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EM, out of all of that information Colleen typed, what you got out of it was that you have to be pet_te to know your body??? The idea she was trying to convey is that it is sad that women choose to be ignorant about their bodies and it has been due to this ignorance, that medical science has used us as ginea pigs for their laboratory research. As a womanhood, the majority of us rely soley on advanced degrees for our health care, but there needs to be personal responsibility on our parts to be aware of the things going on with our bodies. It is my opinion that physicians are here for the ill...Pregnancy is not an illness, and thus a woman can very well have an una__sisted childbirth as has been practiced since the beginning of man...When a woman doubts her body, that's when most problems set in...the mind is POWERFUL. There should be no such thing as a textbook pregnancy...all experiences are different, just like we all come in different shapes and sizes...So, no I do not agree that all people get big in pregnancy because of over-indulgence...I was agreeing with the meat of Colleen's post which had to do with awareness. I've only gained 20lbs the whole pregnancy, but my Dr's do not mind because I am healthy...great blood pressure, great fetal movement, I have tons of energy, and it is all by the grace of God that I am in such a great condition with this pregnancy...like I said, the mind is powerful...It's time for women to stop relying so heavily on physicians (majority of which are men) for our well-being...It is up to US to take care of ourselves and know what's going on.

Hi to all again. I just have a quick comment. Toya and Colleen, I'm sorry but I disagree with you. I consider myself a pretty strong, independent woman and yet I turn to my pract_tioner (who by the way is a woman) to guide me during my pregnancy. Because I do this, turn to an professional, I am not choosing to be ignorant about my body. I am depending on those who have more knowledge than I in that area to help me understand what is going on...some physicians, especially obstreticians, are not here for the "ill" but rather for pregnant women and I feel more comfortable putting my trust in them to help me comprehend the changes I am undergoing. I empower myself by reading all I can about pregnancy, talking to other women, sharing experiences, searching the internet, and I don't feel bad or incompetent and I certainly don't consider myself "ashamed" of not knowing, I just chose to put my faith in those I trust. I guess I feel I have a great doctor whom I trust and whom I have had for a very long time, and she is great and makes me feel comfortable. As for checking my own cervix, I chose not to do this, but this does not make me ignorant or ashamed of my body. I'd just rather not.

Hi! I just joined the 3rd trimester because I just began my 3rd trimester, duh!! Anyway, to respond to Toya's last post, this is my first pregnancy and I think that without the help of my physician, I would be lost! Yeah, it's good to know your own body, but if you're experiencing all these new things and you don't know what's going on, what's wrong with depending on your doctor for answers? If we had babies the way they did back in the old days, a lot of them probably wouldn't survive, or us for that matter! There's only so much you can know about yourself to help you through pregnancy without the help of a doctor, without being one yourself, of course. Just my thoughts on the subject! Good luck!!

Allison and tara.. very good points! i dont think toya meant that we shouldnt rely on our physicians at all, though. im sure she has either a midwife or a doctor. she was stating the fact that we shouldnt have to rely on our providers to TELL us whats going on inside our bodies, as far as the cervix goes, or even other things of that matter. we should be able to see for ourselves, because it is OUR body. there is no problem at all in not knowing, or not particularly wanting to know for yourself. if you dont think you want to know, thats fine. people like myself and toya and so on just like the fact of doing things like this ourselves, even though we may not be medically *trained* to do so. my point is this: it is MY pregnancy, and it is MY body, and there is nothing wrong with wanting to know for yourself. and the other way around.

