Bay Area Women?s Care was the worst decision of my entire pregnancy. After waiting the typical 45 minutes past my appointment time, the doctor would often come and go so quickly that they would forget to even introduce themselves (you have to see each doctor at least once to become ?aquainted? ? ha!; at least they wear namebadges). Unprofessional, at best.
Even knowing that I wanted a natural childbirth experience, as the end of my pregnancy grew near, they pressured me over and over to agree to being induced ? each time I declined. They would tell me things like ?it?s either be induced now or have a c-section later?, as though going natural was never an option they considered. At 41 weeks (by THEIR calculation of my last mensus? even though we had been TTC for 18 months and taking ovulation tests, they totally disregarded my telling that I ovulated a week beyond the norm), they decided to do an ultrasound to see how big the baby was getting. Since acting like a 8.5 pound baby was huge didn?t scare me, they told me that the ultrasound showed the placenta as old and degraded (on a scale of 0-3, it was a 3 ? the lowest possible); they said the placenta was full of holes and that it ?looked like swiss cheese?. They proceeded to tell me that if I chose to go another day or two on my own, I would likely be giving birth to a stillborn baby. I, of course, caved and did what they said was best ? agree to be induced.
At the hospital, I felt like I was asking all the right questions about the meds they would be using to induce me. They did not tell me that they were using a DOUBLE DOSE of pitocin! This information only came out when the nurse let it slip that they were using ?pit to distress?. I didn?t know what that meant until I came home and googled it ? go ahead, I dare you to look it up. It?s also called ?pit em and rip em?, since it almost always ends in a c-section.
I asked for some loose time frames so the doula I hired could be there to help with pain management ? they told me the whole thing should take at least 12 hours or so (which would have been about right, had they given me the standard doses of pitocin). From the time they first administered the pitocin, my baby was out within 4.5 hours! I am convinced that if it weren?t for the mental preparation and the support of my doula, I would have most certainly ended up in a c-section.
And the swiss cheese placenta? Even the doctor acknowledged upon delivery that it was ?beautiful and healthy?, not a hole in sight. Apparently, ultrasounds aren?t as clear-cut as we would like to think.
Stay far, far away from Bay Area Women?s Care. They are the worst example of an assembly line, just looking to bang it out and get on to the next one.
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