...and that's a magic number

Is 35 minutes really too far to drive?

Mr. TY and I had a conversation based on my previous post. As of right now, I have decided to keep seeing Cindy, even though it will mean a 35-minute drive each way for appointments, and a 35-minute trip to the hospital for delivery. It can't be that bad... can it?

After today's horrendous appointment, it's a sacrifice I'm willing to make to keep my doctor. I'm comfortable with her. I'm more comfortable with the hospital there than I am with the one here. And after all, stress about doctors and hospitals is something I shouldn't have to worry about during pregnancy/labor/delivery.

I'm certainly not in denial about the fact that I'm not at the healthiest possible weight to think about TTC. But I have been taking steps in that direction, and there's nothing that says I can't continue a healthy lifestyle during and after pregnancy. I used to work with a woman who was obese (by BMI standards) when she found out she was pregnant - the minute she found out, she quit smoking, stopped drinking soda and caffeinated beverages, even gave up her beloved Excedrin Migraine. She started walking daily and eating a more healthful diet - when she went into labor, she was in the best shape of her life and went home from the hospital at the lowest weight she'd been since high school - all the while having a perfectly healthy pregnancy, the end result of which was a gorgeous little baby boy.

I'm not saying that I am guaranteed to have her luck. But if I'm going to do this, I refuse to allow myself to be made to feel like I'm a bad person. I will not be making this journey with a doctor who makes me feel inferior, who makes me feel as though I'm not worth her time before conception and that she'll just be "dealing with me" on the off-chance I go and get myself knocked up before she feels it's right. I want to make this journey with a medical professional who will take an active interest in not only helping me achieve my goals, but who makes me feel like a valuable member of society, unlike Little Miss "I'll Grudgingly Deal With You."

This is supposed to be the most joyous time in my life, and I will not allow my doctor - one of the people who is supposed to be most supportive of my "medical condition" other than friends and family - bring me down. I've been brought down too many times during my 29+ years by less-than-well-meaning people to let my own doctor do it to me.

I'm keeping Cindy.

posted by kat at 11:51 PM