Colleen, I don't agree that women who depend on qualified health care during their pregnancies cause a burden on the healthcare system and insurance...that is very presumptuous! I am quite informed about my pregnancy and birth but I can't fathom taking on the role of a physician, obstr. or nurse...and that doesn't mean I'm ashamed to do so or that I want to but feel embarra__sed to do so. As for medical intervention killing our babies due to the fact that we women don't "wanna know what is going on" makes me wonder why you are so hostile against women. We are not that weak, nor are we that feable. We do want to know what is going on and many of us are empowered by our pregnancies, we just choose to consult MDs, which doesn't mean we are powerless or naive to the whole process. Toya, I do believe in the power of the mind, but that cannot save women from having troublesome labours all of the time. As you say, women have been birthing babies without medical aid since the beginning of time, but how many women have died during labour because of the LACK of medical intervention. The birthing process has been improved since as little as 50 years ago when women died giving birth to breach babies, hemorraging, etc... So, although I do agree with the power of the mind, it can only take you so far.

Lindsay, I'm glad that you understood my post. If I would have totally relied on this one sports physician, I never would have done cheerleading again after I tore my ACL. I researched ACL reconstruction surgery and to my advantage became knowledgeable, got a different Dr..and now I can still do cheerleading and gymnastics. Dr's are "okay", but they do not have the final answers to everything which is why it is in the best interest of the woman to be aware of things on her own. Why would anyone want to be ignorant about anything? Knowledge is power...Some people may misunderstand my posts, because when it comes to my beliefs...I'm very firm and strong-grounded...but people have to make their own decisions in life and live with them. I don't ridicule other's beliefs..I just strongly state my own...so, ladies...keep in mind that when I post, I am not targeting a particular group...I'm just posting where I, as an individual with my own mind, stand.

Oh yeah...like I said...I feel that a physician is for the sick, so if a woman starts hemorrhaging yes she needs a dr...If a woman is about to die from labor, yes she needs a dr...If a baby is sick, yes that baby needs a dr...This is in the same post that talks about the mind being powerful...

have to agree toya. A person should not put all there faith in another human doctors are human and make mistakes too. Perfect example my son was 1 & a half and was sick went to one dr that said " OH give him benedryl and it will dry up." 2 days later we fly to Florida and my son was still vomiting. I took him to the pediatrician he see's when we are on leave in Fl. He asked if my son was ever tested for RSV on his visit to the dr 2 days earlier. I informed him he wasn't he said my son had all the symptoms of it. He was tested and yes he had it. He was hospitalized for 3 days with IV's his kidneys were shutting down and white blood count was very low. Had I went on just what the first doctor told me my son may have died. He also had to have a nebulizer and breathing treatments. Which continued after he was released from the hospital. My point is do some research and be familiar with as much as you can. About as much as you can. Yes, you do need a doctor, however ppl are misdiagnosed everyday and others are not diagnosed as needed. While some get the help they need. Empower yourself with knowledge. If a doctor said you had a disease tell me you wouldn't research the info then. You should empower yourself with information. Anyone in this board can tell you anything doesn't mean it is so. You wouldn't just take the word of someone in here, just because a doctor tells you something, doesn't always make it so. Who knows the doctor you are seeing may have barely pa__sed medical school and just there for a paycheck you can't tell me there aren't them out there. I have had some wonderful doctors and some bad ones.

You're right Julie, you should put your faith in the Lord to see you through instead! I'm just saying that I would feel more comfortable depending on a doctor who went through years of school and get paid to know all about pregnancy than I would depending on myself to know what's going on. Sure some doctors make mistakes, but they still know quite a bit more than I do on the subject, so I think I'll let them do what we pay them to do! =)

