The Love, Blood, and Rhetoric School

Is anyone any good with photo editing? It doesn't need to be super good quality, but I would ever so much love a picture of the Predator wearing the ducky bathing suit. (I can take new suit pics if needed.)

Thanks!

Happy week all around!

Tuesday I woke up feeling really good. Like normal human being, not sick crazy pregnant woman good. So, naturally, I panic. Last time I started feeling really good at the beginning of the second trimester it was because the baby died. So I call the doctor, call Bruce's mother (I'm still carless and can't even call Bruce at work) and then sit around waiting for my 245 appointment.

Anyway, super Nurse Practitioner Jennifer, who is a sweetie, comes in basically saying "no time for small talk, we need to look at this baby". Ultrasound shows what is recognizably a human baby with a great heartbeat! Then, apparently annoyed by the pressure from the ultrasound, baby starts jumping, kicking, and waving. We spent almost five minutes just watching it bounce around.

I'm very glad Bruce's mom got to see her grandbaby. She's been very anxious this time around...my miscarriage last winter brought back a lot of awful memories for her about her miscarriages and baby Josiah, who died of SIDS before Bruce was born. We bonded, and it was really nice. The best part is that I don't feel anxious any more. I actually feel like this is really going to happen. The baby's placenta is on-line and doing what it's supposed to do, which is what the issue seems to have been last time. Plus the fact that I don't feel horrible all the time. Still a bit nauseated off and on, and lightheaded, but it's not like the perma-flu feeling of the past two months.

Then Wednesday was our 3rd wedding anniverary and Bruce actually had the day off. So we went to Bravo for lunch, where we just happened to run into his mother, aunt, and Mumsie. Bruce hadn't even known his grandmother was alread moved up from Georgia. So it was a very nice time. Then we played in the Honeytree, which is a very fancy children's clothing store next to the restaurant. Bruce is so convinced the baby is a girl that he bought a little bathing suit for her. It's light blue with yellow polkadots, and a little ruffle around the bottom. Appliqued on the front is a big yellow ducky with a pink butterfly on its nose. There's also a little pink butterfly on the ruffle on the back. It's the cutest thing ever, and now the baby's almost sure to be a boy.   ;-)



After the ducky suit, Bruce wanted to go out to Chesapeake and take a look at the Babies'r'Us store. (Apparently I'm not the only one who now feels it's safe to get excited.) I was amazed at his capacity for stroller shopping. I ended up buying a protein bar and taking a nap in a rocking chair.

Just a nice few days in general. Yay!

Dr. S,

I am writing in regards to one of your medical students, X, in an effort to bring his unprofessional and callous behavior to your attention.

I was at the office this past Monday morning to have an appointment with Dr. W. While my husband and I were waiting in the exam room, this young man came in, introduced himself by his first name only, sat down, and opened conversation by saying "So what's up?" At no point did he identify himself as a medical student, state what his purpose was, or ask my permission to remain in the room.

He then looked at my chart and said "I see this is your second pregnancy. So what happened?"

I do not consider "so what happened" an appropriate way in which to bring up the topic of my missed abortion, which occurred less than six months ago. This is still a very painful and emotional topic, and I resent my loss being treated in such a cavalier fashion.

 I replied that all the information was in my chart. X then said "I'm sure it's all in there, but we need to hear about it from you."

His answer indicated to me that he had not even bothered to look over my chart completely before asking personal questions. Also, I am not sure who "we" was meant to include. X never introduced himself as anyone's agent, nor was he accepted as such by me. One of the reasons that I am a patient of Dr. W particularly is that he attended me this past winter and is familiar with my medical history. I am still grieving this loss and do not "need" to share my personal experiences and be reduced to tears by a complete stranger.

While I understand that Tidewater Perinatal is a teaching practice, as a paying patient any student participation in my care is at my sole discretion. I do not appreciate and will not tolerate the arrogance, unprofessionalism, and complete lack of concern with which I was treated by X. He made it very clear that myself, my current pregnancy, and my dead baby were nothing more to him than a classroom exercise. He never requested my permission to ask questions or remain in the room, but behaved throughout with an air of entitlement and a disregard for my emotions and rights as a patient.

I would strongly suggest that X be monitored in his dealings with patients in the future. He has proven himself unable to live up to the extremely high personal and professional standards I have observed in every member of this practice. I would be sorry to have him continue to needlessly offend and upset your patients in this way.

I am sending a hard copy of this letter to the practice, as well as (the medical school this jackass attends).

Thank you for your attention to this matter. Please feel free to contact me at xxx.xxxx if you have any questions.


Please notice I made it all the way through without using the phrase "Fuck you. Sideways." It was an effort.

I didn't even get into the part where he started asking Bruce quesitons instead of me. Because why bother talking to the pregnant lady when there's a man available?

I had an hour of contractions. It hurt.

Apparently, in my orgy of productivity today (and four hours of yard work yesterday) I forgot to drink enough fluids. Dehydration leads the body to release, not only anti-diuretic hormones, but oxytocin. Oxytocin causes uterine contractions. Suckiness ensued.

I've drunk tons of water and two glasses of orange juice in the past two hours and am feeling much better. Of course it happens while Bruce is away in Charlottesville and I'm all alone.

I'm going to stay up another hour to keep hydrating, then lots of sleep.