Blog Entries for drchang

Flu, Flu shot, Pregnancy..what's a mom to do?!

drchang — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 01:00:00 +0100

How many of you have had the flu? Probably all of you at one point or another... Or you could be like me and have had the privilege of multiple encounters with my influenza virus friends - that is, until the last few years when I gave in and got....

The Flu Shot.

Three simple words that at the same time inspire feelings of joy (I don't have to feel like I've been beaten with a stick and dumped in freezing water at the same time.) and [...]

"When is the 'right' time for a family?"

drchang — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 01:00:00 +0100

This was one of the frist blogs I wrote, but also still one of the most common questions i get in my practice. I thought it was worth repeating.... Enjoy.

Anyway, a question that I'm asked a lot is "when is the right time to start a family?" I wrote an article about this is Lacamas Life (It's a magazine in Clark County, in case you don't know!) a couple of years ago. My answer then is the same as it is now. There is no rig [...]

"oh, the weather outside is frightful..." Do I risk the drive to the hospital?

drchang — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 01:00:00 +0100

Man, the weather has been horrible. I am currently stuck at Southwest Washington Medical Center at the Family Birth Center. I've been here for over 36 hours. The nurses and doctors have mostly managed to make it in or have stayed over to help. First thing is if you do come to Southwest to have a baby, please thank your nurses. They really are dedicated to helping people have babies in any sort of difficult situation. A lot of them are giving up tim [...]

"Oh, No! My doctor said bed rest..."

drchang — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 01:00:00 +0100

Bed rest. Those are two words that most soon-to-be moms really don't want to hear. How can a woman just lay in bed all day and really not get up?? Who's going to watch the kids? I can't leave my job! Those are just a couple of reasons why true, strict bed rest really is a very, very difficult thing to do.

I hate telling women they need to be on bed rest. Unfortunately, bed rest is really the only proven method of making certain conditions [...]

"How do I know when it's time to go to the hospital?"

drchang — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 01:00:00 +0100

Probably the single question I have been asked more than any other. In fact, I've probably been asked that question twice as many times as any other.

There are tons of guides out there that have all kinds of advice. It hurts in your back; it hurts on the top of your belly; it hurts at the bottom of your pelvis; you feel like you need a bowel movement; your belly feels tight; you see dark colored mucous come out. You have brown disch [...]

"I love kids, but enough is enough..."

drchang — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 01:00:00 +0100

You've become a family. It'd be nice to have a whole baseball team, but you really think you've changed all the diapers you can during this lifetime! Now what?

Technology in the last 5 years has really provided all sorts of conveniences and options for all sorts of things. Contraception is no different. Gone are the days when you either had to take a pill everyday or take the risks of surgery. There are many semi-permanent and mu [...]

When bad things happen....

drchang — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 01:00:00 +0100

Hello, again. It's been awhile since my last entry. My parents have been in town, and the weather has been great. I haven't spent nearly as much time in front of the computer!

Anyway, I was reading some of the comments readers have left in response to my ramblings, and one stood out to me. A lady was speaking of how difficult a miscarriage was for her. I've seen many women through this horrible time. Being a dad, I can hardly imagine a har [...]

"How active can I be in pregnancy?"

drchang — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 01:00:00 +0100

I know, I know. A lot of you are thinking, "Uh, I'm not very active when I'm NOT pregnant much less during pregnancy..." HA!HA! Well, that may be true for a lot of folks, but believe it or not there is a significant population of women that doesn't want to stop exercising during pregancy. To y'all, I say.."Go for it."

Exercise during pregnancy is not only OK, but good for you. Ever wonder why they call it [...]

"What's with all of the crying?"

drchang — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 01:00:00 +0100

January 11, 2005... 3AM... Through my fog of half-sleep, I heard three voices - all of them were crying. I thought about it for a second. "I only have two children, right? I'm pretty sure it was just twins..." Well, being a responsible parent, I thought I should get up and verify the fact that I had two kids. I needed to get more stuff if it was really three babies. The preceding four days were a blur of activity and no sleep. [...]

" It's almost time, and I don't have a birth plan!"

drchang — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 01:00:00 +0100

Ahhh..the birth plan. A blueprint for how you want your delivery to be. A declaration of how your birth experience is going to be. This may surprise you, but....

The declared birth plan probably comes to fruition in one of ten deliveries. Pregnancy, birth, and the 18 years that come after will not fall into any "plan." I've often been asked about the birth plan and what I think about the various aspects of it. "It's so con [...]

"What's wrong with my husband?!"

drchang — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 01:00:00 +0100

Wow. That title could mean anything, huh?! HA!

What I'm actually going to talk about a bit is intimacy - specifically, between you and your husband. In the process of chatting with my pateints, the subject of the husband's desire for intimacy with them often comes up. It actually goes both ways. What I mean is - some husbands seem to have found some long lost aphrodisiac during your pregnancy, some husbands seem to withdraw.

First, t [...]

"Why can't we have a baby??"

drchang — Thu, 29 May 2008 01:00:00 +0100

My wife and I asked ourselves that question many times over the stretch of time that we could not get pregnant. We tried multiple infertility treatments. Nothing. What was wrong with us?

We were healthy, took care of ourselves. (Well, the occasional Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese MIGHT have gone in my mouth...) Seemed like there were babies flying out all over the place among our friends and associates. We, of course, were happy for them, but stil [...]

Things to avoid in pregnancy and beyond....

drchang — Thu, 22 May 2008 01:00:00 +0100

Plastic containers. Caffeine. Seafood. Non-organic food/drink. Sleeping on your back. Nutrasweet.

It's no longer good enough to "eat right, get rest". There are literally reports coming out daily about yet another thing that is potentially harmful to your baby. It's enough to drive a mom crazy. Pretty soon, women are just going to hav [...]

"Not now. Daddy's busy..."

drchang — Wed, 14 May 2008 01:00:00 +0100

You know, I have many friends and patients who comment about how hard it must be to take care of twins. "How can you possibly have enough time??" One thing I say to them is, "What choice do I have?!" HA!HA! We just do whatever we have to. That's not even the real answer, though. Here's the real answer. "How can I not?"

I am Daddy to the two most wonderful and beautiful little girls ever in the history of the world. (I know everyone else thinks that [...]

"Help! Am I a good parent?!"

drchang — Wed, 07 May 2008 01:00:00 +0100

So today I'm going to write about something different. Parenting is such a crazy thing. I have twin girls. They are three years old now, and sometimes I wonder how they got here. What I mean is....

One day when I was home with them and my wife was at work, I was on the computer checking my email. I heard..."thumpthumpthump...boom!" This was soon followed by "WAAAAAHHHHH!!!!" (By the way, why does it always take a second o [...]

"I'm ready, but my husband...."

drchang — Thu, 01 May 2008 01:00:00 +0100

You know, I have a wife and two daughters. I only see female patients everyday. My medical assistant is a female. (She is, by the way, the best M.A. in the universe..! =) ) Sometimes, I forget that I'm actually a man! HA, HA! Not really, but sometimes I do surprise myself that sometimes I can go days without having any "male" thoughts. This entry, though, is going to be for the guys. (well, sort of for you wome [...]

"I'm new to the area. How do I choose an doctor?"

drchang — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 01:00:00 +0100

Hello, again. This is a question I also get asked a lot by friends and family. (Obviously, my patient don't ask me since they've already chosen me for some reason...HA!)

How many of you have developed a relationship with your doc only to have to move because of one reason or another? Most of us. Some of us more than once!

It's really hard, right? Think about it. Childbirth is one of the (if not THE) most wonderful, exciting, n [...]