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- coolrunning (
coolrunning) wrote in 
pregnant,
- Mood:
annoyed
Unnecessary testing?
I’m seeing a new OB with this pregnancy, for insurance reasons. At my first visit she wanted me to do a 24 hour urine collection (collect all urine for 24 hours in a plastic jug and keep it in the refrigerator; when I return the urine I have a blood draw). I had it done early in the first trimester with my first pregnancy so I was fine with it. This time, however, she wants me to do it once a trimester. I put it off over the holidays and finally did it yesterday. When I went to turn it in they griped because I didn’t technically collect for 24 hours. I started it at 1:15pm yesterday and last peed in it at 7am today (third shifter here). I didn’t wake up until past 1:15pm today, so I didn’t collect the urine. They rejected it and said to do it again. It was fine in the first trimester because I wasn’t going to the bathroom every 20 minutes, but now I am. Pile that on with a weird schedule, a 2 year old at home and a zillion other doctor appointments to go to, and it’s really just irritating me to the point where I hold it until I’m practically in tears, which is going to just give me a UTI.
What is this test even for? All Google told me was pre-e. With my son they took my blood pressure with a machine at every visit and towards the end the doctor would re-check in the exam room, using proper blood pressure taking techniques and he always said it was fine. I was induced at 38 weeks and they monitored my BP while in labor, but I wasn’t induced because of blood pressure, nor did I end up with a c-section because of BP issues (labor stalled and signs of fetal distress). At one point I heard a nurse say something about me having PIH to another nurse, but I was never told anything about it (which I’m thankful for because it would have just made me worry more) and I was never monitored extra close for it or asked to do another 24 hour urine test. All of my BP readings have been normal so far. They even checked it when I saw a perinatologist for my 20 week anatomy scan, stating, “I’m pretty sure this doctor always wants us to check BP when you’re here."
I’m all for preventative tests, and I would never do anything to harm myself or the unborn baby… but is this really necessary at this point? I feel like this is just stressing me out and making things worse. Is there some other test they could do to ease their minds? They already take urine at every appointment. I’m starting to get a funny feeling that this doctor (and hospital in general) is going to be overly hands on and end up inducing me for an unnecessary reason or try to talk me into a repeat c-section when I’m trying for a VBAC. The high risk department also wants me to do a ultrasounds at 20 weeks, 28 weeks, and once a month after that until I deliver, to check on size. With my son I had one at 20 weeks, another at 24 weeks (there was some concern over a possible hole in the heart but they couldn’t tell if it was just a shadow – everything turned out fine) and one at 36 weeks for size. He was born at 9lbs 1oz, which is what they predicted at the 36 week ultrasound – perfectly reasonable, especially since both my husband and I are tall people and were bigger babies ourselves – and my blood sugars are actually better controlled this time.
I was already looking at switching hospitals (which would also mean switching OBs) but was going to wait to go on a tour of each hospital and talk to the doctor at my next appointment in 2 weeks and go from there. Now I’m thinking about just saying screw it and switching now :-/
Thoughts? Opinions? Reassurance? I’ll take anything at this point.