Checking up

We have more or less 8 weeks to go, insya Allah. I've been telling husband almost every single day that I'm nervous.. about delivering, about making it to PCMC on time, about breast feeding, about expressing & storing milk, about baby care. All these in mind, i truly hope junior here is all smiley inside, with no worries. I really would blame myself if she comes out with a frown!

I'm feeling all kinds of blues today, so I decided to blog about something that makes me happy : baby preparation!

I have not written about prenatal care and visits so far, have I? Okay, so upon discovering this pregnancy sometime middle March this year, there was no question or a single doubt I had set my mind on which gynae and hospital we shall be frequenting and ultimately delivering.

First and foremost, I'm thankful the company provides awesome maternity benefit (as well as medical coverage for spouse and family) so it was a matter of where and who. Obviously I chose Women & Child Clinic PCMC for its vicinity to my parents' home, that most of my colleague-friends had given birth here and most of them with the same gynae that I'm currently seeing.

The other advantage I have is that my mom used to be a nurse, with experiences working with most senior O&G specialists now opening their own clinics. Alhamdulillah for these two benefit, for all I did was proposing their names to Mom, and she would provide her 'review' on each of them. Most of these specialists now 'reside' at PCMC, APSH, Gleneagles, Kg Baru MC and SDMC. Obviously I wanted a female gynae, as it's an obligation for us Muslim to find a female gynae for aurat observation. 

Even though delivery process is considered 'darurat' as when that time comes, the focus shall be on getting the baby safely, and male specialists are allowed.. but  i do think it's a hassle to change doctors, plus with the advantages that I have, it's not that the female specialists are of limited quantity. Therefore shouldn't be a problem at all, to choose a female gynae.

Dr Seri had treated me last year when we suffered ( i say we because husband and i was deeply affected) the miscarriage. She handled our case well and with such finesse.. there and then I knew I'd choose her the next time Allah grants us this rezeki. She just happens to be the only female Muslim gynae at PCMC, which makes her most sought after and that translates to a packed schedule. Oh, another plus point is that her mom lives nearby my parents', they even share the same ustazah! Her mom had few times said if it's too difficult to get an appointment, let her know. Although the offer was tempting, I didn't take it up because I feel there was no need to abuse the privilege :)

Because of that, I didn't immediately get a date to see her once the physician at TTMC confirmed this pregnancy. I was fine with that, and settled for checkups at a normal clinic with a scanning machine. We picked a clinic near our house for that purpose, and for the first trimester few sorts of incidents caused us to frequent the clinic. I fell, had fevers, headaches, flu and Alhamdulillah since the clinic is near it saved us time. 

We were given 10th June, evening to finally see Dr Seri. I suppose Allah had timed it perfectly, as we'd entered 2nd trimester then there was more to discuss and explained as compared to 1st trimester, where everything seemed uncertain and more fragile. From this point forward we have been consistent in the appointments, despite more patients coming in on Saturday we definitely didn't mind as that's what private treatment gave us - flexibility. Sacrificing working days are not something feasible to both husband and I, hence Alhamdulillah again for the private treatment benefit.

Last month I brought my mom instead of husband to the monthly check up, as he was on an overseas assignment. I thought it'd be fun to see them catching up, and how right was I! All smiles rekindling their times back then in GH :)

The check up procedure is very smooth.. A text will be sent to my hand phone with time and date reminder couple of days before. Upon arrival, I would just hand in my pink book and wait for the nurse to call for urine test, weight & blood pressure check. The waiting is done in a separate holding area from the billing process, which comes after the appointment. When I say billing, it means signing off a receipt which contains a medicine docket, a form of which later on we would collect our monthly supplements at the pharmacy in ground floor.

Friends had asked me what's her consultation charges, but honestly I do not know as it wasn't indicated anywhere in the bill :) some cynical friends would question her availability when i'm in labor, some would say labor pain is the same no matter government or private hospital.. I usually respond to these with a smile. It's rezeki, and all of us are entitled to our own share of rezeki. 

Our next appointment is due next week insya Allah, 3 weeks gap from the last one and as time and baby progress go, closer appointment dates are expected. I am excited and nervous!