Is this a little ridiculous at this stage?

I am 28 weeks. I have no complications other than controlled GD. The babies are measuring on target (average size) and there is nothing wrong with my cervix and the placentas look healthy. My high risk doctor has requested I start going in 2x a week for measurements to make sure the babies are growing. His attitude is and has always been one of doom. I have IVF/Twins/GD so therefore "something" is going to happen. My OB takes the opposite approach (why I love her) and she is a "we will deal with it if it comes up but everything looks great so why expect it" doctor. She thinks me going 2x a week is overkill but the high risk will only treat me if I go that often. Since I still work full time, have a 4 year old and my high risk doctor appointments take 2-3 hours because he overfills his waiting room, I don't see how logistically I am going to make it to an appointment 2x a week. I am calling my OB this morning to discuss it with her and see if she would be able to talk some sense into him. If not, I am considering asking her for an alternate treatment plan that does not include the high risk doctor. For my son, I had GD and she sent me every other week until 34 weeks to a radiologist for a biophysical profile/measurements and then saw me the weeks in between. At 34 weeks, I saw her 2x a week for NSTs. I am will to keep that schedule and if complications arise, see him more often for more monitoring.

 

I think its great that they want to keep a close eye on you and your babies! I have always gone by the thought process, "It's better to be safe rather than sorry". It does sound like you have some factors that make your pregnancy more high risk, and with twin pregnancies things can chance so fast. If it were me, I would go 2 times a week and get checked out despite the inconvenience.

 

I didn't have GD so I don't know what the standard monitoring is for it, but I had weekly NSTs and bi-weekly OB appointments in the 3rd tri. I didn't see a peri until it became necessary when I got hospitalized with PTL and then some other complications. Even then, I was always released back to the care of my OB.

If you have an OB that you trust, I don't think you need to see a peri. If your situation changes so that your OB feels a peri would be in your best interest, then he or she will refer you to one and defer your care to his/her recommendations.

 

I'm very much in the minority on this I think, but I didn't even have a high risk doctor and generally don't think that every twin pregnancy needs one. My OB was qualified to deal with twins, very qualified. A high risk doctor just puts unnecessary restrictions on patients in my opinion. Rather than reacting to the individual pregnancy, a high risk doctor treats every patient as though they already have the worst case scenario. I would have been forced to stop working, have multiple appointments per week, etc. "just in case". My OB let me work to 35 weeks and treated me like a slightly higher risk pregnant woman as opposed to a ticking time bomb - and I got to 37.4 weeks with perfectly healthy, good weight twins. What really decided it for me though was learning that statistically twin pregnancies do not fare any better with a high risk doctor than with a regular OB. Same results, more restrictions, not for me. And I'm not a home birth, midwife kind of girl - I like my medical science, my doctors (not that there is anything wrong with home births and midwives - just want to illustrate where I am coming from). Ultimately, however, you need to trust your medical care and do what is best for your babies.

 

It's always one or the other, there's hrdly ever a happy medium doc is there?! LOL. Do what you feel is best but personally I feel like I want to be monitored closer just because I am a worrier heehe so that's definitely my own issue. Employers need to accomodate prenatal appointments (at least in Canada) so they just have to suck it up if they have a problem with it, but I definitely understand life is busy. Again do what you feel in your gut is best! Good luck!!

 

I just wanted to say that I am also carrying IVF twins, history of miscarriage and fibroids and I do not have a high risk doctor. I dont know if its the GD that necessitates the high risk doctor, but I really dont think the fact that you have IVF twins means that you are any more high risk than a regular twin pregnancy. And if they are fraternal (which is more likely with IVF, right), then I think your twin pregnancy is actually considered lower risk. I'm not sure what you should do, but just wanted to say that not all of us IVF mommies are being treated like our pregnancies are high risk.

Good luck to you.

 

My twins are also IVF twins and I developed GD with this pregnancy. So we are similar, however, I've never seen a high risk doctor. I had ultrasounds every three weeks until I hit 32 weeks and since then I go for weekly biophysical profiles. A perinatologist always reviews the results before I leave, but I don't actually meet with the peri. I think I've seen one twice for a few minutes because I had a question about something on the ultrasound. I've have gone to my OB weekly since I was around 28 weeks and I met with an endocrinologist ever two weeks to review my blood sugars. I have never been told that having done IVF made me high risk and because my GD is well controlled by diet iand my boys are measuring at a normal size it's also considered by my OB and endo to be a non-issue.

I would have a problem with going to the perinatologist twice a week, especially since your OB doesn't think it's necessary. Can you switch to a different high risk doctor?

 

I agree with you. It sounds like overkill. Why are you seeing this other doc anyway? Does your OB not feel competent to deal with your pregnancy? Personally, I'd go with my OB and leave it at that.

