By Katie
The obstetrician’s office I visited had five doctors. They suggested that you try to divvy up your appointments in order to meet them all before delivery. They were on rotation at Winnie Palmer Hospital in downtown Orlando, so depending when you went in to labor, you never knew which doctor you would get.
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| My first daughter at 35 weeks |
“Four pounds already? That’s not good Katie. Most women lose
weight in the first trimester.”
“How do you figure?”
“The morning sickness, the nerves. The weight gain doesn’t
generally start until the second trimester. You are still six weeks from that
point.”
“Well I haven’t had any morning sickness. I’ve been eating
pretty healthy actually. Just a little more than I used to.”
He just shook his head and scribbled on my chart.
I really hoped this wasn’t the guy on rotation once I’d
gained 45 pounds and my water broke. The last thing I wanted was a lecture on
laying off the candy bars while I tried to birth a small human.
I saw a few of the other doctors and they were okay, I
guess.
At 24 weeks, I had an appointment with Dr. Lopez. He was a doctor with salt-and-pepper hair with a fantastic Cuban accent and a
wicked sense of humor. The first time that I met him, I was having such a lovely time that I almost
forgot how uncomfortable metal stirrups and medical tools can be. He had a disarming way of distracting me from the unpleasantries that often accompany pregnancy appointments and I appreciated that he cared enough to make that sort of effort.
From that point on, I scheduled appointments with Dr. Lopez
exclusively. If he wasn’t on rotation the day I went in to labor, at least I
could enjoy prenatal visits along the way.
At 35 weeks along, Dr. Lopez decided to check to ensure the baby
was positioned correctly before she got too big to get in the proper exit spot
in the coming weeks. He called in a nurse and made her laugh with a joke about baseball players and dictators. He told me a joke about a duck and the White House as he
checked to see if he could located the position of her head. I almost peed myself -- less at the
hilarity of the joke and more at my increasingly small bladder functionality.
“Whoa.”
The doctor stood up and grabbed my chart. He flipped through
it and said “Hmmm” a few times.
“What’s wrong Doc?”
He continued to read the charts.
“Doc?”
“When is your due date Kat-ee?”
“May 15. In about five weeks.”
He set the chart down, sat on his small metal stool and
rolled over to me.
“I want you to listen to me Kat-ee. … Are you listening?”
“Yes, yes. Of course I’m listening.”
“Due dates are just an estimate. These babies… they aren’t
like you and me. They come when they want to come. Do you understand?”
I could feel panic wash over me. I was banking on having all
five of those weeks to finish getting ready mentally, financially, and
emotionally for my daughter. Experienced moms told me “the first one is always
late.” My mom bought an airplane ticket from Indiana for May 20th. Today was
April 10th.
Doc saw the tears in my eyes.
“I need you to take it easy. I need your little girl to stay
in there for at least two more weeks. Do you need me to write you a note or
call your work?”
My mind was racing.
“No, I can work from home if I need to. At the newspaper at
least. I guess I should stop working at the restaurant though.”
Doc’s eyebrows shot up.
“Restaurant? Like on your feet? Carrying food and empty
glasses through slick kitchens? Please tell me you are joking, Kat-ee.”
I bit my bottom lip.
“I’ll call my restaurant manager when I leave here. And I’ll
work from home on my newspaper shifts.”
Doc laid his hand on mine.
“Just be ready at any time, okay? Call me if you think
precious angel may be coming in the next two weeks. After that, just check
yourself into the hospital. You can do this, Kat-ee.”
You can contact Katie by emailing her at katie@mumblingmommy.com.
Read all of the posts in the Memoir Monday series here.
You can contact Katie by emailing her at katie@mumblingmommy.com.
Read all of the posts in the Memoir Monday series here.
How early did she end up coming? With my oldest, I had no warning. I was measuring right on track, not having any pain or anything and 2 days before I reached 37 weeks, pop! My water broke and 5 1/2 hours later, out she came! With the twins though, it was more stressful. 24 weeks, 3 days I was put on bedrest for preterm labor. And for the next 2 months I sat there, unable to do anything, wondering, is today the day?
ReplyDeleteI much prefer NOT having the warning!