Jenn’s Tips (Vol. 1): Be an advocate for your health and trust your instincts

I keep hearing about people bringing health concerns to their practitioners only to have those concerns dismissed. I’m sure the doctors are well-meaning and trying to be reassuring. The thing is, no one knows you or your children like you do, and you can pick up on small nuances that others may miss.

Examples:

When I was pregnant with Austin I knew something wasn’t right, and though I hadn’t had one before, I suspected it was a yeast infection. My concerns were directed to a nurse who promptly blew me off without even checking me. So at my next doctor’s appointment I expressed my concerns again and the nurse practitioner took me seriously and tested me. The next thing I know I get a call from the person who originally blew me off to tell me I have heavy yeast growth and need to get medication right away…Ha!

I have a friend who was pregnant and noticed fluid leaking. She was told she had just peed herself! Apparently it was a slow leak, so when they saw her fluid levels seemed ok they assumed she was just a silly first time mom. You can tell the difference between peeing and your water leaking even if you are a first time mom! Instead of being given bed rest and other such care which would have very probably allowed her to carry her baby to full term, days later she ended up being induced and giving birth to a pre-term baby. Fortunately after spending time in the NICU she was able to take home a beautiful baby girl!

My cousin had a concern about her son’s head and was blown off by his doctor appointment after appointment. Then a situation came up that led them to see another doctor about something unrelated. That doctor immediately recognized the problem, and he was brought in for surgery. His skull had fused together too soon to allow room for growth, and after the surgery he is doing extremely well.  He just has to be a little extra cautious now as he is more prone to skull injuries.

I could keep going on, but suffice to say trust your instincts, and if you know something isn’t right keep pushing the issue until someone takes your concerns seriously.