Your doctor is an expert. With close to a decade of training to become an OB/GYN or a perinatologist, he or she has deep knowledge about fertility, pregnancy and babies. Your doctor knows the ins and outs of typical fetal development and complications that can arise as you’re growing your baby.
Your doctor is an expert.
The office probably has a wall of photos of sleeping newborns and giggling toddlers to highlight all of the babies your physician has delivered successfully. Your doctor thrives on helping women like you have the family of your dreams.
This is why it’s so important to speak with your actual doctor (not Dr. Google, Dr. Internet Forum or Dr. Facebook Group) when you have a question or a concern about any twinge or pull that worries you or any questions you have about your treatment protocol.
Yes, your doctor is an expert.
There’s another expert in the room that you’re probably forgetting to consult.
That expert is you.
You are the expert on your body because you’ve been with your body your entire life. It’s an obvious thing to say, but you tend to forget.
YOU are the expert when it comes to your body, no one else. (Tweet that!)
You know the headache you get when you don’t sleep enough, the rumbling in your stomach when you eat too much cheese or the twitchiness you feel when you don’t exercise. It doesn’t matter what the literature or medical knowledge says about how you should feel.
You know your body.
Even if you are pregnant for the first time only you know what pregnancy feels like for you.
Your doctor can only give you generic information about what pregnancy is like for most women.
You and only you will ever know what your body feels like during pregnancy.
Accepting this can help take the powerlessness out of your high-risk pregnancy experience.
This means there are things in your control that are out of your doctor’s control that can help your body ease through even a complicated pregnancy. Things like improving your sleep hygiene, managing your stress or eating healthy, all of which can profoundly and positively impact the health of your pregnancy and baby.
It also means you will know when something is wrong before anyone else does. (Tweet that!)
You may not know WHAT is wrong. Your doctor’s expertise in medicine will allow them figure out what’s going on. But your doctor relies on your expertise in your own body to clue them in when something feels off.
This may bring up anxiety, for you.
Wait WHAT?! I thought my doctor knows everything. I don’t know anything! What if I miss something? What if something goes wrong and I don’t catch it in time? What if…..?
That is the voice of fear. That is the voice of you feeling like you need to take full responsibility of your pregnancy and the health of your baby entirely on your shoulders.
Yes, you are the expert on your body and your pregnancy. And your doctor is the expert in medicine and on pregnancy in general. Neither one of you can manage this pregnancy alone.
By having open communication and collaborating from each of your areas of expertise, you have the best chance at finding the optimal treatment plan to get through your high-risk pregnancy.
What this means is, your need to tell your doctor very clearly what your concerns, values and worries are, while your doctor needs to give you all of the information you need to make important decisions for you and your family.
Your baby needs both of you to play an equally important role during your pregnancy to have a fighting chance at a healthy start to life. (Tweet that!)
If you’d like more help quieting those what ifs so you can learn how to build your confidence as an expert on your body during your pregnancy, click here to schedule a complimentary mini session.
Your Turn!
What do you know about your body that you’ve had to clue your doctor in on? Share your expertise on your body in the comments below. I would love to hear from you!