In Search of a Plan

Oliver couldn’t attend today’s OB appointment, as he was just returning to work and they scheduled the appointment for late morning. My mom went with me instead. Right before the appointment I received an e-mail from my OB explaining that hospital policy would NOT let us have the type of c-section experience we were hoping for. I’m not going to lie, I arrived to the appointment with puffy red eyes from crying that one out. By the time my OB came into the room I was barely holding it together (despite my mom’s best efforts to distract me). The news she had for us simply made me cry again. Apparently the original cardiologist at Stanford (let’s call him Dr. S) had sent an e-mail outlining interventions necessary for my labor and delivery. It included:

  • c-section performed in the OR (where Oliver could NOT be with me)
  • a PICC line put into my heart
  • 48 hours post c-section spent on the cardiology unit where babies are NOT allowed

To say I had trouble handling this news would be the understatement of the year. I just sat and silently bawled. Two and a half years of waiting for this child – not only was my labor and delivery turning into a mess, they were going to take him from me! My OB reassured me time and time again she was fighting for us. She already had an e-mail out to the COO of the hospital outlining the reasons Oliver should be allowed in the OR for the delivery. She was having a back-and-forth with the cardiac anesthesiologist for our hospital who was siding with Dr. S despite a lack of evidence to support the intervention. She even showed me the e-mail from Dr. S, which included words like “I have seen patients die…” and other such threatening words to defend his extreme intervention recommendations. His fellow wrote a note saying “While I appreciate her autonomy with the decision that she prefers to deliver elsewhere, I think it would be unwise…” My OB explained that by putting all of this in writing, they were backing my entire team at Good Samaritan Hospital into a corner. The Good Sam team were having to go with his recommendations or set themselves up for malpractice lawsuits if something did happen (which hospital administration would not be willing to risk) and continuing to build a case for me to deliver at Stanford. From the beginning I had asked Dr. S for a birth plan to give to my team. Instead he insisted that my team present one to HIM for approval. Each time they do, he comes back with another demand – it truly feels like he is seeing how far he must push to get Good Sam’s team to drop me. We are SO SO SO blessed to have the OB that we do and that her team is so willing to go above and beyond for us. Our OB had yet to touch base with our cardiologist for Good Sam, so depending on that conversation a lot could change.

With all of this I dropped the big bomb – I wanted to move our c-section date. I just did not feel we had enough information or answers to head into a c-section. That is major surgery – I needed to know what was going to happen in that room, when I could see my baby, what they planned to do to me … all before I let them just hack into me! Thankfully my OB again saw my point of view and assured me we’d move it. She promised me a call this afternoon.

Update:

Our OB called after speaking to the Good Sam cardiologist. They had come to a compromise that would keep hospital administration, Stanford and the cardiac anesthesiologist out of our way. There will be NO PICC line put in, the c-section (assuming baby doesn’t change positions) will be done on the Labor and Delivery floor with Oliver at my side and by changing the date we would be able to change anesthesiologist (to a less fanatical one). But I will have to spend one night on the cardiac floor. My response? “Well as long as the hospital understands that my husband will be sleeping in the nursery at that baby’s bedside then.” My OB assured me she is working with them to get a neonatal nurse assigned to the cardiac floor that night, which would allow the baby to stay with me. Have I mentioned lately how great my OB is?!

As we stand now, unless baby switches positions (which is less and less likely each passing day), we will be having a c-section on January 14th at approximately 11:30am. *deep breath* We will find out more information as the week progresses and as we near the 14th (our next appointment is on January 7th). But for now we pray for peace and God’s will. The Lord knows we need a bit of a break right now.

In happier news … a sneak peek at my bump *smile*

38 week bump!
38 week bump!

<3 Tara and Oliver


Posted

in

by

Tags:

Comments

One response to “In Search of a Plan”

  1. Rachel Avatar
    Rachel

    What a roller coaster! Thanks for the updates.
    You are still in our prayers!

Leave a Reply to Rachel Cancel reply