I went to the doctor this morning to be checked out, and yep, there's a pregnancy. It is still SO early - only about 6 weeks - and I don't plan to give a blow-by-blow of every little thing that happens between now and October 3 (current estimated due date). No one wants to hear that much about a pregnancy for that long! Besides, until we have an initial sonogram (in about 1.5 weeks) we won't even know if the zygote is alive and well. (Funny word, zygote. Don't you think?)
But anyway, here is why I currently have the desire to run around screaming swear words: I spoke to the doctor about the fact that I am currently nursing Daughter a couple of times per day (after buying every formula on the shelf I found one she will sip), and he was like, "ok." He did express a bit of concern about the thyroid medication I've been taking and its effect on a nursing infant, but then he looked it up in his little PDA (which apparently contains a medical encyclopedia!) and confirmed that the drug is approved for breastfeeding. Do you see the point here? He says it is fine to continue breastfeeding Daughter as long as I am comfortable doing so.
Goddammit!!! This is one reason why I don't always like going through nurses on the phone instead of speaking directly to a doctor. I wasted no time in telling him which nurse I spoke to on the phone whose reaction to me was, "oh no, no, no...no, no! You have to stop breastfeeding immediately!" And he seemed genuinely puzzled by it. He did say he'll have to speak to her about that, and that everyone has their own opinion about breastfeeding and pregnancy. But there is no medical reason to stop.
That nurse doesn't know what she put me through, mentally and emotionally, for the past 4 days. I'm sure she didn't mean to upset me so much, but the fact is that she did, and I don't appreciate that she used her own personal opinion against me with such force, making me believe it was the doctor's opinion as well. I went to my appointment this morning with my stomach churning, my mouth dry, and my hands sweaty, thinking I'd be berated for continuing to nurse, and for not managing to wean in two seconds. What a waste of energy. Let this be a lesson to you, internet. Don't just stop at a nurse's opinion! Get to the doctor! (**Edited to add: I realize this might sound like a rant against nurses. It is not. I LOVE the nurses at this practice; in general they are gentle, kind, and understanding. I don't want anyone to be offended by my comments!**)
Just because I've been walloped by some personal news this week doesn't mean I've been neglecting my Olympic challenge. I'm a competitor, baby! I've still got my goal of 4 pairs of mittens and 4 hats for Dulaan. Granted, it's taken me most of this week to finish a pair of mittens, but now that things are under control on the pregnancy/nursing front, I'm ready to keep cranking out the knits. Here's where I am so far:
Two hats and two pairs of mittens, all still needing ends woven in. I'll get to that later on. These will all have to be washed and blocked, especially because I caught Daughter sucking on one of the green mittens yesterday. I don't think baby spit increases the insulating value of handknits.
After blasting out two pairs of mittens I'm a little mitten-ed out, so I'll be whipping up two more hats now. Time to dig through the big bin o' leftovers for some hat yarns!
6 comments:
I bet if you were to ask that nurse she would tell you she has never breastfed a child. I have had a few friends nurse children during a pregnancy. Only one had a problem, much later on in her pregnancy. She was not gaining the weight she needed, so the Dr. asked her to stop nursing. I'm glad you figured it out.
different opinions abound in child rearing. I have learned to do as I wish, and just keep in mind anything that would be dangerous. Just keep in mind nutrition and calories. It will take more being pregnant AND nursing. You can do it, plenty of people have.
Seriously. Nurses. You either love them or you really don't. I've never met one that is just in between.
Wanted to add: My Dad was ill with what seemed to be severe cold like symtoms once. My Mother had to FIGHT with the nurse to get an apointment. He gets there, and the doctor lectures my mother on waiting, and tells her to get Dad to the ER. He had Pnemonia, and almost died on the resparator in the hospital.
Wow, Teresa, that's terrible! I don't mean to badmouth nurses or anything...the nurses at this practice are, in general, WONDERFUL. This is the only problem I've had.
Wow. I'm almost amazed at how much that is like the situation I had when I first got pregnant with Ruth! I stressed myself out for days, and when I finally met with the doctor she said, "Nursings fine, why?" I told her flat out what the nurse had said and how it had frustrated me. The doctor's response was "Yeah, she says that sometimes. Only part of the time though. We can't figure out how she decides to tell to stop nursing and not." Um, okay... so MAKE HER STOP! Grrr. I love all the other nurses there, but that one nurse practioner drove me mad!
Anyway, I'm so glad it's resolved and you can relax and enjoy the last couple months of nursing your daughter without having to be constantly concerned for the new baby's health.
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