Here's just a few questions...How many of you had to fill out family medical histories? (Why? Because the Dr. relies on your knowledge to do his/her job.) How many of you were asked when was the first day of your last menstrual period? (Why? Because the Dr. relies on your knowledge to calculate your due date.) How many of you are asked the same questions at every visit while your blood pressure is getting checked? (Why? Because the Dr. is not with you 24/7 and relies on you to give him information to perform his job.)How many of you have the same things checked at every hospital visit? The Dr's are there to "monitor" your pregnancy...that's all that they are there for and trained to do...They can't force you to eat healthy and drink water...They can't force you to exercise...They can't force you to stay away from drugs/alcohol during pregnancy...They can't force you to stay calm for your baby during pregnancy...All of that relies on you as the mother of that child...You are responsible for your well-being and the well-being of your child...all the dr's can do is give you medicine or advise you to change your lifestyle...It's sad how many dr's get sued just because the patient does not want to take accountability for their negligence of self...and it's also sad how many people put 100% faith in dr's who are only human like us. Dr's make mistakes...Don't get me wrong, Dr's are a blessing from God. Many lives have been saved due to a dr's training...but we cannot forget the fact that a Dr. depends on the information we provide for him/her to make an accurate diagnosis and even at that they can still misdiagnose. I asked my nurse a few weeks ago if my baby had dropped and her exact words were, "You would know better than we would." And she is absolutely right...They are not inside of my body...They have the training, but we have the inside track...shouldn't we use that to our advantage? When you are hungry, the dr. doesn't have to tell you to eat..your body sends you signals...it's the same way in pregnancy. I know that pregnancy is mysterious because we are accomplishing something great!!! Bringing life into this world! But with all of it's mysteries, we are sent signals by our bodies daily...are we listening though?

Ok Toya,....I have read this entire posting from top to bottom, every entry, and well, I have to say that empowerment is indeed a great thing. We are on the same page in that respect but I still choose to have faith in my doctor and put my trust in her. You may be very good at reading your body but some of us are not that keen. I have never had a child before and I can't pretend to know what I feel or I can't pretend to know that I can read my body signals all of the time considering that this is my first baby and I've never gone through this experience before. I admire your youthful optimism (I know you are young from the "young mothers to be" slot) and I say all the power to you but not all of us are as instinctual as you, I guess. But that is great for you and I encourage all of you to do what feels natural and right for you.

YAYYY Toya!! lol.. very well put. i think that the ladies that first replied to tee's question are more naive than they say tee to be! the question is in NO way bizzare or naive. jenny apparently had NO clue that there are women out there who check their own cervix, and thought it was a catastrophe to think anything of it. it is NOT abnormal, it is just the way us, as americans, are told to think that only a physician can tell you whats going on in your v____a, and it is ASSUMED you shouldnt do it yourself, because the power of physicians are overrated. we have a say in whats happening in our bodies too!

and trish.. i sense your sarcasm.. why say something like that?? just because she is a young mother doesnt mean she knows less.. i a__sume your words of "youthful optimism" meant just that... i think the things she said were very adult and very insightful!

Lindsay, I was not intending to be sarcastic in any way...you misread me, in fact I was encouraging her and giving her positive feedback. I was simply trying to say that because she is so young she is more willing to take risks...no need to jump all over me. You should relax and she should take it as the compliment I meant. And I have not once said that I don't want to or don't care to have a say in my body, where did you get that from my response? And I don't depend solely on a physician to tell me what's going on...I never said that either. I believe in being pro-active, like Allison, I read books, talk to other women. etc... Everyone has the right to their opinion...

trish, my 1st comment after yours wasnt directed to you at all i didnt see it until after i posted the 1st one, so i wasnt getting any of that out of your response. i was stating my opinion on the issues. nothing had anything to do with what you said...im sorry i misread you, its just how it sounded to me, but i guess i was wrong

Hi again ladies! Just a comment to Toya's last post! I totally understand where you are coming from, we should know little things like when our last period was and if we're eating healthy or not, but that's not what I'm talking about when I said that there's nothing wrong with depending on our doctors to know more than we do. I was referring to the subject of pregnancy. This is my first pregnancy, like I said, and there are a lot of things that I don't and couldn't possibly know about it unless I studied every aspect of it beforehand. The point I'm just trying to make it that our doctors, at least my doctor, know a lot more about what's going on with me during my pregnancy than I do! Sure I've read a lot about pregnancy, but that doesn't make me a doctor. Anyway, that's all I wanted to say! Hope you guys have a nice day! =)