Luckily I only had to wait 10 minutes (what a record!) and then was called by a female registrar (from what I understand, someone who is in training to be an OB - correct me if I'm wrong) - yes a female. Hmmmmm, unless Ted Weaver has had a sex change lately, obviously I wasn't seeing him. Straight away I was pissed off. I mean really pissed off. The first thing I said to her was 'I was supposed to be seeing Ted today'. So she goes on explaining that he was on 2 weeks leave ect ect ect and that she could answer my questions. I had to do a lot of deep breathing to calm down! Now I know that this is how a hospital works. I understand that, but because Ted told me I would be seeing him, and that he had agreed to allow me to birth naturally, you'd think that they would schedule my appointments to be WITH him. Anyway, things started off a little frosty, I'd say I hurt her feelings a bit by asking for Ted straight away. She was fairly frosty back to me, answered most of my questions, and the ones that we thought we may have problems with, what do you know - yup - we had problems! But of course, these weren't Ted's answers. So of course my big question was will he be there for the birth? She gave me the usual crap about how they have an OB on call and registrars always there so it just depended.......but then went on to say that obviously this is a different situation and that they would arrange it so Ted was there. Ummmmmmm, sorry, but how do you 'arrange' it?? I said - you mean induce me? Yes of course she replied. I said - Well, I'm not going to be induced. It is something I am not going to compromise on (cue shocked look from her).
Basically they want to induce me, lie me on a bed on my back, hook me up to machines for the entire time, and put my feet in stirrups to get the breech babies out. Oh, did I mention the epidural? Yup, apparently it is better if I have an epidural. I said - look, what is the point in me not being able to feel contractions - you may as well section me straight away. Oh she went on - well in case anything goes wrong, or they have to internally turn the babies blah blah blah blah.......... I said, well, couldn't I have the line in but with no drugs? oh - what a surprise, she hadn't thought of that. Ever heard of thinking outside the bloody square you idiot!!!!
So you can see that these are obviously her answers, not Ted's, and I suppose I have more of an idea of what I'm up against, so that when (if) I see Ted in 3 weeks I will know how to go about things. The funniest part of the conversation - when I asked her how many triplet births she had attended. None. I so had to check myself in saying that I probably knew more about them than her! And she told me I wouldn't make it beyond 32 weeks, I told her I was in touch with hundreds of triplet mums world wide and LOTS of them had gone far beyond 34 weeks. Love - I'm going to make it past 32 weeks, just to prove you wrong.
And thems fighting words.
Pictures of the week below
Just wanted to let you know I went to 36 weeks with my triplets (and then had a scheduled c-section, so II could have gone longer!). I also had two older kids (ages 4 & 6 at the time)...you go, girl! The situation you faced would have ticked me off, too!
ReplyDeleteYou tell them Chenoa, don't let them bully you into doing it their way to make it easier for them...... Your my hero.
ReplyDeleteU have to be very assertive with nambour staff! Good girl
ReplyDeleteGeeze, what an appointment! Good for you for standing your ground. Sorry you didn't get to see the doctor, hopefully next time. You look great, as usual!! :)
ReplyDeleteSorry they aren't making it easier for you ... you do look great though!
ReplyDeleteI had a schelduled C section at 35 weeks and 5 days. I was quite big. The babies were all over 2kgs each.
ReplyDeleteJust a word of warning, this is the begining of you standing up for the needs for yourself and your children. I'm still standing up to people who just live in their own La La World, and have no clue what our world is all about!! My triplets are 5.5 years old and I have a 7.5 year old.
Have courage in this brave new world, as we are the supermums!
I know just how you feel, i was faced with exactly the same situation when I saw the ob about my twin birth. He thought I was ludicrous to not want to be induced or have an epi and actually rolled his eyes at me.
ReplyDeleteI've been reading your blog every week and wondering how natural they would want to let your vaginal birth be.
I have hired an independent midwife who also delivered my last son when she worked at the public hospital. She is fantastic and I am feeling so much better about the labour knowing she will be there. This might be something to consider if you don't get any joy at your next appointment. She completely agrees that inductions/epi's are often unnecessary in multiple births, and we are on the same page about how my birth will go. But I also know she will tell me if any interventions are necessary.
Good luck
Chenoa,
ReplyDeleteI've just read your above blog, and I'm angry on your behalf!!! Of course you need to see TED and not some registrar who really doesn't know much. I kind of know how you feel. I have MCDA twins (I know that you have trichorionic, triamniotic triplets). I wanted to have them vaginally and I wanted to get to 38 weeks (I revised it to 36-38 weeks as a result of pressure from my doctors). My private ob on the Sunshine Coast wouldn't let me try for a vaginal birth, even if Baby A was head down. The obs at Nambour Hospital would let me try, but they wanted to induce me and for me to have an epidural, which didn't make sense to me. They also couldn't guarantee that a theatre would be on stand-by if I or my babies needed an emergency c-section. I was stunned when they revealed this as it is a requirement for a twin birth that a theatre be on stand-by. I found a doctor in Brisbane who would let me try for a vaginal birth, but again I had to agree to an induction (even if I went into labour naturally, he said he would still augment my labour). If I didn't agree to his terms, he would not be part of my care. In the end, I agreed to have a c-section here on the Sunshine Coast. Sadly for my babies and I, I had a c-section at 35 weeks and 4 days because my doctor got nervous because of inaccurate ultrasound readings. The ultrasound findings made NO sense to me at the time, but I trusted my doctor over myself - something that I'll regret forever. There was actually nothing wrong with me, my babies or my pregnancy, and I wanted to keep going. I will forever be angry that my babies prematurity was iatrogenic. Tulani
I LOVE your attitude and positivity to birth these babies....
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