Sitting in the waiting room, it was 50 minutes later than our appointment time that we was finally called in and during that time I'd witnessed one women bawling after the sonographer told her that the baby wasn't moving properly, whatever that means, and another women have a swig of a drink only to regurgitate it all over herself moments later.
I was feeling increasingly ill myself with the heat and lack of fresh air so I started squirming as I got whiffs of the sweet sickly smell of whatever that women had been drinking, but fortunately my name was mercifully called right in time.
We were lead into a room and were not met by the Mr H in the appointment letter, but a women who looked about my age who introduced herself as "Emily" although it turned out she was the obstetrician.
Not being funny but I don't appreciate putting my health or my baby's health in someone's hands who chooses to reduce themselves to social equality. I want someone better than myself.
I asked where Mr H was and she explained that who I saw depended on the rota and he was "just" the head consultant and she and her two peers were peons basically. She apologetically asked if I particularly wanted to see him but I replied that I wasn't bothered who I'd see but I expected to have been allocated a particular obstetrician to see during my entire pregnancy but she repeated that it was the luck of the draw on the day. Great.
She didn't show much interested or concern regarding my request for a continued prescription for Clexane to keep my blood clot free. She anticipated my request and complied.
They dipped a urine sample for proteins and whatever else but didn't actually tell me the result and my blood pressure was good.
I mentioned my pain under my right ribs after eating sometimes and she said it sounded like gallstones and she started asking about my diet but she suggested it should be worse after fatty foods but it isn't. Soup and dry bread set it off today. I checked google later and I'm not sure my pain is bad enough either.
We also had a brief discussion about due date after she commented on how baby was spot on for 13 week in that bloody graph and we just talked in circles about measurements vs IVF fertilisation date. I think she understood and even agreed but I don't know if she actually changed my dates or not.
After collecting my drugs on the way out, we grabbed a McDs on the way home and waited in for the doula who was visiting to basically meet and see if we wanted to go ahead and book her.
First impressions was that she seems nice.
She was short and broad and probably about 50. She had a very broad accent.
I don't know what i was expecting but she wasn't very well turned out. She had dyed hair with thick band of grey roots showing and her clothing was summer casual frilly vest and cropped linen pants. It just didn't seem like any kind of considered outfit for the purpose of selling herself as a doula.
At first it was a bit awkward because I wasn't sure who was supposed to say what but she mostly just explained what a doula was and the bits that stuck out was her explaining how she'd ensure that consent was maintained throughout labour, so instead of the midwife acting upon routine and almost consenting on my behalf via my own ignorance of what was actually happening she would intervene and explain and then seek consent for the midwife, and also where she said that she support James in case he started to feel like he didn't know what was going on and if everything was ok.
She said to see some other doulas and contact her to let her know if I wanted to book her but I already think that I will.
She didn't get my back up at all and she seemed like she could handle herself, so what more could you want really. Her credentials are all very positive too.
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