The Red Chaise

I have a client, a primip, who is due in about 6 weeks. A couple days ago, she went to see a doctor to get a letter as proof of pregnancy for her maternity leave at work. They will only take a letter from a doctor.

The first doctor she saw was a resident, and was initially very positive when she said she was planning a homebirth and that she just wanted her proof of pregnancy and that was all. Then he went and talked to his attending. When he returned, he was a different person. He told her she could not leave until she had a Rhogam shot and a glucose tolerance test. She called me and we discussed options and pros and cons. She decided to go ahead and take the Rhogam and refuse the glucose test.

The attending then came in to talk with her and she let him have it, saying she didn't enjoy being bullied into doing things she didn't want to do and that this was the reason she was going with a midwife in the first place and that it was her right to have her baby how, where and with whom she pleased and it was none of their business. His attitude changed and he apologized for being overbearing and said they hadn't wanted it to "go down like that."

She went on to tell me how different she feels when she comes to see me, how different midwifery care is all the way around. She said, "I just kept thinking about that red chaise. It's just a symbol for me of how different everything is about seeing a midwife. So different from the tiny, dingy rooms with the hard furniture and the ugly floors."

I'm so glad I got the red chaise.