doctor's visit @ 20 weeks

Now that I'm done announcing that we're having girls, on to the appointment.

Did the ultrasound first. Babies looked good. Measured exactly where they should for 20 weeks. Heart beats seen, all parts of heart and brain seen as best as possible considering the ultrasound machine wasn't one of the high-resolution ones. The OB wanted to schedule me for a level II ultrasound to make sure everything else is OK. I said, no I'm trying to avoid unnecessary ultrasound. He said, Oh, but ultrasound is very very safe. I didn't say but thought, Yeah right... show me the research that proves that. I told him that for us, Less is More. I'm okay with an ultrasound or two, but not 6 - 10 which is what would happen with most twin pregnancies!

Then we sat down to talk. Dayton and I had a list of questions written up.
1) Q: Are there any routine procedures that are different for this hospital when it comes to vaginal birth of twins? (The reason I was asking is because a lot of hospitals require the birth in the OR, with an IV, and an empty epidural.) A: Nope, this hospital still practices Active Birth set up by the WHO (world health organization).
2) Q: Under what conditions are your comfortable with a vaginal birth of twins? (I asked it this way to get his true comfort level with philosophy). A: Vertex/vertex. This is with both babies head down. Dayton asked, well what if the 2nd one is breech? (All over the world this is typical and is still a vaginal birth.) The OB said, oh no, Cesarean is safer. Which is absolutely NOT TRUE!!! Well, with those answers, we had no need to go further, because vertex/vertex is the only way for vaginal birth with him. Unfortunately, he's my ONLY chance for a vaginal birth at any hospital here.

I asked my son's pediatrician an hour later at his appointment what she thought about it. She's very pro-natural birth and said that my OB has tons of experience with breech but is now scared of litigation. Blech. The upside is that I was able to ask her about the NICU here in case the babies come early, and she said they can handle babies born at 26 wk gestation, insist on breastmilk from the beginning, and that was her original specialty before wanting better working hours and going back to general pediatrics. So happy to have her on our side!

I did consent to all of my bloodwork being checked. I usually decline the gestational diabetes test, but since it was offered so soon, I knew I'd pass. It's totally flawed for twin pregnancies... easy to fail later on even if not diabetic. So I figured with a passing test, it might give me bartering power later on. I don't want to appear like a problem client. My iron levels were great for me. I'm always anemic during pregnancy, and this time they were the highest ever. I'm going to keep doing what I'm doing to keep them up and push them higher. The biggest iron drop happens between 20 and 28 weeks, so I'm doubling up. My Rh+ antibodies were also checked. Isaiah was Rh+ and I'm Rh-, so I had to have the Rhogam shot to fix any blood mix possibilities after his birth to not have an affect on future babies. If one of these is Rh+, my body would possibly attack it as a threat to my immune system. But no sign of that!

So what do I do? At this point, I am not going back to the doctor. I can do my own prenatal care. I can go to a local clinic to get my iron rechecked later. I will not content to unnecessary testing and ultrasounds. I will not consent to a Cesarean that is not for a very good reason. If I feel like something is wrong, of course I'll go get checked out. BUT, I have the philosophy that birth is safe, and all will go as God wills it to go. Interventions/testing are the risky parts. As for where to give birth? I will stay home unless I need a C-section. Why go to the hospital for a vertex/vertex birth when that's easily done at home. Will I have a midwife? If mine is available. If not, we'll do it ourselves. I know not all people agree with this, but research shows it is safe, and our health and medical issues (if you can call birth a medical issue) are best without doctor intervention. We are well-informed and prepared.

I'm so excited to see where all of this leads!