Nine years

It’s hard to believe that Jered and I have been together 9 years now. Thinking back on the time we’ve spent together it seems like it was just yesterday that we rode the tandem from my house in Sandhausen to his house in Neulussheim- and at the same time it seems like it was ages ago! Nine years later we’re married with a little Jester on the way. It really is amazing that we’ve known each other so long- we’ve had 9 years to get to know each other and enjoy being a couple, and now we’re entering a whole new phase of our lives together. Who knows what fun the next 9 years will bring!

Speaking of that new phase of our life, this next week will be an interesting one. Monday I’m scheduled for my 29 week doctor’s appointment. I’ll be having my glucose test to screen for gestational diabetes. This will be our last appointment with our current doctor. After thinking long and hard about the practice we have been going to and the doctor’s I’ve been seeing, Jered and I have decided to switch practices. The office I’ve been going to has three doctors and a nurse. At the very beginning of our experience at this office Jered and I both were a little off-put by the practice. The office staff is not friendly and I can honestly say that none of the doctors or nurses would know me if I showed up 10 minutes after an appointment with them. In the beginning of my pregnancy test results from a fairly important test weren’t given to us until I called about another unrelated issue- it was one of those “oh by the way, you had some abnormal cells…” Then two weeks later when I went in for a follow-up procedure the doctor was confused as to why I was having the procedure at all. We both wanted to be realistic about the level of care we expect to receive- understanding that it’s not realistic to expect a close one-on-one relationship with our doctor, and so we decided to wait it out and give the practice a chance.

At my last appointment I mentioned to my doctor (one I’ve seen three times in a row, who didn’t know how far along I was or who I was without checking my chart twice) that I wanted to entertain the idea of a natural child birth. Jered and I have been going to our babies classes and I was starting to feel more empowered about the whole unmedicated labor process. When I brought this up with my doctor she raised her eyebrows and asked me why I was thinking about going unmedicated. I explained to her my thoughts on it, and also emphasized that I am flexible and open to whatever might happen in the labor process- knowing that I won’t know what it’s like until I’m in labor and that I might change my mind about pain relief once I’m in the midst of it! Even after this disclaimer, she looked at me with raised eyebrows and proceeded to tell me that partners are often more comfortable when mom’s are medicated… I thought this was an interesting response, seeing as no one informed me that my goal in labor is to make my partner and my doctor more comfortable!!

After this appointment Jered and I looked around to see what our options were in terms of other practices in the area that take our insurance and have privileges at the hospital close to our house. We were able to find a practice with just one doctor and a midwife (our previous practice did not have a midwife). Our first appointment with the new doctor is April 17th and from that appointment on I will be going to the doctor every two weeks for a month and then every week until the baby gets here. I am nervous and excited to make this move- and feel like we made a good decision, even if it means that we will only have about two months with this new doctor. I’m hoping in that time that the doctor will at least learn my name!

Filed under Doctor's Office, Pregnancy by esther | Comment (0)