Uglyhead

Pamela saw her obstetrician today and came home with pictures. The official due date has been moved up to November 2nd. She also scheduled an appointment with her high risk specialist for next week, so there will be a lot more of these thermal images to come. It looks like a bean to me, but Pamela said that on the screen it looked like a dragon (complete with tail). Oh, and they only heard one heartbeat (sorry Debbie).

While many women only get one or two ultrasounds, Pamela has them frequently because of her blood disorder. It is cool to be able to see the baby so much, but the reasons why are not comforting (especially for Pamela). Soon she will have to begin daily injections of blood thinners to prevent clots. The frequent office visits and ultrasounds are to check for fetal distress, growth progression and measure the levels of amniotic fluid. Aidan was induced at thirty-six weeks gestation because fluid levels had dropped significantly from the previous week. This can be a side effect of the medication.

The high risk physician that Pamela sees happens to not be in our insurance company’s network. In fact, he is not in very many networks at all. That is because his practice is the only certified high risk pregnancy group in the area. The next closest in-network specialists are in Nashville or Atlanta. I am sorry, but anything over an hour away is “out of network.” We are not living in the boonies. We like the doctor and all, but someone in this field needs to come to Chattanooga. Competition is a good thing.

This means that the cost of this pregnancy is going to be higher. Not only are the injectables expensive, but the specialist visits can add up fast. In years past we were in an HMO plan, so we got a medical exception to see this doctor. It was just a $20 specialist copay. This time we are in a plan that has an out-of-network maternity benefit (30/70 coinsurance and a $1,000 higher deductable). We are still going to apply for an in-network benefit level exception, as there are no reasonable choices in the area. However, I have my doubts about our chances. Have I mentioned that I work for said insurance company?