Post by Admin on Jun 9, 2015 11:17:04 GMT -5
This story was first presented by Amanda herself at a February 2015 CenteringLouisiana Learning Collaborative. It was one of the most moving and poignant tributes to Centering that we have ever heard.
Hello. My name is Amanda. I’m 26 and the mother of two handsome boys. Vance, age 6, and Camren 6 months. I was asked to come here today to talk about my experience with Centering verses routine prenatal care. It is my opinion that the two could not possibly be more different.
When I learned I was pregnant with my first son, Vance, I chose a doctor based mostly on his location and that he was accepting new Medicaid patients. I received “routine prenatal” care.
My first and sadly the majority of my appointments consisted of a half hour to an hour wait in the crowded waiting room, a 20 plus minute wait in the exam room, and no more than 10 to 15 minutes face to face with my doctor. Who, by the way, had to look at my chart to remember my name. He would come into my room in an obvious rush, command me to put my legs in the stirrups, measure my uterus, and comment to the nurse, not to me. Ask me if I had any questions as part of his routine, but his obvious hurry made this sound harsh like he was begging me to say no…. inside I was screaming Yes! I have questions! But his demeanor restrained me from pulling out my scribbled list I had in my purse. I did, however, speak up once, and only once… I attempted to express my concern over frequent headaches, but before I could get the words out of my mouth he cut me off. “That’s normal. Anything else?”… I was stunned. I left the office feeling humiliated and worried that something else was going on and he wasn’t even trying to listen to me. I complained to my mom, several friends, and relatives and they all said the same thing: “with Medicaid this is what you get. “
So, I went to the library. Having had very little experience with babies let alone newborns, I checked out the maximum number of books. And succeeded in driving my boyfriend crazy and worrying that every bad thing I read was going to happen to me or my baby. Which lead to several emergency room visits, which could have been avoided if I had someone to talk to? But I felt the endless reading was necessary. I mean, how else was I suppose to know what was going on with my body or my baby?!? My doctor’s time was precious and he made it clear my health was a priority but not education, not my peace of mind.
We induced labor to suit my doctor’s schedule on April 29th. And it was only a few hours into the induction that I realized the books were only going to get me so far. We had trouble getting my epidural to take full effect. And I was given no choice about my options for other pain relief. The majority of my labor, my nurses and doctor talked to each other and I had little to no understanding about my progress. When it came time to push, I felt like I was going through a tunnel blind. Then I tore and received an episiotomy, which was VERY misleading by the books. Thankfully, I only pushed for about 20 minutes and shortly after 3:00 pm I was holding my beautiful baby boy.
Unfortunately, I suffered severe postpartum depression in the months to follow. I was beyond stressed. I was frantic trying to be the best mom I could be, but I felt the pressure of the world looking at me, waiting for me to mess up. I was overwhelmed with fear, and my underlying obsessive compulsive habits were out of control. My mood swings and constant worrying nearly ended my relationship with my boyfriend, and I found myself alone after my erratic behavior pushed everyone else away. It was a terrible time in my life and I regret spending the first year of my son’s life in a continuous tornado of emotions. It took months of therapy and medication for me to feel like myself again.
Four and a half years later, we were thrilled when a home pregnancy test showed those two blue lines. But I put off calling to find an OBGYN. I knew I wanted someone else, and I knew I wanted to deliver at Woman’s Hospital this time. But I wasn’t looking forward to the whole “patient number not a person” routine, and I was sure I had a month before I NEEDED to see a doctor. Only a few weeks later, I started cramping on my right side. And I knew something was wrong. I headed to the emergency room only to find out the pregnancy was ectopic. My tube had ruptured and I was bleeding internally. We were devastated.
But imagine our surprise when only a few months later we found out we were pregnant again and this time our little peanut was in the correct place! I started calling every OBGYN who worked at Woman’s Hospital, hoping to find someone who wasn’t too far from home and would see me. I found Dr. Fraiche in Gonzales and was swiftly given an appointment. On my first visit, he offered me an opportunity to join this new program called Centering… he pitched it as a group of women all due around the same time, in a room for an hour with him and another colleague discussing various topics related to our pregnancies… I was SOLD and gladly accepted the invite.
