Dr’s Visit Number Two

So on Tuesday of this week I was back to the Doctor for my second visit, which consisted of meeting with a nurse to discuss “health history” and a visit with a doctor for a full examination. The history portion of the appointment was pretty eventless. I sat and answered the typical questions, heart disease-no, breast cancer-no, severe depression-no, high blood pressure-no, blah blah blah. All those stupid questions that are supposed to indicate whether you are at a higher risk for developing said diseases in the future. Then after all of the question asking was completed I was asked about my first pregnancy and the delivery, any complications, was your baby normal, did you have an epidural (no, I did not), etc, etc. That was then followed by how you should behave and what you should eat, sleep, think, and do while being pregnant, yada yada yada. As you can tell I just find this portion of being pregnant so VERY exciting.

After the “history” portion of the appointment, it was time for my exam. But first I needed to make that ever-so-important stop in the bathroom to give a urine sample. After my bathroom break (which was actually VERY appreciated) I was told to go back to the waiting room because the doctor was “not quite ready for me.” I waited about 10 minutes in the waiting room, just glancing through a magazine, I was called back again. The good news! I’ve only gained a pound! My blood pressure was also a very good 110/60. Next I was instructed to fully disrobe and put on the hospital gown and to wait on the table with the lovely paper cover over me, no problem done it hundreds of times (maybe not quite that many, but its definitely not a foreign concept). And so there I sit, naked except for my hospital gown and paper smock and wouldn’t you know – THE FIRE ALARM GOES OFF!

Now, I am not the “panicky” type, so the fact that the fire alarm was going off really didn’t bother me. I was more in an “I can’t believe this is happening, I’m naked for god sakes” state of mind and I sat there not sure how to react. So after about 30 seconds, I got up and kind of peeked my head out of the door and at that moment saw a nurse rushing toward me. “Come one, we’ve got to get you outta here.” To which I respond “Well, do I need to get dressed.” At that moment I find that the nurse is rushing and grabbing and says as she is throwing another hospital gown on me, “we’ll just cover you up with another gown, grab your flip flops.” I’m thinking, you’ve got to be F---ing kidding me!

So I’m quickly escorted out of the building with nurse shielding me as much as possible. After walking down some random hallways and out a back door we are in the parking lot. Me, the nurse, my two hospital gowns and about 100 other people! As mortified as I am, I can’t help but want to laugh. I keep catching the pity look in several people’s eyes and one of the doctors kindly gives me her lab coat so that I may cover up even more. In the distance we begin to hear fire sirens but nobody is looking as though the situation is serious (which I’m glad about because my clothes and purse were left in my exam room). After about 10 minutes of standing there and thinking “this could be so much worse” we are told “possibly some dumb kid pulled the alarm” and we are let back into the building.

As I am led back to my exam room I am relieved. It was definitely an eventful trip to the doctor’s and one that I will remember and will tell my child when it’s older. The rest of the appointment was pretty standard. I met and had my first encounter ever with a male OB/GYN, and I must say, I really liked him. It wasn’t at all weird like I thought it would be. He was VERY nice and VERY apologetic for the fire alarm situation. He attempted to hear the baby’s heartbeat but was unable so he pulled out the ultrasound machine for a look-see just to make sure everything was “okay.” Which it was, and I was kind of glad to get to see the little one on screen again, it’s always so amazing to look at something that is growing inside of you. After the standard “pap” I was handed my paper work and told “see you in 4 weeks.” As I dress and leave the building I breathe a sigh of relief, what an experience and I’m starving!

On Wednesday I had to go for the wonderful “blood drawing” event that every expectant mother is subjected to. I don’t mind needles and I don’t mind having my blood taken, but good lord do they really need 6 vials of the stuff! With all the “modern” technology, I thought we were able to tell everything we needed to know about a person from a simple drop of blood, which makes me wonder WHY then, do we still need to take so many samples! After my blood is taken, I give yet another urine sample and I’m off. So as long as I don’t hear anything, that’s a good sign!

In other mom news . . . my poor son Tyler was thrown up on yesterday in school. The poor little guy! When I greeted him after school I noticed he was wearing different shorts, not the ones I sent him to school in. My first thought was “oh no, he had an accident or spilled something on himself.” But he quickly let me know as he handed me a bag if vomit infested clothing, that “no, I was just thrown up on.” Now its one thing to clean up your own child’s vomit. It’s a motherly duty; I’ve done it several times. When it’s your own child all the gag-reflexes that go with cleaning up vomit seem to disappear and you can handle it. But when it’s someone else’s vomit . . . that is a different story!