Bjay's
(Diabetic Mommy's)
Pregnancy and Birth Story
Part
2
Meeting
Dr. Wrong and Getting Pregnant
I went to see my primary care doctor. I explained
to him we wanted to have a child. He said, "Okay" with
the voice tone and body language that seemed to mean, "...and
why are you telling me this." I started to wonder if it was
appropriate to work with him before we actually got pregnant.
I felt like I was wasting his time. I tentatively said, "Well,
we were wondering what we had to do in preparation…start
or stop medications, lose weight, work more on my glucose levels...my
previous HbA1c lab was 9.6…"
He
looked at me in silence for a second, patted me on the back, and
said gregariously, "Go for it. Have fun!" I explained
that I had been on birth control for a very long time, over 10
years, and wondered how long it would take for us to get pregnant.
I told him I had just started the school semester and wanted to
work everything around school. He simply said it could take us
a year or two to get pregnant and told me to go ahead and stop
the birth control. He actually said it would take a long time
for it to "wear off." He really said that. To his credit,
he suggested I go buy some prenatal vitamins and start taking
them.
Within a
month I was pregnant.
On September
10, 2000, we had a positive home pregnancy test. This was confirmed
on September 14 by a urine pregnancy test at my next doctor appointment.
Four days later I got another lab that showed an HbA1c of 8.5.
I was told to come back in a month. I reminded him that I was
taking Glucophage and asked if it was safe to continue. It seemed
like he didn't know what to do, and then he told me to stop taking
it. So I did. At this point I felt I was doing a great job because
the doctor didn't seem to think there was anything wrong and we
knew we couldn't be more than two weeks pregnant - we were starting
care early in the game…or so I thought.
On September
26, we went to the OB recommended by my doctor. I realized he
had sent me to an OB that did not have extensive experience with
diabetics, and did not specialize in high-risk pregnancies. They
were also kind of cold and I felt like we were being pushed along
mindlessly and without emotion like cattle. There were no well
wishes or congratulations, and no thank you for choosing us. They
told me it was too early for any real action to be taken and they
told me to come back in about a month.
They did
take the time to tell me that because of the diabetes my baby
was at risk for birth defects and I might have complications,
and on and on. It was all done in a scolding tone and made me
feel very embarrassed. I worried my hubby might think I doomed
his baby in my body. It seems the whole visit was one negative
statement after another but with no practical advice, instructions,
or referrals.
I did not
have a meal plan, and did not know how much I could I eat. I knew
my glucose levels were getting higher since I stopped taking Glucophage.
I attempted to control my glucose levels with diet. I attempted
to control them by not eating at all in other words. I checked
my levels often and they remained high. I ate less and less until
I lost 10 pounds in less than one week and still had no control
over my glucose levels.
On September
28 I returned to see my doctor. I told him I did not like the
OB and wanted to see a high-risk perinatologist. I also asked
to see a nutritionist and an endocrinologist. He told me there
was no reason for me to see a high-risk OB. He also explained
that it was very hard to get in to see endocrinologists and that
he would "play the role" of an endocrinologist. He finished
up saying I didn't need to see a nutritionist - that I would see
a diabetic educator and that would be sufficient. As he was rising
to leave, he said to come back to see him monthly.
At this point
I was really frustrated and I felt like I was going to cry. I
croaked, "Well, if you won't recommend a nutritionist, then
I'll just go find one myself." I saw a flash of anger on
his face, and he reached up and painfully pinched both of my cheeks
and said, "You don't understand how these things work. If
you go do that without a referral, then you might jeopardize the
insurance coverage of your pregnancy. You'll ruin everything."
With one final hard pinch, he turned and walked out while I stood
there in disbelief.
I tried to
rationalize in my head why he would say that (not to mention make
my cheeks smart). I suddenly realized, here I was in the university
campus clinic. I was probably his oldest patient, at 32, and I
doubted he had a whole lot of experience with pregnancy period
- let alone a diabetic one - or dealing with patients who weren't
young and naïve. He also didn't realize I had just switched
over to a really good insurance plan that covered just about everything
and didn't require referrals. He probably thought I was on the
cheap, low-coverage, discount plan offered to students.
I was really
upset, collected my things and attempted to walk out of the clinic.
I couldn't see very well because of the burning tears in my eyes
and I wanted to vomit from trying to repress the sob-contractions
I felt in my chest, stomach, and throat. I ended up ducking into
a bathroom, sitting in a stall, and having a good cry for about
an hour.
At this point
in time I was seven weeks pregnant. I was almost through with
the critical development period. I had stopped my oral medications
and had not been started on an aggressive diabetes regimen or
given goals for glucose levels.
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Index:
Part
1 - We Decide to Have a Baby
Part 2 -
Meeting Dr. Wrong and Getting Pregnant
Part 3 -
Finally Finding the Right Team Members
Part 4 -
Going to the Hospital to Stabilize Glucose Levels
Part 5 -
Let the Appointments Begin
Part 6 -
Stomach Flu - Go Back 2 Spaces, Go Back to the Hospital
Part 7 -
More Frequent Fetal Surveillance Begins
Part 8 -
Go Back to the Hospital - To Have the Baby!
Part 9 -
The Baby Comes!
Part 10
- Since the Birth
|
Diabetes
and pregnancy, fertility issues, gestational diabetes, parenting, 