I expected it to be a refresher crash course, I mean, I had already had one baby, I’m sure this one wouldn’t be much different. I could not have been more wrong.
Getting into the habit of Centering was a welcomed new routine. I would walk through the office doors, go straight to the restroom. Give a urine specimen. Walk into the Centering room, take my own blood pressure, weight, and answer a brief survey of yes and no questions concerning things like headaches, constipation, and edema (which was a term I learned in Centering). Then I would sit in a chair, eating healthy snacks, and talk to the girls in the group. My doctor and nurse would lead the group on various topics, but it wasn’t like a class, it was a discussion, a group of pregnant women together on a journey with health care providers investing in our well being, our health, the health of our babies, and most importantly giving us a safe environment to learn the facts that would get us safely to our goals.
We discussed in detail things I had a broad understanding of, learning why and how things worked, eased my nerves and made me feel more in control because I had the knowledge and I was taking an active role in my pregnancy. I knew why I was swelling, and how to treat it at home. I knew why I was getting headaches, and how to ease them. I understood the shooting pain in my hip was my sciatic nerve and how to relieve the pain. I understood the difference between a normal pregnancy symptom and when it was time to take action. I only had one ER visit during my pregnancy with Camren, compared to at least ten if not more when I was pregnant with Vance. I am most proud to say I took part in preparing myself for postpartum depression. Together with my healthcare providers, I made a plan. I made a list of people I could call, places I could go, things I could do, if I felt like the depression was setting in. I knew the warning signs, and I prepared to battle, but this time I wouldn’t be alone. I had my group, I had my healthcare providers, and I was educated in newborn care… The confidence that this brought me is what I believe is the reason I didn’t even have baby blues after having Camren.
The most surprising topic for me was the appointment when we discussed pregnancy myths. I had heard old wives tales before, and thank goodness I had the good sense to know that that’s what they were. But I was taken aback to hear the women in my group, most of them already mothers, defend what their mothers/ grandmothers/ aunts/ whoever had told them. One honestly believed if she ate spicy food her baby would have heart problems. Another thought if she stretched or lifted her hands above her head the umbilical cord would wrap around the babies neck. It was that appointment when I saw the true value in Centering. These girls needed someone to tell them truth, to tell them why and how…
I give credit to Centering for convincing me to breastfeed. My mother breastfed me and I was always told it was better for my baby, but I have found my generation to have an aversion to the idea. And I always felt like I would be singled out or have to hide it. It wasn’t until we discussed it in group that I knew why it is so much better for my son. And being able to share my hesitations with other young moms, and having them be as convinced as I was, made me feel more confident in my choice to breastfeed. We even joked about going out together with our babies so we would have company breastfeeding in public.
My delivery with Camren was entirely fulfilling. I had a goal and I knew how to get there. Every step of the way I was involved, I was aware of the terms being used, I understood what station, what percentage I was effaced… the dips in his heart beat were normal because of the rhythm in my contractions. My fears were gone. I was prepared to give birth. I was prepared to deliver a new life. There were no surprises.
I have sung the praises of Centering since my first trimester with Carmen. He is now 6 months and I am still steering every expecting mom I meet to find a doctor who does this. It wasn’t just the learning, it was the atmosphere, the feeling of camaraderie, being able to ask questions and discuss them with qualified healthcare professionals, without the fear. I would suggest centering to any and all moms-to-be. Rather it’s their first child, or their 10th. Having other women to lean on, who have empathy for your symptoms, and having healthcare professionals invest time in educating me and truly making me feel like a person, not just a name on a chart, is invaluable. If I would have had this type of prenatal care with my older son, I know my experience would have been tremendously different. I wouldn’t have run to the ER every time I “had a feeling”. I would have had the support I needed, and perhaps I wouldn’t have been clinically depressed for so long. This program changed my expectations and raised the bar for prenatal care. What I was told when I was pregnant with Vance, is no longer true: With Medicaid YOU CAN HAVE SO MUCH MORE than routine care.
