I have a medical condition called Hydrocephalus and, touch wood, all has been fine with this since I was about 13. I was sent off down the shared care route at my booking appointment which was fine and saw my Obs consultant at around 12 weeks who said that he didnt forsee any problems with my medical condition and that I should just speak with my Neuro consultant and the Obs consultant would see me at 32 weeks unless I felt I needed to see him beforehand.
So today we had our Obstetrics consultant appointment. We turned up at about 8.50 for our 9am appointment and were ushered through to his room, passing him stood at a reception type desk for the nurse to do my BP and a urine check. She said he'll be with you in a second and took my notes out with her. We sat like piffy on a rock waiting in his room for 20 minutes before he came in. He asked if all had gone ok so far and I said yes it had. He asked had I been to see my Neuro consultant and I explained no I hadnt but had spoken with my Neuro Nurse following his instruction at my first appointment and had got correspondence from her (which was in my file) saying all would be ok for a normal birth. I said that I had been asked by the Consultant Midwife to seek further clarification from the Neuro team so that she can help me with my birth plan at 36 weeks. Cue his horrified face and him saying "Why are you seeing the Cons MW?" I said because I have opted for the birth centre to have our baby and the Cons MW is happy with this, providing she can meet me, has advice from my neuro team and can do my birth plan with me. He said well, you won't incur any problems during your pregnancy and the problems will occur during the labour phase Not what he said at his first appointment with me when he said he couldnt see any problems and also not what my Neuro team say! I said well I am birthing at the hospital in the next town rather than this one because the local one doesnt have a labour ward and that as he is aware, the next town has both birth centre and labour ward incase there are any issues. He said well we will review it nearer the time and see what happens. He asked me to pop on the bed and he would examine my tummy. He had the quickest ever feel, then listened to the heartbeat which was faint to say the least (as in he hadn't located it properly). I said to him what position is baby in then? He said What do you mean? evidently I spoke in some kind of alien language I said well at my 31 week check up the baby was head down, brim and back to back. He said baby is head down but it doesnt matter if it's engaged or not at this stage. I felt like saying I know that it might not matter, I'[m just interested in MY baby! He then wrote in my notes and out we came.
Well, I can admittedly be hot headed and was a bit cross at how he had read my notes, ignored anything I said, bascially told me off for not seeing my Neuro team when thats not what was asked of me and seemed annoyed I was planning a birth centre birth. We got home and looked at my notes and he put something like all ok, see mw in next 2 weeks, see Obs Cons in 4 weeks and plan for labour ward. That's NOT what he said sat in front of me. Hubby was fuming and said who is that man anyway and why do you need him. I said to hubby, to be fair, I honestly don't know why I need him as he is clearly ignoring my neuro team's advice and if I was that likely to have problems in the pushing phase, why hasnt he said I have to have a c-section because nothing will change between now and 4 weeks time if according to him I will only incur problems in labour.
I'm so annoyed and upset at the way he was and the way he said one thing and intends to do another - at both this appointment and the last. I don't know what to do because my MW has said she is happy for me to birth centre and be moved to labour ward if needed and the Cons MW seems happy with this too and now this man, who doesnt listen to a word I say and apparently not to my neuro team either, is trying to push me down a route I don't need to go down!