Induced?!

Hi Baby,

Yesterday was a frustrating, anxiety ridden experience. It was the first check up at the hospital with the gynacologist. This is what happened...

Mommy was told I have a 9am appointment. Daddy took half day off from work to bring us to the hospital to the Obstetrics and Gynacology Unit of the hospital. We got there about 8.45am.

We had to wait for an hour before I was called and got given my appointment card and number and do the routine check of weight, urine and blood pressure. And even then I had to wait for ages for the nurse to check the BP, there was no semblance of who's turn was next. There was a possibility I might have cut someone but I wasn't sure, I was pretty fed up with all the waiting by then. Good news, weight went down slightly, not by much, must be because hadn't had breakfast.

So, I thought, great, now we got that part over, all we need is to see the doctor and then all of us can go for breakfast!

Boy was I wrong, we were told to go into another room to wait. I walked into a waiting room filled with women in various stages of pregnancies and some with babies looking somber and bored. Mommy was the only one with a book in hand. I was no 5023, the numbering system says servicing 5000. Oh goodness...

Daddy came and waited with mommy, we tried to keep ourselves entertained with sudoku, daddy telling stories and commented some of these women got tummies larger then mommy, and we wondered who did the translation of this hadis regarding the virtues of breastfeeding because the english part sounded wrong. Every time the number system dings to call for the next patient mommy just had to look, it was moving so slow!

By the time it was mommy's turn it was already past 11am. I was hungry, fed up waiting for so long, I missed the community clinic we used to go to (in and out under an hour), and I wondered if we should go private for the next baby just so we wouldn't waste time waiting. I couldn't wait to leave so we could eat!

Nevermind, it's an experience, let's go see the doctor.

Mommy got one word, she was a cow. Very impersonal and snappy. I can understand she had a busy morning, but she lacked empathy. Everything she said was a matter of fact, no deviation of possibilities, and didn't even care what I think or whether I had any questions. I wasn't having any of that, I threw in my questions anyway, but it was met with 'you-dare-to-question-my-judgement?' kind of thing. As a matter in fact, so far with having met two gynacologists from the government, I am inclined to make a judgement they all need their bed side manner checked. Come on, I am a first time mother and you are the one with all the knowledge here to help me understand what's going on. And don't bloody assume I don't know nuts because some of us actually read up on these things.

Well, she said I was tall and will have a good size baby, 3kg plus. Due date was suppose to be today as it corollates with the ultrasound scan and if I'm not into labour by the fourth day, I will be admitted (friday) for induction the next day (saturday). Why can't I be admitted on a Sunday for induction on Monday? Because the team won't be working on sunday. I didn' think it would've made any difference... I was told I have a week after due date before I have to be induced, I said. No, you have four days, she said. The method they'll be using is inserting prostaglandins to soften up the cervix. Then she sent me for an ECG reading at the day ward. Today. Now.

Day ward? I have to stay? The whole day? Do I? It was already 11.30am.

I got a client to meet in the afternoon at 2!

A kind nurse took mommy's file and informed the nurses at Ward 14 regarding the ECG. She informed us she will get one of the hospital help to take us there. We went through the clinic using the elevator and popped up in the labour ward, as we walked through it I saw lots of doors with labels, labour room, operating room, pre eclampsia room, went through a small waiting lounge where there happen to be several anxious looking fathers, passed by a family and overheard one lady talking about someones complicated pregnancy, and realised we're on the 2nd floor.

Ward 14 was towards the back, passsing by the Infant Intensive Care Unit, and we went through the side door. Apparently Ward 14 is the ward where mommies and mommies-to-be are put, I didn't know that. The helper passed mommy's file to the nurses at the station and a trainee nurse took us to the day ward, which was just a room with two beds and a sofa. We passed by lots of beds filled with women and some with their babies. Mommy laid down on the bed and got strapped in. I asked how long will it take for the ECG machine and we were told if the reading is good, whatever good is, it'll be ten minutes to twenty at the most. Mommy still hopeful we'll have time for lunch at least before daddy has to head back to work.

I was lying on my back, not sure whether I was allowed to move or change position. Looked around the room and figured they could've made this place a bit more cheery. Posters with thick black tape surrounding the borders about breastfeeding was hung on the walls. Saw a wall outlet with missing front and wondered what the heck was that suppose to be? In the day ward was also another lady and she was sitting on the sofa and heard a nurse checking in telling her to eat as lunch was being served.

Daddy settled in the chair and we waited. He told mommy about what the machine was doing and what was on the print out. I kept on asking daddy how much time had went by already as the print out kept on getting longer and longer. By the time it was almost half hour daddy went out to the nurse station and a nurse came in to check on mommy and declared, baby's asleep, let's change position, only now you tell me I thought. Daddy said he's going to step out a while, and I decided to just nap it out. It was another twenty minutes or so when a nurse finally unstrapped me and said I was done. Great, does that mean I can go now? Apparently not, the ECG reading needed to be signed off by a doctor and since it was lunch time no one is around and we would have to wait until they are back. By then it was almost 1pm.

Daddy told mommy to eat the lunch that was provided so I ate, mommy rarely ate rice but yesterday I finished the whole thing, was that hungry. Daddy went off to check while mommy ate, another different lady was also waiting in the day ward (the one earlier had left), she was waiting for her blood result and overheard a nurse mentioning something about her thyroid.

Then the nurse came back with mommy's sheet. She managed to get a doctor to sign off the ECG print out, told us how grumpy the doctor was when doing so (what's up with these doctors? Did they miss their bedside manner class while studying?) She checked on what was written in mommy's sheet, since mommy will be admitted she told us the best time to come, 8am or by 2pm so the doctor will have time to check mommy out while they make their rounds at that time. Useful to know.

We left the hospital and daddy managed to get to work on time and mommy went home to pick up the kids and orders of the client, and dropped off the kids at your granny's place and was at work just after 2pm. I hoped daddy managed to get lunch.

So, sharp contrast between mommy's experience with the community clinic and the government hospital. I hope the next experience with them in a few days would be better than that. Fortunately there were those individuals that were nice, hoping to meet only those nice ones, as so far having baby had been a pleasant experience, and I would like it to continue by the time baby comes out and after that.

Baby, are you going to come out now or when they make you? Mommy don't like the idea of being induced, because if the ripening of the cervix isn't going to work they'll put in something stronger and it will be more painful. I was hoping we could experience all this naturally. But somehow medical science thinks they always knows best. I don't see how me being admitted and staying in bed is going to help with speeding up labour and I would like to avoid having a C section done at all cost. I'm not keen having to stay more than one night in the hospital either. I hope there's a private room available for us. Mommy is packing in Terry Pratchett as part of my entertainment, I should've learnt how to knit or chochet too, it would've been a brillient way to pass the time...

Come out soon! Before they start inducing :-s

Mommy