Hello. My name is Amanda. I’m 26 and the mother of two handsome boys. Vance, age 6, and Camren 6 months. I was asked to come here today to talk about my experience with Centering verses routine prenatal care. It is my opinion that the two could not possibly be more different.
When I learned I was pregnant with my first son, Vance, I chose a doctor based mostly on his location and that he was accepting new Medicaid patients. I received “routine prenatal” care.
My first and sadly the majority of my appointments consisted of a half hour to an hour wait in the crowded waiting room, a 20 plus minute wait in the exam room, and no more than 10 to 15 minutes face to face with my doctor. Who, by the way, had to look at my chart to remember my name. He would come into my room in an obvious rush, command me to put my legs in the stirrups, measure my uterus, and comment to the nurse, not to me. Ask me if I had any questions as part of his routine, but his obvious hurry made this sound harsh like he was begging me to say no…. inside I was screaming Yes! I have questions! But his demeanor restrained me from pulling out my scribbled list I had in my purse. I did, however, speak up once, and only once… I attempted to express my concern over frequent headaches, but before I could get the words out of my mouth he cut me off. “That’s normal. Anything else?”… I was stunned. I left the office feeling humiliated and worried that something else was going on and he wasn’t even trying to listen to me. I complained to my mom, several friends, and relatives and they all said the same thing: “with Medicaid this is what you get. “
So, I went to the library. Having had very little experience with babies let alone newborns, I checked out the maximum number of books. And succeeded in driving my boyfriend crazy and worrying that every bad thing I read was going to happen to me or my baby. Which lead to several emergency room visits, which could have been avoided if I had someone to talk to? But I felt the endless reading was necessary. I mean, how else was I suppose to know what was going on with my body or my baby?!? My doctor’s time was precious and he made it clear my health was a priority but not education, not my peace of mind.
We induced labor to suit my doctor’s schedule on April 29th. And it was only a few hours into the induction that I realized the books were only going to get me so far. We had trouble getting my epidural to take full effect. And I was given no choice about my options for other pain relief. The majority of my labor, my nurses and doctor talked to each other and I had little to no understanding about my progress. When it came time to push, I felt like I was going through a tunnel blind. Then I tore and received an episiotomy, which was VERY misleading by the books. Thankfully, I only pushed for about 20 minutes and shortly after 3:00 pm I was holding my beautiful baby boy.
Unfortunately, I suffered severe postpartum depression in the months to follow. I was beyond stressed. I was frantic trying to be the best mom I could be, but I felt the pressure of the world looking at me, waiting for me to mess up. I was overwhelmed with fear, and my underlying obsessive compulsive habits were out of control. My mood swings and constant worrying nearly ended my relationship with my boyfriend, and I found myself alone after my erratic behavior pushed everyone else away. It was a terrible time in my life and I regret spending the first year of my son’s life in a continuous tornado of emotions. It took months of therapy and medication for me to feel like myself again.
Four and a half years later, we were thrilled when a home pregnancy test showed those two blue lines. But I put off calling to find an OBGYN. I knew I wanted someone else, and I knew I wanted to deliver at Woman’s Hospital this time. But I wasn’t looking forward to the whole “patient number not a person” routine, and I was sure I had a month before I NEEDED to see a doctor. Only a few weeks later, I started cramping on my right side. And I knew something was wrong. I headed to the emergency room only to find out the pregnancy was ectopic. My tube had ruptured and I was bleeding internally. We were devastated.
But imagine our surprise when only a few months later we found out we were pregnant again and this time our little peanut was in the correct place! I started calling every OBGYN who worked at Woman’s Hospital, hoping to find someone who wasn’t too far from home and would see me. I found Dr. Fraiche in Gonzales and was swiftly given an appointment. On my first visit, he offered me an opportunity to join this new program called Centering… he pitched it as a group of women all due around the same time, in a room for an hour with him and another colleague discussing various topics related to our pregnancies… I was SOLD and gladly accepted the invite.
