9 weeks (and some drama!)

Much remained the same during week 9 for me... My belly continues to itch quite a bit some days (cocoa butter does help but I hate the smell of it), I continue to be more irritable (especially in the evenings when I'm exhausted), I eat ALL THE TIME and I still sleep very lightly and with several pillows. I have not been sick at all since week 7 (and even then it was only the first couple of days - my sickness was mostly confided to week 6) but I gag constantly. Brushing my teeth, when I let my self get too hungry, certain smells (cigarette smoke, colognes and perfumes, fast food...) and sometimes for no reason at all. I feel very blessed when I say that gagging is probably one of my biggest annoyances of pregnancy right now. :)

Want to hear a story?

We had our first prenatal appointment on January 26th. Steve and I were very anxious for this appointment to arrive because we had been to the ER with cramping on new year's day. Steve is a natural worrier and was really looking forward to seeing our baby via ultrasound, being told that everything looked good and putting his fears to rest.

I had wanted to see a particular physician but when I called to schedule my appointment I was told that they like to see patients between 8 and 10 weeks and that physician would be on vacation for those two weeks. They wouldn't let me schedule at 10.5 weeks, oh no. So I scheduled with the only other female in the office, thinking that for my first visit (and exam), having a female would be nice.

I know pretty much nothing about any of these physicians, being that Steve's insurance just changed to Kaiser and we are now required to travel to Salem for all of our appointments, pharmacy runs, etc. It's a real joy, I tell you. This is so foreign to me because I know ALL of the OB physicians at Samaritan and have great respect for 99% of them. I would be quite happy with any of them delivering my baby. Needless to say, I don't really like change.

So we arrive at our appointment, the nurse takes my vitals and asks a few questions, I get changed and we wait for the doctor. When she came in she did not shake my hand or introduce herself to anyone in the room (Steve and my mom were both there). What she said was, "So I understand you were in the ER for cramping." Yes. "Well, before we even bother with any paperwork, let's make sure there's really a baby."

EXCUSE ME?!

I assured her that there is, in fact, a baby because we saw it via ultrasound at the ER. She told me that all they saw was the sac. I told her that no, we did see the baby inside the sack and it looked like a grain of rice. She basically blew me off and went on to say that the entire pregnancy could be psychological and all in my head.

Meanwhile, Steve is sitting in his chair freaking out because this doctor is filling him with doubt that the baby we've given our hearts to even exists.

She did an abdominal ultrasound first and the baby measured about 6 weeks (worrying Steve even more). Then she did a transvaginal ultrasound and the baby measured 8w6d, which is within two days of where I was in the pregnancy.

During the ultrasound the monitor screen was tipped the wrong way and I couldn't see the image (much like if a laptop screen is tipped wrong). When I asked her to move the screen so I could see, she replied, "Just hold on a minute!"

Steve and Mom both got to see the baby "wave" and I missed it because I couldn't see the screen. When she was finished measuring and doing her thing, that was it. She pulled the want out and it was over. I only got to see our baby for a couple of minutes.

After the ultrasound, the doctor began entering all of my information into the computer and asked if I had any questions. I pulled out my short list of 6 or 7 questions (things like, how much tuna can I eat because I'm CRAVING it and if it's ok to use heat wraps for stomach aches, etc.). She acted like all of my questions were stupid and answered a couple of them very differently than some of my doctor coworkers had.

One of my biggest questions had to do with the Rhogam shot. I have a negative blood type, so if our baby has a positive blood type (likely) then I will need to have the shot. I would like to avoid that if possible and asked about having Steve's blood typed to find out of he is negative (in which case, I don't need the shot). The doctor's answer was that they don't test the father's blood type because they have no guarantee that he is really the father. She said, "People lie about that all the time to save their marriages."

We were livid.

Here is this complete stranger, sitting here telling us that I could be a tramp for all she knows, and she has no reason to believe that Steve and I are faithful to each other.

OH MAN.

When my mom asked about the risks and side effects of the Rhogam shot, she was told that there are none and that if we had more questions about it, we should Google it.

I will have you know that since that appointment my mom has Googled the crap out of Rhogam and I have obtained some information from the medical library at the hospital. TURNS OUT that there are MANY side effects and risks (imagine that) and that Rhogam is quite a controversial subject. My impression is that either the doctor is completely ignorant and doesn't know about these issues, or that she didn't want to take the time to educate us on them. Either way, it's unacceptable.

We left the appointment feeling angry, frustrated and like we were going to be treated like just another couple visiting the practice. I didn't feel that my opinions or wishes mattered at all.

My mom and I have both written letters, which I plan to mail this weekend. We are sending the letters directly to the doctor, but have plans to also send copies to Kaiser administration. I am also thinking about alternative prenatal and delivery options.

And we will not be seeing that doctor again.