Musings of a Marfan Mom

May 6, 2010
by marfmom
5 Comments

Mrs. Lopez

Thanks to MamaKat, I learned this week is Teacher Appreciation Week. That means I should probably follow prompt #2 of her weekly Writers’ Workshop and write about an awesome teacher I’ve had. I could pick the easy way out and write about those 2 years where I had mom as a teacher and combine TAW and Mothers’ Day into one, but on my sleep deprived brain all I can think about is that time Mom showed my baby picture to the entire class.

I know I was a pretty cute kid, but still, in 7th grade it’s ALL awkward.

So, I’m writing about my 1st grade teacher, Mrs. Lopez. My class was her last class before retirement. She reminded us of this often and insisted we were her favorites. Mrs. Lopez let me skip recess every day to read ahead in the reading test packets we had, at least until my parents found out and insisted she make me get some sun and exercise. At the end of the year, when the school got rid of our texts (which had been around since the 50s, no joke), she gave me some books to keep, as well as her handmade phonics chart because I told her I wanted to teach my brother to read. Mrs. Lopez was also famous school-wide for her talent to painlessly pull out teeth. Literally, kids from all over the elementary school would knock on the door in the middle of class, she’d grab a tissue, reach into their mouths, twist her hand, hand them their tooth, and go back to teaching. How cool is that?

While I was sad to move onto 2nd grade (especially since I had the equivalent of Mrs. Trunchbull as a teacher), I maintained a relationship with Mrs. Lopez. Sometimes Mom and I would pass by her house on the way home from church, and occasionally would just drop in. One time, Mrs. Lopez gave me a pink troll necklace and a white fuzzy “cat” (it was totally a Pomeranian dog, but I insisted for years to Mom that it was a kitty, just because Mrs. Lopez had said so).

www.breederretriever.com


When it came time for me to plan my high school graduation party, I looked up Mrs. Lopez in the phonebook on a whim and called to invite her. Not only did she remember me, but she came! And she gave me the most beautiful box, which I keep some of my treasures in even now, 7 years later.

I wonder what she’s up to these days, if she’s still well and living in her same house and spending time with all her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. I’m grateful to have had such a neat teacher who fostered my love of reading and treated me like family.

Who was your favorite teacher?

May 4, 2010
by marfmom
11 Comments

First Prenatal Visit

I had my first prenatal appointment on Friday. I’ve got mixed feelings about it. I think part of it is just hard because I loved my entire prenatal process with Menininho, and this is so different from that. However, the actual birth and postpartum period were pretty awful, so maybe having a not-as-great prenatal period this time will mean that I get the kind of birth that I want???

I think my biggest beef is that the nurses seem so…patronizing? I don’t know if I’m phrasing this right, but has anyone else felt like once they got pregnant, some people (particularly medical professionals) didn’t see them a whole person anymore? I am NOT talking about the people giving up their seat on the subway for you, or friends inquiring how you’re feeling, or other kind gestures. It’s more of the “there, there little girlie, don’t you worry your pretty little head about anything because your hormones just get you so confuddled that we’ll just make all those big hard decisions for you.” Know what I mean?

So yah…that’s how I sometimes feel like I’m being treated. Like when I got so sick with that stomach bug, and the nurse tried to tell me I just had morning sickness and that SHE’D had it so much worse when pregnant, I should count myself lucky. Or two days later when another nurse, after telling me I probably needed to go to urgent care for dehydration, but that I should drink a lot and call her back to check-in first, called me “cute” for calling to check back in.

Friday was ok. I was there for 2 ½ hours. Things apparently always run behind in the office, but I spent over an hour with the nurse in the consultation room. On one hand, this was pretty cool. When I was pregnant with Menininho, I got a bag of information at my first appointment and that was that. My OB and I never discussed breastfeeding or much about nutrition. This time, the nurse pulled out a folder full of pamphlets and wanted to read through each one. She asked me if I’d breastfed my last child and if I was planning to do it again. GREAT for first time moms! But, um, she was shocked that I knew about breastfeeding and prenatal testing and what foods to avoid, and she wouldn’t allow us to move on from the subjects I already knew about.

And, some of the info she gave me was incorrect. For instance, she wanted me to now that it’s totally ok to go “a couple of days past your due date.” I replied, “If you mean plus or minus a couple of weeks, then yep, totally!” She also INSISTED that it’s not possible to see the baby prior to 10 weeks. I can respect an answer like “no, we don’t give ultrasounds prior to 10 weeks because of time constraints,” but don’t LIE to me.

All I want is to be respected throughout my pregnancy and postpartum period, and to be given accurate information so that I can make informed decisions about what is best for my body and my baby. And I did look into switching doctors, but the entire high-risk practice operates the same way and I can’t leave the hospital.

Thanks for letting me vent! I’m sure my next appointment in a few weeks will be wonderful! I’ll be able to see my baby and discuss all my concerns with the doctor directly.