Mainstream Medical

July 8th 2009 / 3 minutes to read

monarch on plant

Right now I am on hold with my previous Midwife’s office, ironic since the office just left me a voice mail yet… they have kept me on hold going on 5 minutes now.

A bit of back story, when I first became pregnant I first went to an OB office that my twin sister used during her pregnancy. I should have known better considering she had the classic mainstream “do as the doctor says without question” pregnancy and labor. After a hellish time there I switched to a midwifery practice around 16wks. I had some issues with the medical care but it was better than the OB office at the time.

A month ago they brought up the glucose test. I denied it right away. I did not take it with my oldest and considering the sheer amount of false positives with the test, didn’t feel it was in my or my unborn son’s best interest to take the test. Two weeks ago I went for what I thought was my “regular” prenatal visit, instead I am accosted by a receptionist, two nurses, and the midwife about taking the glucose test. I am given scare tactics right away, I explained my reasoning behind my choice, then the midwife and I came to a compromise, if sugar started appearing in my urine dips, or any other symptoms showed up I would then take the test. Mind you, the test can be taken at ANY point during the pregnancy, it’s just simply most taken around the start of the seventh month. About four hours later as I’m at the store with my son, I get a phone call from the midwife I saw hours earlier telling me the male OB that I’ve never met decided that either I take the test, be treated as a diabetic for the duration of the pregnancy (including but not limited to testing my blood sugar 6+ times a day), or be “fired” from the practice.

I was very upset by this of course, at that time I was almost 7 months along (starting my third trimester), and really didn’t need more worries. I told them to cancel the next appointment I had because I was not willing to take the un-needed test nor was I willing to be treated like a diabetic, also that I needed a copy of my records. So after being on the phone for close to 20minutes just now, the woman who did not identify herself tried to argue with me that “we never said that”. No YOU didn’t say that, the midwife “Wendy” and the male OB “said that” to me. Then I am told I can only have my records from when I started using their practice, but can’t have the ones I brought over from the previous OB office. So I somehow have to fight (seriously the first OB office is THAT bad) to get a copy of my records from 4wks – 16wks of pregnancy, and then obtain the secondary set from 16wks – 26wks from the midwife practice. I also somehow have to find a NEW practice to not only accept me but that also shares the same birth/pregnancy values as me… which isn’t so easy to do when you’re 7 months pregnant.

If I wasn’t so worried about it being a VBAC I might even lean towards finding a home birth midwife, but as it is I don’t think they would be covered by state insurance.

I am at my wits end.

This post is over a year old which means the content may be outdated or no longer accurate.

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Lisa Marie

I can’t imagine how stressed you must be right now. They can’t make you take a test you don’t want to. It’s YOUR body. Don’t they get that? And what’s with them holding your records? They can’t do that. If you supplied them with those records they should take copies and give you back the originals. It’s your right!

Reply to Lisa Marie
Erin

That situation is seriously fucked up. I can’t believe they waited this long to start discussing how aspects of your pregnancy care would be run! I’d definitely have your guy call back if handling it is too stressful. You’d think that if not taking the glucose test was such a problem that they couldn’t treat you, they’d let you know AT THE OFFICE! Then you could have gotten your records and left at the same time.

Reply to Erin

That’s just the MEDICAL crap I’m going through, I haven’t even touched on the “family” crap yet.

What makes me so upset is we came to an acceptable compromise, and because the male OB on staff (who I’ve never even SPOKEN to) decided he didn’t like our compromise, I’m the one (as well as my womb baby) who is punished.

Ahh Keith (my BF) said the same thing, I BROUGHT in the records to them, they are technically now their property, and they are of ME and MY baby. I think he may call on my behalf and try to work it out because I am so overwhelmed and upset.

Exactly!! I would have to raise my voice and ask repeatedly what my blood pressure was at each visit (I had high BP issues from 8 months – birth with my oldest, nothing SUPER high but I was swollen and it scared me heh). They never measured my uterus so I can only assume I’m not measuring too far ahead.

I really just want ALL of my ORIGINAL records, and try to find a provider. I really wouldn’t be so worried but I have a much higher chance of another breech positioned baby and I want to have it checked out to be on the safe side.

Wow.. do these people not understand that this is not the time to stress a woman out?!? I agree with what everyone has said so far. You have a right to those records.I really hope you can find a place that is right for what you want.
I went pretty mainstream but my husband and brother both work in health care, my hubby being an ultrasound tech and brother being an RN, so they knew my Dr. before and had no problems telling her what was what if she ever didn’t listen to me. A problem I thankfully didn’t have.

/huggles you!

P.A.

Gosh, I can relate to this one :( I’m so nervous lately, my baby is breech anterior since the beginning, and lately all I hear is, ‘I had to have an emergency c-sec because…’. Prior to a month ago I didn’t know doctors would do a c-section just because a baby was sunny-side up!! *sigh* and they’ll induce and do a section because the baby is face up?! Maybe if it’s face up it’s not ready so don’t induce it, effers?

I’m also currently doctorless and looking for a new OB or a mid-wife. My boyfriend is afraid of anything not by the books and not on board with a midwife, but we do need to begin looking for someone who knows how to do breech deliveries!! We still have 12ish weeks but the liklihood of the baby turning will dramatically reduce within the next 3.

It really seems there are so many women out there looking for ‘alternative’ prenatal care, but I guess it’s just easier to take the road more travelled and so change is slow coming :/  (though the medical field has better luck changing for its own financial benefit- 10 years ago so many more doctors could handle variations on births! Now everything is, ‘imperfect, cut it out’ – yeah, I feel a bit bitter :P)

Reply to P.A.

Sharon, they told me they had an email address via their website to ask for my records… searched and searched… nope nothing. Plus I am furious that they are saying they won’t “release” MY records that I personally brought to them BACK to me. That can’t be legal!

P.A., I am FREAKED out about having another breech baby, as it is this one feels transverse, but I know there is SOOO much time for this baby to move into a more proper position, I won’t completely freak until I am 34wks or so. I am just now 29wks along.

Thankfully my boyfriend isn’t gung ho about having a strict OB or hospital birth, but as it is, I have to get onto new health insurance, find yet another provider AND hospital. I simply am unable to mentally deal with it.

I recently went to the ER for yet ANOTHER non-stress test (this baby hates moving, drives me nuts), and spent TWO HOURS having the labor and delivery nurse try to convince me to have a repeat c-section, that formula is “just as good”, asked if I was a “breast nazi”, that I should let the doctors do what they want, after all they went to SCHOOL for YEARS, said I should have the RCS because then I can “choose” the baby’s birthday… and so on.

I am tempted to have this baby in a cave in the mountains at this point heh.

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