emergency and i end up in the hospital, i don't want the stress to be compounded by strangers caring for me, yk? i also wanted to have access to an ultrasound.

having said that, i would probably end up UP'ing if there is a next time. i would pursue getting the above-mentioned things taken care of without a pro in the picture (which i probably could, but didn't know that then).

 

[newsolarmomma2]

The best thing I got from my prenatal appointments was the ability to build a good back up relationship. Second best was getting genetic testing, and the other standard tests and US. It gave me confidence to know some bad stuff was ruled out, and I didn't know enough, or have time to learn enough, to do it myself.

When my Ds wouldn't come out during my UC (wouldn't drop one bit, even when fully dilated and effaced for hours!) and I had to transfer, having the previous relationship was super helpful. They knew me, and tried every trick in the book to avoid a Cs (nothing worked, but at least they cared to try). And when I had the CS it was great that the doc was not a stranger. it made a scary situation comfortable.

I went to a OB and CNM team,and also bugged them for info, which both were happy to share.

Hope this helps!

 

[MissMia]

Well, mainly its been stress so far lol. I did find out that my iron levels are great, something I couldn't have checked myself. But the #1 reason I'm going is to cover my butt just in case I need to transfer. I probably won't but I am a cautious person and like to have a plan B. If I do need to transfer before or after birth, the hospital will be expecting me as I am registering there as if I was giving birth there. Hopefully this will keep them from treating me poorly due to being a crazy homebirther lol. As I will appear to have just made a mistake and stayed at home too long. Also if, heaven forbid, DCFS is called on me, I look more responsible. My story of an opps the baby came too fast is more plausable. My husband also needed to see those test results saying I was healthy and that baby is healthy to be comfortable with UC. So those are my reasons for getting mainstream prenatal care.

But I have been having a hard time finding a care provider I like, so this has been causing me stress. I see a new one next week, hopefully she is supportive of natural birth.

Next pregnancy should be alot more chill as I will either already have a supportive caregiver or I will UP/UC, as my husband is ok with it now after this experience.

 

[lightinmyhands]

I wound up at the hospital with my last birth in order to deliver my placenta, after 3.5 hours of trying to no avail at home. Having had no previous prenatal care at first seemed to really confuse the staff more than anything else, and the attending on duty was pretty rude to me, obviously not agreeing with the choice that I had made. Though I've been to prenatal appointments before and for me, the whole hospital experience with a up/uc was a lot less awful than all of the prenatal appts. would have been. However, I would have declined any and all testing and that would have made things pretty awfully uncomfortable I imagine.

 

[SoCaliMommy]

Because if there is a emergency, it would be no problem going to the hospital. We are paying for it and it's costing me nothing to do prenatal care other than driving to the appointments. I do plan on finding out what they would want me to do should i not make it to the hospital on time, which is a real legitimate question if i was planing to give birth there being that i live a 45 min freeway drive away without traffic from the hospital.

It's nice to know there is nothing wrong with the baby and to know placenta placement is in the correct spot.

 

[SouthernStormy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by lightinmyhands

i personally don't get anything out of prenatal visits, so I don't go to them.

Pretty much the exact thing I was going to say.

I do my research at home, and do blood pressure, blood sugar, weight, fundal height, all at home. I feel i'm more informed that way then if I went to a doctor.

 

[IwannaBanRN]

Quote:

Originally Posted by SouthernStormy

Pretty much the exact thing I was going to say.

I do my research at home, and do blood pressure, blood sugar, weight, fundal height, all at home. I feel i'm more informed that way then if I went to a doctor.

Do you also check fetal tones? Just curious, as I plan on getting a doppler to monitor tones during labor.

 

[indignantgirl]

I had the GD test my first two UC's but "cheated" by not drinking the glucose drink prior to taking the test. I wouldn't have taken the test if I wasn't made to in order to keep my backup OB. I normally would never EVER ingest something like that so I wouldn't trust the results of the test anyways.

My most recent UC I did UP too and it was such a relief. I adopted the "Do Nothing Extra" motto from the book Birthing From Within. I listened to heart tones a few times but once I started feeling the baby move regularly there was no need. I didn't weigh myself. If I went to Walmart I would check my blood pressure at the machine in the pharmacy section. That was pretty much it. I had some concerns about late pg itching but nothing ever came of it. Anything that felt like it would be "extra" in any way, well, I didn't need it. And that "extra" applied to other things during my pg, such as nutrition, supplements, purchases, emotions, etc...even exercise. "Do Nothing Extra" was the best piece of advice I've ever been given!

 

[lightinmyhands]

i check fundal height and position of baby as pregnancy progresses. But for me, all of the testing and treating pregnancy like a dangerous medical condition is one of the big reasons I choose to UC. I would of course follow up with any strange symptoms if I were to have them, but so far so good this time and last time went really well too.

 

[shell024]

Hmm, well with my first child I only decided to UC about halfway through the PG, so I had gone to many prenatal checkups, everything was looking good, feeling good. I stopped going. 2nd PG I decided to forgo any checkups.

If I were to be PG again, I would probably forgo again. I know my tendencies and what I should really pay attention to, and would probably invest my time and energies into better nutrition and care for myself. While I am generally a healthy person and eat well, I think I could have done a much better job with my nutrition and health the last 2 PGs.

If there were better care options available out here (Guam), I'd probably go for the emotional support if anything. lol.

 

[RMWT]

I go to prenatal with a midwife. She tests my pee for protein and sugar. She uses a doppler and a fetalscope and checks my blood pressure. She sends me for labs which has been a huge help since I've been anemic and didn't know it. She listens, helps me combat problems I might be having and supports me and my decision for UC. Toward the end it's about making sure the baby is head down. Also, her partner knows alot about herbs and nutrition. She has a store where patients (and whoever else wants to) can buy good vitamins, minerals, herbs, etc. My prenatal visits are great and if I wanted to deliver with someone it would definitely be her. I don't want to see an OB b/c my insurance won't pay him since he won't be delivering. That's just wrong. I really enjoy having someone address my concerns with care and patience. I've got 6 children and one on the way and don't always have time to look up or research everything myself so it's a huge help having her.