35 Weeks

Bad News?

I had my 35 weeks appointment with Dr Doucette. Earlier in my pregnancy I met with him and he left a bad taste in my mouth. The earlier appointment, he was very quick with me and didn't let me ask a lot of questions, let alone take time with Ruthie to listen to the baby's heartbeat. 

This time around, he had a lot to say, but this time, I didn't really want to hear what he had to say. Basically, in a nut shell, he did not believe I was a strong candidate for a V-Bac which has been my goal this entire pregnancy and something I've worked hard with the rest of the doctors to understand my willingness to do whatever I can to make this a possibility. He gave me a lot of #'s and said that there are two types of candidates: 

30% & 80%

30%- These woman have a 30% chance of having a V-Bac because baby is too big to pass through birth canal, or labor is too slow or stops. So, the fact that Ruthie was 9 lbs and my midwife had mentioned that she didn't feel the baby was going to be able to fit was a red flag. Dr. Doucette was telling me most likely, I would have another 9 lbs baby and that would mean again, that the baby just won't fit.  He continued with if I were his wife I would strongly urge the c-section. That there was just no reason to even try.

80%- These woman have a 80% chance of having a V-Bac because their previous c-section was because: baby was breach, babies heart rate dropped, babies umbilical cord is around the neck.

So, basically, I left the appointment feeling defeated. That all my hopes and dreams of trying to have a natural childbirth were gone. I shed some tears and then went on with my day because, well, I'm busy with my sweet Ruthie. :) I talked with Jon when he got home from work and he encouraged me to get a second opinion before we decided anything.

My next appointment is with my favorite doctor thus far, Dr. Patel. To be continued...