Pregnancy without the waiting room

by Ellery Cook posted in Mom Stories

We interviewed our first pediatrician this week, and sitting in the waiting room waiting for our appointment to begin, I was struck by what little time I’ve spent in doctor’s office waiting rooms throughout my pregnancy, and how rare that must be. Prior to this week’s appointment, the last time I was in a waiting room was at my 18 week ultrasound.

Many people, myself included, think about home birth as a decision about the kind of birth experience you prefer, but for us, it has also meant a radically different and extremely rewarding prenatal care experience.

Our appointments are still at an “office,” but the office is a converted Victorian in a residential neighborhood, and we have never once waited for an appointment to begin. We sit in comfy chairs, drink tea, chat about how things are going with the pregnancy, and discuss any questions we have before the midwives check me and the baby. This discussion phase easily takes up the bulk of our appointment time. While I’ve had a second-timer mom tell me she couldn’t imagine spending an hour at her prenatal appointments and much prefers to get in an out quickly, as a first-timer, I deeply appreciate the relaxed pace of our visits, and the fact that I never feel rushed to throttle through my questions for fear that we’ll run out of time before I’ve asked them all. I also wonder how long she spends in the waiting room prior to dashing “in and out quickly.”

During appointments, I sometimes feel as if I’ve stepped into a different decade. The care is so personalized and in depth that I find myself recalling old movies where doctors made house calls and knew your entire family by name. Pre-pregnancy, I heard the lore of the unbearably sweet orange drink served up for the 28 week glucose test, but I never experienced it. Instead, one of my midwives arrived at our house at 8 am, pricked my finger, and then I ate a plateful of waffles with syrup, waited two hours, and had my finger pricked again. I had the option to do this test at a hospital lab, but waffles were a no-brainer.

Over the course of my pregnancy so far, I’ve been able to spend enough time with my midwives that I feel comfortable and safe with them, and look forward to their support during labor and delivery. Even if something necessitates a hospital transfer (in which case they’d become my “super-doulas”), the richness of their prenatal care has already been worth the price of admission.

What was your prenatal care experience like? Did you get the time and attention you needed from your caregiver?

Read more from source:“babycenter-com-baby”