I went to the doctor this morning and after some initial conversation about coming in tomorrow for a three hour glucose test I gave my speech, just as I planned it. I really expected some discussion or some resistance on her part, but no. When I finished my speech she said, “Well, everybody gets uncomfortable at this stage, but we can strip your membranes and see if that will speed things along and maybe help with some of the discomfort.” I was almost speechless! Then, she said “Oh, you have that placenta issue and I don’t have the ultrasound report so I don’t want to do anything until I see how that stands.” I told her that the ultrasound tech told me the day I had the ultrasound that my placenta was well out of the way of my cervix, but I understood that she didn’t have the report and she needed to see for herself. She left me to go track down the report and when she returned she said “Yes, your placenta is out of the way and the baby’s head is down.” All good! She listened to the baby’s heartbeat which was very good and up higher than it’s been, so that was another issue. Was the baby still head down or had she flipped since last week? Out came the ultrasound machine. Yes, the baby is still head down! Then she checked my cervix, I am dilating and then she did it, and it was SO incredibly painful I almost came up off the table. She told me that there was a 50/50 chance I would go into labor within three days! Then she said “You may have some bleeding and cramping now.” I thought “Great, I’m already in pain what have I done? What if this doesn’t work I will have suffered for nothing, but maybe it will work and I will be glad I chose to have it done.” Glass half full here: It’s going to work! It has to work!
She was making my appointment for next week (in case this whole painful thing I went through today doesn’t work) and she said “You’re doing NST’s twice a week. Why do I have you doing NST’s?” I thought she was kidding, but no, she really didn’t know why. So, I said “I think because I’ve had some bleeding issues.” “Oh that’s right, you were having some bleeding, that’s why you’re doing NST’s.” I wanted to say “You have no clue, I could’ve come up with anything and you’d have gone with it.” Then she says “I didn’t write it down. I see lots of patients everyday and can’t remember everything.” Ok, isn’t that why you have a chart? Isn’t the idea to write these things down? I understand that she sees lots of patients and I find the whole thing amusing.
Now we will just wait and see if the whole stripping thing works out! Keep your fingers crossed!
