When we finally make our way through three sets of elevators, two inter-building walkovers, and innumerable hallways to find ourselves on the tenth floor of yet another building, we sign in and wait in Waiting Room #1. I get out the coloring books and snacks just as we are called in to Waiting Room #2. A little while later, we are ushered into Exam Room #1, where my weight and blood pressure are recorded. Next, I herd the boys into Exam Room #2, where we wait for the doctor. Two different nurses come in and out, asking a few questions each time. Then a medical student comes in. He asks me distractedly if I have been having any contractions, and then looks very surprised when I say no (I'm only 17-weeks-pregnant, for crying out loud!). He jots something down on his little clip board and leaves. He's back a few minutes later, asks me if I am feeling the baby move, jots down my "yes," and then leaves again (maybe he looked at the wrong chart before coming in the first time?).
Finally, the doctor comes into the exam room (just as the boys are done with their snacks and tired of their coloring books). She checks the baby's heart beat, asks me if I have any questions (which I do not), and then leaves. I glance at my watch to see that she was in the room for just under six minutes. We pack up our stuff and make our way back through the maze of hallways, elevators and walkways until we get to the parking garage. At this point, I am utterly exhausted. To top off a stellar morning, I can't find my car on level six, where I am sure I parked it. The boys and I walk back to the parking garage elevator, and proceed to search for our car on levels five and seven, to no avail. Finally, we go back to level six and find the car, exactly where I'd looked for it the first time, and (of course) there it was. I was so frustrated and so tired, but I couldn't help but smile when Caleb looked at me with serious concern in his eyes and said, "Mommy, I t'ink you should put your hand on my shoulder while we walk to the car so you don't fall down." I guess I looked about ready to collapse :)
All that to say, I have not yet made my next appointment, and I don't plan on going back until sometime in January :)
4 comments:
I've wondered what the harm would be in doing this - missing a few appointments (or all of the middle ones!). So you tell me, since your hubby is the doc in the house - is it really that important to go to all of them? (and are you being serious when you say you won't be going to one for a long time?) Because I've had two different doctors in our area, and though my second one wasn't near the terrible experience you described, it was still pretty annoying.
Random reader here....you should check out Dr. Bill Hudson with Henderson & Walton's Women's Center at St. Vincent's. They aren't as fast as your OB in FL, but they are definitely better than that experience at UAB! Dr. Bill is the best doctor and all of the nurses are great! Just a suggestion:-) Good luck with it all!
I'd love to have this baby at St. Vincent's or Brookwood, but insurance covers everything at UAB, and hardly anything everywhere else, so I don't have much choice :)
Rachel, this post made me smile. I'm glad that my doctor appointments were much smoother than yours. For this reason, and others, I really really loved going to the midwife. I weighed myself and did the dip test myself in the bathroom, then reported the results to the midwife and chatted with her for a few minutes at each appointment. That was easy, done and out. Unless there is some sort of risk factor, it does seem silly to have to have every little step of the check up done by so many different people and then sit around forever for a final check-off from the doc. It seems that the system could be streamlined...
Post a Comment