The best obstetricians are supposed to be the doctors who have delivered hundreds, even thousands of babies. But, after watching the OB smile to him or herself the tenth time after one of my questions, I have to wonder whether all that experience really makes a doctor more aware of patient needs.
I remember waking up one day early in my second trimester in horrible pain. My hips and legs would barely move. My belly was as tight as the outside of a basketball. And I hurt all over.
What was wrong with me? Could this be premature labor? Was something wrong with our baby?
I tore through What to Expect When You're Expecting. Nothing. I asked around at school. Again, nothing. I spent most of the day in tears before calling my OB and making an emergency appointment.
The OB did a urine test, poked my belly, and told me I was fine. The exam took less than ten minutes. She did absolutely nothing to assuage my fears. "Everything is normal," she said. But she couldn't tell me why I was in so much pain.
As it turned out, I had hurt myself sleeping without a pillow. (Pillows are a MUST for pregnancy, I have since figured out.) I had a very normal reaction to a very normal pregnancy mistake. But because everything about my pregnancy has been so very normal, the OB didn't take the time to help make me more physically--or emotionally--comfortable.
Adam and I recently transferred to a new OB-GYN. When the doctor reviewed our file, he commented that the pregnancy had been remarkably uncomplicated. That's great to hear. But that doesn't change the fact that, for me, every new symptom can be alarming--or even frightening. And, unfortunately, OBs won't always be the source of comfort, hope, and advice they should be.
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