Baby Scare & Pissed Off Momma Bear

So, last night, I went to bed noticing Savannah’s movements weren’t happening as frequently.

This morning, after breakfast, her normally rowdy self was very still, eerily still.

We decided not to take any chances and called our midwife at the Dubai hospital where our regular doctor works and where Savannah will be born.

She told us we should either drive into Dubai or go to our local doctor in Abu Dhabi.  Since the hospital is an hour away, we opted to go to our local doctor.

After 30 minutes of monitoring her heartbeat and an ultrasound scan, the doctor confirmed everything was fine, she was just sleepy and probably hungry.

Thank God! She’s been kick-happy ever since!



However, this is not part I’m so irritated by…

During the ultrasound, all the standard measurements were updated.  Our doctor in Dubai had been keeping up with these but had not alarmed us in any way.  In fact, she seemed to really care less about the baby’s size and just kept encouraging us by telling us our baby was healthy and happy.



About how I feel at the moment



The doctor we went to today, however, did the opposite.  After reviewing the ultrasound estimates, she told us our baby was “chunky” and “long” and that we probably should not go the 40 weeks and be induced early.  She also hinted that not doing so would require a C-section.  Well, even though I had done all my research before hearing that, of course it sent me into a panic! 

What if she’s too big? What if I can’t deliver her?  What if it hurts too much? What did I do wrong to get her to be big?

I passed my glucose test and I haven’t been eating junk food.  Thanks to our nanny, most of our meals are actually relatively healthy and cooked from scratch.

Nonetheless, I left there so worried.  We called our doctor in Dubai (who is AWESOME and all about dealing with labor in a natural way) and she asked about the heart rate and about the baby’s movements.

When Adam tried to tell her the other doctor had warned us about the baby’s size, she very matter-of-factly said “I do not care about the size!”

END. OF STORY.

I am so glad she knocked some sense into our brains!!

As the entire course of the day’s events simmered in my mind, I started getting really, really angry. 

THIS IS WHERE IT STARTS?????? This is when a woman’s self-esteem and self-image starts to take a beating???  Before she’s even born????

“Chunky” and “Long”

Screw you lady!!!

My baby is healthy and strong!  She kicks up a storm and communicates with us by responding to taps and our voices!

What do you want? An already anorexic, malnourished preemie that needs an incubator and tubes to breathe and stay alive??

Do you want to induce a perfectly healthy baby early so that we can then come to find out she’s only at 6 lbs. and needs time in the NICU??

She is not even at 37 weeks! How dare you start suggesting that??

The worst part, as my baby’s protector, I fell for it!

I started wondering why my baby was “too big” and if I should cut down my calorie intake…even as my stomach grumbled for lunch.  How horrible for me to have easily played into a stigma that’s bound to hit her again at some point as she’s growing up.

I had really been proud of myself up to this point to have my mind made up that I would not attempt to induce.  I had requested that I not be offered any pain medication and unless absolutely necessary, do everything to avoid a C-section.

I need this hat!

Here I was, after a 1 hr. doctor’s appointment willing to throw it out the window because this doctor, not even the one who had been following my pregnancy, called my baby “chunky.”

I am so disappointed in myself but at the same time, I’m glad this happened to me now, before Savannah’s born.

I’m glad I faced something like this and have time to really think about my reaction before Savannah has to deal with me blundering an opportunity to encourage her to be strong and confident instead of meek and insecure.

I am 5’7.  My husband is 6’1.  Of course Savannah is going to be tall! 

But you know what? 

We’re hot!  There! I can say it!

Before I was all big and pregnant, I turned heads.  Heck! I’ve even turned heads as a pregnant woman (Yes-those guys are creeps.)! 

And we’re strong and healthy!  I have ran 4 half marathons and as of this January, my husband will have ran 4 full marathons!

You know what kind of genes can do that?  Big and strong ones!  I hope Savannah has inherited the best of the two of us, including our physical strength!

If that means she is going to be taller than the average girl – so be it! She is now and will always be beautiful!

I am glad I was confronted with someone who tried to shake my stance and tell me that “average” is somehow good.

Average is for the mediocre!

My daughter, beautiful in all her big & strong baby glory, will not be mediocre!