Part 7, Trying for Another Blog Series
The big news this week is our first baby appointment! Scheduled for Thursday at Kaiser.
Leading up to it, some eventful things took place as well. First off, I flew to Houston on Friday (my pregnancy week turnover day) for a two-day Birthfit Coach’s Seminar. I was super excited to attend this, as it’s the next and, I guess, final step in being a Birthfit trained coach. The seminar was taught by Dr. Lindsey Matthews, Birthfit CEO & Founder. Lindsey is a Chiropractor, Strength & Conditioning Coach, Certified Doula, and Yoga Instructor, among many other certifications she holds. What I love most about Birthfit is how it addresses the mother’s whole being: mind & body. For instance, every Birthfit workout begins and ends with a mind/body connection, downgrading the nervous system, and checking in with the body, with breathing. Birthfit prioritizes quality breath over all else. I’m on board with all of this! And honestly, I felt so relieved and overjoyed when I found and experienced my first Birthfit class. It felt like exactly what I had been longing for, as both a mom and a personal trainer.
The seminar was a great opportunity for me to ask many questions (probably an annoying amount) that I had built up over my last year of teaching Birthfit. Turned out that I was one or two of the twenty young women attending the seminar who had experience teaching Birthfit. So some of it felt like a review for me, but it was valuable to be reassured in what I’ve been teaching nonetheless, and to pick up a few new tips and ques.
Over the weekend (on my three hour flights) I had some nice time to myself which I spent reflecting on my values- which was an exercised posed at the seminar. I pretty much never get three hours to myself, so it was actually a nice interlude (although I would have preferred it in more comfortable seating).
I returned from the weekend late Sunday night. My entire family picked me up from the airport on their way home from a Warriors game. Lucky dogs were gifted tickets and since I was out of town, the kids got to enjoy their first game! They loved it.
I was exhausted when I got home. I didn’t sleep well while I was away, and I realized how tiring the whole weekend was once I got home and had time to decompress.
I got back to my weekly client sessions and was excited to use some new tips on my clients.
Thursday rolled around and I was eager to learn more about our baby and to see how the medical staff would respond to my requests to not have an Ultrasound. I went in with an open mind: open to having an Ultrasound, but preferring not to. I met with RN Peggy Jacobsen in the OB Dept at Kaiser. I explained to her that I wanted to discuss my options for not having an Ultrasound. She did a double take, “You don’t want to have an Ultrasound?” I explained that I had done my research and understood that there were potential risks, so wanted to know what would be entailed if I chose to not have an Ultrasound. She defended the hospital's position in using Ultrasounds: they use sound waves, not the doppler; she had been using them for 30 years, the hospital considers there to be no risks; and it is very quick: less than two minutes. But bottom line, if I chose to decline an Ultrasound, then I could not have the fetal blood work done for trisomy and other disorders. This was a big deal for Luc and I. While these tests can come back with false positives, it is still information that we felt important to receive. So, that was the determining factor for me.
Peggy Jacabsen and I talked for about 20 minutes, she was very thorough in her explanations, and I felt my concerns were respected and heard. But in the end, I decided to have the vaginal Ultrasound. I laid back and the ultrasound tool was inserted (it surprisingly doesn’t insert very far at all). We quickly saw our little bean with a beating heart. And it all became so much more real.
Oh, I forgot a major plot twist! On Wednesday, the day before our appointment, Luc told me that he was leaning towards wanting to not find out the gender! I was shocked and excited to hear this! Prior to conception, I had suggested this to Luc, to which he said, “I will not have another baby unless we find out the gender.” I knew he was exaggerating, but it definitely sounded definite. I’ve wanted to not find out the gender because it’s one of the biggest surprises of our lives and we don’t really have a preference one way or another this time around, so why not?!
So yeah, back to the Ultrasound, it showed that the baby was exactly on track with what we expected: 8 weeks & 6 days. There was only one baby, which Luc and I were oddly both a little disappointed about (what’s wrong with us?!). And everything looked healthy. We chose to not find out the gender, which we could have with a blood test.
Before leaving, I asked some questions regarding my prenatal care. I let them know that I would like as little intervention as possible, and that I’d like to be seen by an OB who is open and receptive to that. I asked for their OB recommendations. They of course questioned what I meant, and responded by explaining that interventions are only used when absolutely necessary and that the well-being of the baby and mom is always the primary concern. Yes, I understood that. She did conclude by saying that, in the end it’s “your body and your baby,” and that if I chose to decline their recommendation then that was on me and no longer their liability. I understood that. In the end, I felt heard, but I also felt/feel that the hospital is coming from one perspective. My fear (and yes, fear is a powerful word to use) is that I may get pushed to induce, or some other intervention, and questioning or declining the procedure would create a very uncomfortable situation for me to labor in. This is my present concern with laboring at a hospital.
I scheduled my next two appointments: at week 11 and week 16. We got our collection of black and white pictures of the unidentifiable blob known as our baby, and our prenatal packet with all the pregnancy info, and headed down to the lab to get my six vials of blood drawn.
That was that, and we’re on to week 9.