Day of Many Updates
So it turns out that Homestyle Midwifery has a waiting list, and in addition to that, they are actually leaving St. Luke’s Hospital and spinning off into a private practice. They’re sending me more information, but I’m afraid it may mean they’ll no longer offer the services I was most interested in (i.e. the combination of anesthesia & on-site neonatal care with the option of water birthing). We’re on the waiting list regardless, but things no longer look as promising on that front.
In addition, the doctor phoned me back this afternoon, saying he’d found the report from the ultrasound I had done a month ago, and he has “a couple of concerns”. The baby looks fine, but apparently I have a low-lying placenta and a fairly large ovarian cyst. He wants to do another ultrasound ASAP to see whether either of those issues seems to be resolving itself. He mentioned that in ninety percent of cases, an anterior low-lying placenta will move itself to a better position without any intervention, and similarly the cyst may just go away, so neither issue is a major freak-out thing. I am freaking out to a minor degree. Sam is not freaking out at all.
They’re sending me the ultrasound requisition form in the mail, and I’ll have to call the hospital to schedule an appointment sometime after that, so I may not have any updates on this front for a week or so.
My parents should skip the next paragraph as it has to do with S-E-X, and I’m not sure you’re old enough to be hearing about these things.
The doctor told me three times to refrain from “vigorous intercourse”. I didn’t ask him what the difference between vigorous and sedate intercourse is, but of course now I’m wondering. Don’t be getting into any fancy slings? No cowgirl style? What does that even mean?
UPDATED TO ADD: So I’ve done some quick Internet research, and I’m no longer worried at all about the low-lying placenta. Apparently it’s plenty common in the second trimester, and almost always it’s no longer an issue by the time the baby’s actually born. I haven’t had any bleeding or any other indication that it might be a real problem.
The cyst will only be trouble if it ruptures. The doctor specifically told me that the cyst was fluid-filled, with thin walls; at the time that meant nothing to me so I didn’t include it in the post. However some Internet reading on ovarian cysts quickly revealed to me why he’d been so specific about that — it means my cyst is not cancerous. I didn’t even know I should be worrying about that, so I don’t really get to feel relieved, but hey, it’s good news anyway I guess.
If the thing ruptures it really would be bad (that’s apparently very painful, and can trigger preterm labor) but I found plenty of stories online from women who had cysts all through their pregnancies and were fine. It’s odd, but one thing that actually makes me feel better is that I tripped and fell flat on my face on my way home from getting that ultrasound last month. And if that didn’t make the cyst rupture, then probably it’s not gonna rupture! This is my thinking, anyway.
And, who knows, it may have already been reabsorbed into my body by now. But even if it’s gotten bigger, fed by the pregnancy super-growth hormones, there’s no reason I can’t have a normal pregnancy and delivery. I read a post from one woman who had a cyst the size of a grapefruit by the time she gave birth, and it didn’t cause her any complications. They just took it out afterwards with a relatively minor surgical procedure. Apparently if you get a c-section they can even grab the cyst at the same time.
April 19th, 2007 at 8:52 pm
Ah, sorry the midwifery center turned out to be not all you’d hoped. And I’m glad your doctor is alert to the other stuff. Hey, another ultrasound = another chance to see Rosaura… anyway, I hope you can get the ultrasound soon so as to get it off your mind.
P.S. Scientific method for determining whether your intercourse is too vigorous: place a tray at the foot of your bed. Now put a half-full cup of tea on it. Proceed. If the tea spills, slow down.
I am genius, no?
April 19th, 2007 at 8:57 pm
also, I do not exactly understand how Homestyle can have a waiting list. What, they don’t have room for you to have your baby in August, but if you check in around September or October there may be a slot? NOT HELPFUL.
April 19th, 2007 at 10:13 pm
Ha, I like your tea tip. Sam has already announced that the opposite of vigorous intercourse is “slow sweet lovin'”, and apparently I am under doctor’s orders to receive same…
April 20th, 2007 at 12:58 pm
Oof, what a pain for you to have to deal with all this at once–midwifery waiting lists, placenta, cyst, and The Crazy, which you described so eloquently.
I’m sorry that Homestyle Midwifery may not work out. Have you looked into hiring a doula? That could be a good compromise if you end up having to go with a more traditional delivery by an OB. I know that a doula couldn’t resolve the water birth issue, but she could offer you massage and other kinds of pain relief, support Sam, and be an advocate for all three of you. Our hospital had a volunteer doula program, and our doula was definitely helpful.
I had a fairly lowish placenta at 20 weeks, too, and mine moved on its own. I agree that you shouldn’t worry about it at all. The cyst sounds like it’s pretty common, too, and probably totally fine. I hope you can get your ultrasound soon and resolve both these worries.
April 24th, 2007 at 6:18 am
Yeah, everyone says that having an experienced advocate to communicate with the medical staff on your behalf can make all the difference in the kind of care/interventions you end up receiving.
My only hesitation about having a doula is that we *may* end up having kind of a lot of people present at the birth (Sam of course, and Nina’s mentioned maybe coming out for it as well) so it may start to get kind of crowded in there!
April 24th, 2007 at 7:28 am
It’s true that you don’t want too many people there, though a really good doula would know how to make herself invisible, and then appear suddenly at your shoulder whenever she’s needed, holding a glass of water with a straw for you, or a sandwich for Sam, or a heated towel, or a cool washcloth. Then again, I’m sure Nina could do that, too. 🙂
April 24th, 2007 at 6:09 pm
Nina will also be happy to
a) help in any way that you want
b) do whatever the doula says
c) disappear into the waiting room if you just want everyone the hell out of the room.
just so you know.
have i mentioned lately EEEEEEEEEEE?