I had my 26 week OB appointment and it didn't quite go exactly as I had anticipated.

A normal OB appointment for me lasts MAYBE 15 minutes.  I never have any questions (I'm a pro, ya'll), my blood pressure is always 110/70 or some other normal range, baby measures on track, heart rate is beautiful, and I'm outta there.  Easy as pie.

Today, as soon as my doctor walked in I knew something was up.  She seemed nervous. 

Back track a little (and I likely blogged about it, but who knows).  December 2010, 2 months after my sisters cardiac incident, I went to the ER myself because I had been having these bouts of palpitations.  In the ER on the cardiac monitor, it showed ventricular bigemeny.  Basically, every other beat was abnormal, and I would run these stretches for 15-30 seconds at a time.  It resulted in me seeing a cardiologist, wearing a Holter monitor for 30 long days, a stress echo, a 2-D echo, and a cardiac MRI.  The initial testing showed that my hearts pumping strength was sub-par.  Not bad enough to say I had congestive heart failure, but not normal like it should be.  I was put on 2 cardiac medications, which kicked my butt.  I have always had a low blood pressure and a lower than normal heart rate (it was my normal baseline, so while outside the range of normal, it was normal for me) and these two medications made them both drop even lower, which meant I always felt like I was going to pass out and/or fall asleep.  I hated them passionately.

A year later, I had repeat testing and for whatever reason, my heart strength was normal.  I never faithfully took the medications (I skipped them more often than I took them) but after I got the normal results, I stopped them altogether.  When I found out I was pregnant with the baby I miscarried, I immediately made an appointment with my primary doctor.  That pregnancy was not planned (I was on the pill) and I was terrified.  I never got the chance to worry about it, because from the time I found out I was pregnant to the time I miscarried was a measly week.  

Fast forward to today.  26 weeks pregnant, in the home stretch, and my OB is too nervous to take on my case.  She wants me to see some high risk OB doctors at Oakwood.  I asked if this meant that I would just be seeing additional doctors and still see her.  No.  I don't see her anymore, period.  Done.  I feel a little abandoned.  This pregnancy has been so easy, and now I was being transfered to high risk?  It's hard to wrap my mind around.  I am a planner and I don't like surprises.  Knowing this was my last baby, I had this picture of how everything would go:  no inductions, I would labor at home as long as possible, deliver sans epidural (no, not because I'm super mom and LOOOOVE PAIN! ...but for other reasons when I had one with Allison that I don't really want to relive), have the baby be with me the moment he was born, and go home the next day.  Then take a gloriously long maternity leave and enjoy my summer with the three loves of my life.  Now I know I am jumping the gun, but being high-risk, I worry that my "freedom" with my plan will be hindered.  Can I even have a regular delivery or will they throw around the idea of a C-Section?  Will I be hooked up to cardiac monitors throughout delivery?  Because I had to wear oxygen when I delivered Ethan and it made me insane!  I hated the lines... I wanted everything OFF me.  Can I have my baby right away or will I be whisked away for heart imaging to make sure I was okay?  Can I go home the next day or will they make me stay to make sure I was okay?  And above all this...will I even LIKE my new doctor?  Who will it even be?  Where is their office and will I be comfortable with him or her?  Delivering a baby is so intimate to me.  It's an AMAZING experience and I don't want some doctor that is going to make me feel uncomfortable.

So yeah.  Today didn't go as planned. At all.  Thankfully, I do trust my OB and her judgement.  I wouldn't have stayed with her so long if I felt otherwise.  She spent a ton of time with me today and even hugged me and apologized for sending me away, stating I was a "dream OB patient". 

My next appointment will be with my new doctor. I don't know when yet, and apparently I don't have much of a choice when, as it will be determined after a discussion is held between both doctors.  I should know soon, though, and I will say I'm a little nervous.

I have enjoyed much of this pregnancy and have not been in a hurry to deliver, just because I  know this is for sure my last pregnancy, but after today, I am ready to have my baby boy at home with me in my arms... just how it is meant to be.