ETF

In less than 2 weeks, the newest addition to our family will be joining us.  While his official due date is 3/30/12 (Daddy's birthday), we have a planned C-section scheduled for 3/23/12.  Today, at 37 weeks gestation, he is already head down and in position to come out.  With my achy body and inability to sleep comfortably, I'm ready for him to come out at any time.  I feel like I've been pregnant forever and wouldn't mind just getting it over with sooner rather than later.  He has also been kicking a lot lately.  At times I feel like he will puncture my water sack with his constant kicking.  That's what happened with Chloe when she came 10 days early.  Who's to say little brother will not follow suit.

However, there are downsides to having him early.  They are:

1. I'm still slated to work one more week.  So I have had no rest yet.

2. Having him out means having an alarm clock that sounds every 2-3 hours.  But this is bound to happen anyway, whether it starts now or 2 weeks from now.  This could very well fall under the "get it done sooner rather than later" category.

3. If he comes unexpectedly, he may not be delivered by my doctor, Dr. Stephanie Chun.  We were very fortunately to have Dr. Chun perform Chloe's C-section 2 years ago.  She happened to be on duty the time my delivery had to take place.  (After 18 hours of labor, the shift had actually just changed from Dr. Shu to Dr. Chun.)  Dr. Chun did an extraordinary job.  My incision point was clean.  I had had no infections or side effects from the surgery.  I healed quickly and nicely from her great handy work.  She also has a very soothing and warm demeanor that makes her patients feel comfortable. Plus, she was nice enough to let us schedule ETF's C-section on her birthday, a day she originally planned to have off. (We chose 3/23 because that is the earliest date allowed by either insurance or the medical board based on the official due date.)

Since Dr. Chun has been my primary OB, I'm less familiar/comfortable with the other 3 others on her team.  I know for a fact that one of them, Dr. Hu, is brand new.  She joined the practice just this year.  Her experience definitely lacks behind that of Dr. Chun's, who's been in this practice for many years.  On the opposite end of that spectrum is Dr. Shu, she's been in the practice even longer than Dr. Chun, thus making her the most experienced doctor on the team.  However, she has a drill sergeant-like demeanor that is hated by many, including all the nurses in the hospital and myself.  She speaks with a condescending tone and makes people around her feel inferior.  Whenever I asked her questions, she often answered in a way that made me feel like those were stupid questions to ask.  The last doctor, Dr. Chu, falls somewhere in between Dr. Chun and Dr. Shu both in terms of her years of experience and her personality.  If ETF does indeed come early, we will have to take whichever doctor happens to be on duty.

Point #3 is probably the biggest downside to ETF coming early. #1 and #2 are things we can deal with.  #3 relates to the quality of care we will receive so it's of greater significance.  But hey, #3 may end up being a non-factor if we are lucky enough to end up with Dr. Chun again.  The chance of that is 1 in 4.  We hit that 25% jackpot last time with Chloe's delivery.  Let's see what our luck is like this time around.