I expected it to be a refresher crash course, I mean, I had already had one baby, I’m sure this one wouldn’t be much different. I could not have been more wrong.
Getting into the habit of Centering was a welcomed new routine. I would walk through the office doors, go straight to the restroom. Give a urine specimen. Walk into the Centering room, take my own blood pressure, weight, and answer a brief survey of yes and no questions concerning things like headaches, constipation, and edema (which was a term I learned in Centering). Then I would sit in a chair, eating healthy snacks, and talk to the girls in the group. My doctor and nurse would lead the group on various topics, but it wasn’t like a class, it was a discussion, a group of pregnant women together on a journey with health care providers investing in our well being, our health, the health of our babies, and most importantly giving us a safe environment to learn the facts that would get us safely to our goals.
We discussed in detail things I had a broad understanding of, learning why and how things worked, eased my nerves and made me feel more in control because I had the knowledge and I was taking an active role in my pregnancy. I knew why I was swelling, and how to treat it at home. I knew why I was getting headaches, and how to ease them. I understood the shooting pain in my hip was my sciatic nerve and how to relieve the pain. I understood the difference between a normal pregnancy symptom and when it was time to take action. I only had one ER visit during my pregnancy with Camren, compared to at least ten if not more when I was pregnant with Vance. I am most proud to say I took part in preparing myself for postpartum depression. Together with my healthcare providers, I made a plan. I made a list of people I could call, places I could go, things I could do, if I felt like the depression was setting in. I knew the warning signs, and I prepared to battle, but this time I wouldn’t be alone. I had my group, I had my healthcare providers, and I was educated in newborn care… The confidence that this brought me is what I believe is the reason I didn’t even have baby blues after having Camren.
The most surprising topic for me was the appointment when we discussed pregnancy myths. I had heard old wives tales before, and thank goodness I had the good sense to know that that’s what they were. But I was taken aback to hear the women in my group, most of them already mothers, defend what their mothers/ grandmothers/ aunts/ whoever had told them. One honestly believed if she ate spicy food her baby would have heart problems. Another thought if she stretched or lifted her hands above her head the umbilical cord would wrap around the babies neck. It was that appointment when I saw the true value in Centering. These girls needed someone to tell them truth, to tell them why and how…
I give credit to Centering for convincing me to breastfeed. My mother breastfed me and I was always told it was better for my baby, but I have found my generation to have an aversion to the idea. And I always felt like I would be singled out or have to hide it. It wasn’t until we discussed it in group that I knew why it is so much better for my son. And being able to share my hesitations with other young moms, and having them be as convinced as I was, made me feel more confident in my choice to breastfeed. We even joked about going out together with our babies so we would have company breastfeeding in public.
My delivery with Camren was entirely fulfilling. I had a goal and I knew how to get there. Every step of the way I was involved, I was aware of the terms being used, I understood what station, what percentage I was effaced… the dips in his heart beat were normal because of the rhythm in my contractions. My fears were gone. I was prepared to give birth. I was prepared to deliver a new life. There were no surprises.
I have sung the praises of Centering since my first trimester with Carmen. He is now 6 months and I am still steering every expecting mom I meet to find a doctor who does this. It wasn’t just the learning, it was the atmosphere, the feeling of camaraderie, being able to ask questions and discuss them with qualified healthcare professionals, without the fear. I would suggest centering to any and all moms-to-be. Rather it’s their first child, or their 10th. Having other women to lean on, who have empathy for your symptoms, and having healthcare professionals invest time in educating me and truly making me feel like a person, not just a name on a chart, is invaluable. If I would have had this type of prenatal care with my older son, I know my experience would have been tremendously different. I wouldn’t have run to the ER every time I “had a feeling”. I would have had the support I needed, and perhaps I wouldn’t have been clinically depressed for so long. This program changed my expectations and raised the bar for prenatal care. What I was told when I was pregnant with Vance, is no longer true: With Medicaid YOU CAN HAVE SO MUCH MORE than routine care.