Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Best (and Worst) Doctor's Appointment Ever

There are no pictures yet. Sorry to disappoint.

The moral of this story is that my regular doctor is kind of a moron. That said...

Matt picked me up from work around 4:35 so we could get to my 4:45 appointment. I have been excited and nervous about this appointment since we found out we were pregnant--the day we would hear the heartbeat. We arrived a couple of minutes late, but since we were the last appointment of the day, they were eager to get me to pee in a cup quickly and see the doctor.

So I did that, got weighed, etc, and then my doctor comes in and says, "There's really not a lot to do today."

I stared at him in disbelief. "What? We're supposed to hear the heartbeat today. We put off my second OB appt by two weeks to make sure that I could hear the heartbeat today. We're supposed to be able to start telling people today that we're pregnant because we know the baby is alive and doing well, etc."

I was so upset. He looks at me with no emotion and says, "Well we can give it a try, but don't be depressed if we can't hear it." The guy needs to study up on pregnancy one more time--he thought my uterus was still being guarded by my pelvic bone and he was listening real low on my abdomen, which I didn't think was quite right, but I'm not a doctor, so I let it slide.

Anyway, so we leave to make our next appointment and I'm ready to cry. I just thought it was totally lame and ridiculous that we couldn't hear the heartbeat at 13 weeks. (Matt couldn't believe that the doctor had absolutely nothing to say to me. The doctor just looked at me and said, "Sorry.") The receptionist could tell I was upset and she said, "You know, you could come back later this week or next week and we could just have a nurse try to find the heartbeat for you, then you wouldn't have to pay for another appointment." I thought that was a good idea, even though it did mean I had to wait.

So my doctor said I could just wait to come back until my 20 week appointment when I would have my real ultrasound and find out the baby's sex and do my blood glucose test, etc. Well, like I said, we were the last appointment of the day and so my doctor was gone by the time I was talking to the receptionist. Well... there was another doctor there who was overhearing my situation. He told the receptionist that I really should come back in 4 weeks so we would have good numbers to see how I was gaining weight and how my urine looked, etc. even if the doctor couldn't do anything cool.

So, all right, I'm coming back in 4 weeks, maybe I should just wait and not hear the heartbeat till then--although that would be torture. Well, that doctor looked at me and he said, "Why don't we just do a quick ultrasound right now. We might not be able to hear the heartbeat, but maybe I could show it to you."

Matt and I practically ran back to the exam room and I laid down and I was ready for the belly jelly. And this is when that day became one of the best I've ever had. I got to see the little fluttering heart and I was finally reassured that I was feeling nauseated for good reason, that in about 27 weeks, I'll be giving birth to a real live human baby. I got to see the baby's hands and head and belly and we even saw it sucking its thumb. It was unbelievable and I couldn't help but cry. The doctor turned the sound on for a second to see if we could hear the heartbeat and we could, but then my cry hiccuped a little and I cut off the little dude or dudette. But it was amazing and I feel so absolutely blessed that the doctor was there and he was looking out for me. He told us that his wife had a miscarriage with her second pregnancy and that he totally understood my need for reassurance. UNLIKE my regular doctor.

I guess this actually fulfills Keri-Anne's tag to write about an angel here on earth who helped us out. That doctor really was an angel at that particular moment. Any ideas on a gift I can send him? Movie tickets? Steak dinner? We haven't decided yet, but we definitely want to do something for him. He literally made our day, our week, probably our month!

16 comments:

Katie said...

Hey congrats on being pregnant!! I'm super excited for you! So after that you are totally switching doctors, right? It's SO important to have a doctor you like and can trust and it really is not a big deal to switch! Hope all goes well, can't wait to find out what you're having! YAY!!

Cami said...

I can't believe the doctor couldn't find a heartbeat at 13 weeks?!?!! You need to go to Dr. Savage! Well, you're probably moving before the end of your pregnancy, but anyway, you need a new doctor. Oh, and congratulations!

Gisela-David said...

Thanks for sharing! Isn't it amazing when you finally see and hear the baby, it makes it even more real. There really is a little person in there! Yes, I agree on the whole switching doctors thing. Oh! and get him a gift card from Chili's or something so he can take his wife out. She was the reason he was so kind to you, unlike the other doctor.

Mike and Tia Fam said...

Congratulations!!! This is the greatest news ever. And what an awesome doctor/angel to help you out :) But eve better is the litte babe in there growing away!
There is a sign at my Dr.'s office that says "The greatest compliment we can receive is the referral of your friends and family" or something like that. You should go online to all those "Rate your Dr." websites and write nice things about this guy.

Hailey said...

If your doctor couldn't get a heartbeat and said not to come back until you were 20 weeks, you need a new doctor. That's not the normal procedure. My little niece/nephew needs to be cared for better than that! I'm so glad the other doctor was there.

dreamkas said...

i agree with tia and one of your calligraphic notes to him too! and yeah!!!! i am soooo thrilled for the 2 of you you 2 are gonna make some crazy cool parents!

JA and co. said...

Congratulations, that's so exciting! Even though you're moving I agree with everyone else...get a new doctor if you possibly can. I LOVED my doctor and she definitely made the entire experience a good one. Good luck with the morning sickness, I hope it doesn't last long!

V said...

I had no idea you were pregnant!!! WAHOOO! That is wonderful. You and Matt are going to be such amazing parents.

Maybe your regular doctor was just have a really rotten depressing day and something weird was going on...because seriously he should've had you listen to the heartbeat by (almost) your second trimester!

So when is your due date? Keep us updated on all the exciting happening of your growing family.

Kaylene said...

amen to getting a new doctor. what was he thinking?? i also had a doctor in provo who went out of his way to pull some strings and help me out when i was newly pregnant and was moving soon and unsure, he was so nice and i've always wished i had sent him a thank you note except i can't remember his name. i'm sure any recognition of his help, he will appreciate!

Bethany said...

We used to live with an OBGYN to help take care of their kids. If you're still thinking of a gift to get him I'd look for anything that would allow the doctor to spend time with his wife. OBs have amazingly busy schedules with really odd hours (those silly babies don't just come between 9 and 5), and I know any date opportunity would be appreciated. So glad your appointment ended better than it began!

Austin and Jennifer said...

Yay! I am so glad to hear that you were able to have an ultrasound! I DO hope that you will never be seeing the HORRIBLE doctor again and that you will be switching to the nice one who did your ultrasound! I would call the medical board on that guy!!!!!!!

The Fox Family said...

hello....you could have started your post with.."IM PREGNANT!!" I had no idea. CONGRATS!!! I am soo happy for you.

Alicia said...

Congrats! Yeah, a formal announcement would have been an appropriate beginning for this post. :) CONGRATU-Freaking-LATIONS, as my good friend Emily used to say. And yeah, I think a doctor-switch would be an good follow-up item--right after you send that card/gift/something so the good doc who saved the day. Yay for baby heartbeats!

Brett and Amanda said...

AAAAAhhhhhh! hooray! i'm sooooo excited for you!!!! oh and p.s. my baby is coming THIS WEEK! wednesday at the latest.

Nicole said...

I think you should send him a link to your blog, and a note to let him know he is featured. As a practitioner, I think that would be the best thanks ever. Also, CHANGE DOCTORS NOW. You do NOT want someone helping you through your first birth who is staring at you blankly and cares more about getting home to a warm dinner than about being emotionally present for you, skills or no. By the way, I'm sort of a wanna-be dula if your looking for one. I work cheap (as in free!) CONGRATS!

Brett said...

That really is horrible!