It's Testimony Tuesday and we are celebrating Kendra today with her beautiful testimony! Thank you Kendra we love you!
"Long gushy girly read...
"When my doctor’s office called and asked if we’d be interested in participating in pictures with the Doc to revamp his website and as a thank you, they would sign over the rights to our pictures and we would receive them for free, I was more than willing. “As a thank you”?!?!?! I didn’t need anything as a thank you from Doctor Leveno and his staff. In fact, if anything, I felt indebted to them!
I’ve not kept it a secret the struggles I faced over 7 years. Struggles to get pregnant. Finally getting positive pregnancy tests. Then heartbreak after heartbreak as I mourned each baby and pregnancy I lost. 3 pregnancies with the same doctor I’d had since I was 15. The same doctor who delivered all 3 of my sister’s children. One of which I watched her birth. I thought she was doing everything she could for me. I thought I was more than just another patient in her books. I.was.wrong. I finally accepted that I was done trying.
Three years later out of the blue, my aversion to scrambled eggs came back. A few more random tell tale signs prompted me to give in and take a test. I cried happy tears as I watched a very positive sign come across. Happiness quickly turned to anxiety as I’ve never had the joy of getting to enjoy a fruitful pregnancy. But, but where would I go? I had no doctor. I knew I couldn’t go back THERE. I was embarrassed to go through the inevitable with a new doctor and staff. I’d have to rehash everything plus this. I didn’t want to. So I didn’t. Not for a whole week at least, and if you know me you know that’s eternity because I don’t fare well on the side of patience, especially when it comes to the possibility of becoming a mother.
A dear friend of mine who’d recently had a baby, and practically her whole family has had babies by this particular doctor, urged that I go see her doctor. She swore I’d love him. HIM. Ummm no thanks. I don’t really do male doctors. But he was close to my office and I was looking for that. Screw it. I needed answers and I needed them NOW!
I showed up for my first appointment nervous, emotional and judgy. Let’s face it, I’ve been through this a time or three. Let’s see what his process is, please don’t make me have to tell you things you forget to ask Enter Doctor Leveno. We extensively go over my history. He’s so calm cool and collected from the go, but floored that my well known previous OB/gyn never took the time to figure out or test to see why I kept losing my babies. Especially after my very dangerous last pregnancy. He vowed at that very moment that no matter the way this pregnancy went, he was going to do everything in his power to see to it that I became a mother. He immediately ordered more tests than I can count. Started me on prescriptions in the meantime until we got results. The following days were a blur as we waited for my hcg results and million other blood panels. He called me personally every time to deliver my test results (and still does!). He was persistent. More tests, more sonograms. We thought we were losing Christopher. He never filled me with false hope, but he always promised to get to the bottom of my troubles.
Over the next 9 months I became a “frequent flyer” in the office as I was a high risk patient. Julie, Marie, Carol and Emily became my second family. Doctor Leveno never had to look at my chart to know mine AND Lance’s name. If Lance wasn’t with me, he always asked about him by name. Did I mention he’s the only doctor in his practice? He hasn’t missed a birth in like 14 years or more!! Doc became my go to for everything. At 38 and a half weeks on May 1st, 2017, we sat down and had a conversation before quickly heading into the operating room. At 17:21 Dr. Joseph Leveno was the first person to touch my son as he safely delivered him into this earthly world and held him in the air for Lance and I to proudly see.
Eight short months later, the whole office would gasp, laugh and celebrate the shock with Lance and I as we ALL found out that not only were we pregnant but we were pregnant with TWINS! We all held our breath while we waited to see if baby b (Vivian) was going to pull through in the beginning. The entire staff cheered me on each frequent flyer visit (again, high risk) as I met each new milestone and weekly marker. Doc was dead serious when he told me that he hadn’t had a twin mama go into labor preterm in X years and he’d be damned if it was going to be me. He was going to get me (us) to the finish line and he meant it! Even when every possible thing started going wrong in the end he’d sit me down and pep talk me through to the next week. It was about those babies being healthy and he knew physically I was strong enough to push through, he just had to align me mentally. And he did. On August 28th, 2018 at 12:37 he quickly brought Lincoln and Vivian into the world at 6.9 lbs and 7.3 lbs!
I spent 2 solid years of my life going in for almost monthly and weekly appointments. The entire staff showed up to hold each of my babies after I gave birth and I love them for that. A big part of me grieved knowing that I would have no more babies and I was closing that chapter of my life with them. Pap smears aren’t nearly as fun as baby sonos But somehow they still manage to make it all worthwhile and even ask to see picture of my babies! (Even though we’re friends on Facebook and they get to see them anytime they want!) I can’t believe I almost passed this all up, I owe everything to Dr Leveno and the support of his staff. He helped me complete my family. Right now he’s in the trenches with me trying to get to the bottom of my current set of issues and I love him so much for how caring he was just today with the small procedure he did. Perfect timing to get our pictures back with him so I could brag on him! Seriously ladies, if you need a doctor I know someone Just don’t fill up the books, I still enjoy having star treatment!"
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