 

I've always been surprised by how many people automatically see both an OB and a peri just because they are carrying twins. When I was preg with my twins, it was IVF/ICSI, I was post gastric bypass, and I still only saw my OB every 4 weeks ... starting at 20w we had growth u/s at the hospital every 4 weeks. That was it. At 30 weeks I switched to seeing the doc every 2 weeks ... I would have switched to every week at 36, but gave birth 3 days later to two babies with good weights and no NICU time.

This time, I'm older (35), still twins, IVF/ICSI, but now I'm a surrogate for my sister, and she is older (37) so we had advanced maternal age eggs, and I'm still not seeing a peri. Pretty much following the same protocol as last time.

Maybe it depends on the comfort level of your doc ... but it sounds like overkill to me ... twice a week???? Do you know what kind of twins you have? I have b/g frats. so there is less concern I think with frats ... more to worry about with identicals who share placentas and what not ...

 

I saw a peri because I was forced to - I'm a regular diabetic (controlled) and I went to the OB every 4 weeks and the peri every 4 weeks in between - I started NST's at 32 weeks once a week....peri wanted me on full bedrest at 24 weeks - I simply told him I couldn't financially afford that unless it was necessary - I NEVER went on bedrest despite his predictions and worked until 3 days before I delivered...

if everything is normal at 28 weeks and your OB thinks you're ok then I'd let the OB handle it....

 

Does your OB think you need the high risk doctor? I did not have a peri for my twins and I have also had a miscarriage prior. My boys are not IVF and I did not have GD though. I would ask your OB what she thinks and if she is comfortable with taking care of you.

 

QUOTE(Kyrstyn @ May 28 2009, 02:07 PM) [snapback]1331102[/snapback]
I think its great that they want to keep a close eye on you and your babies! I have always gone by the thought process, "It's better to be safe rather than sorry". It does sound like you have some factors that make your pregnancy more high risk, and with twin pregnancies things can chance so fast. If it were me, I would go 2 times a week and get checked out despite the inconvenience.

ditto what krystyn said... things can happen quite quickly and you don't want to miss something happening and be too late.

 

I have no history of miscarriage (IVF was due to secondary IF) and I am having fraternal boys. There are two healthy placentas and 2 healthy boys in there. MY OB called me and repeated what the high risk said but didn't give me an opinion on it because she got my voicemail. I will call her back tomorrow and see what she thinks.

 

QUOTE(Mom to Jack and Anna @ May 28 2009, 09:18 AM) [snapback]1331122[/snapback]
I'm very much in the minority on this I think, but I didn't even have a high risk doctor and generally don't think that every twin pregnancy needs one. My OB was qualified to deal with twins, very qualified. A high risk doctor just puts unnecessary restrictions on patients in my opinion. Rather than reacting to the individual pregnancy, a high risk doctor treats every patient as though they already have the worst case scenario. I would have been forced to stop working, have multiple appointments per week, etc. "just in case". My OB let me work to 35 weeks and treated me like a slightly higher risk pregnant woman as opposed to a ticking time bomb - and I got to 37.4 weeks with perfectly healthy, good weight twins. What really decided it for me though was learning that statistically twin pregnancies do not fare any better with a high risk doctor than with a regular OB. Same results, more restrictions, not for me. And I'm not a home birth, midwife kind of girl - I like my medical science, my doctors (not that there is anything wrong with home births and midwives - just want to illustrate where I am coming from). Ultimately, however, you need to trust your medical care and do what is best for your babies.




I like this response!!! I think the extra appts. seem like overkill AND when doc's consistantly overbook ... I complain and then change docs if nothing changes. My general doc was able to get things straightened out as far as wait times, but my repro endo always made us wait hours. I ditched her as soon as I was prego. I mean, the doc would not wait on us for two hours, wouldn't wait on a pizza for that long, wouldn't wait in line that long ... why should we wait for them? They aren't above us! Sorry .. just my pet peeve!

 

My OB didn't even want to see me once a week until 29 weeks (and it was supposed to be 32, but I had a preterm labor episode) and then it was once a week till I delivered. I only had two measurement ultrasounds during that time. Unless your twins are ID and there is a risk of TTTS, going in twice a week sounds like overkill to me.

 

I go to a peri only since around 20 weeks. We have been going every three weeks until 32 weeks and now go every week for an appt. and NST. My peri isn't like the ones described in PP, he has a very postive outlook on twins. I have not been put on any restrictions and have been monitored at what I feel to be a good amount for carrying mono/di twins. My O.B. (whom I loved) just wasn't really twin pregnancy comfortable so that is why we were referred to a Peri.

I guess each experience is different but I would want the closest monitoring possible to ensure the well-being of my babies.

 

I never saw a high-risk dr, my OB handled everything & I had a pretty textbook pregnancy & scheduled c-section delivery.

I am assuming that if your high risk Dr. wants to see you that often he obviously feels it is in yours and your babies best interest, BUT maybe you could bring it up to your OB & see what she says?

Good luck :hug: