Month Four!

I had my fourth-month appointment on Monday. Never in my life have I been so excited about visiting a clinic. It’s as if I can’t wait to pull my pants down and have another opportunity to hear that heart beat. All looks good so far including heartbeat, blood pressure and weight gain. Speaking of weight gain, could someone please tell me where my waist line has gone? I’ve seem to have lost it and fear that I may never find it again. Oh let the list of sacrifices begins: number one: loss of friend marriage and gain of parent marriage. Number two: loss of sleep. Number three: loss of non-Mommy identity. Number four: SOME loss of bind with non-parent friends. Number five: loss of waist line.

So I finally move my lazy arse into gear and, gasp, change my insurance information from my maiden name to my married name, which of course is Muslim. So, this name change prompts a need to update my electronic medical record. My male midwife, yes male! proceeds to ask some questions:

MMW: “So what is your race?”
Me: Ummmm, a little stumped because I have never been asked this before, but happy that he would ask rather than make the assumption. I say with certainty, “Caucasian”.
MMW: “Are you sure?”
Me: Thinking what, why would he question my answer? I say, “Yes”.
MMW: “Well where were you born?”
Me: Incredulous, he still doesn’t believe me. Can’t you see my DH sitting right here? We’re married and I’m gori! “Right here in the Midwest, Sir.”

Then the next thing occurred, two men had a conversation about the logic of the quad screening test and then I change my mind. You see, DH and I had decided against the quad screen test because of its unreliability and then the possibility of stressing myself and choti out because of the results. We knew that we weren’t going to terminate because of the results, so why worry, right? Wrong. Abovementioned MMW gave us the run down and unintentionally swung my decision the other way. You see, because DH’s niece was born with Spina Bifada, we are the prime candidates for the screening. And the earlier we can detect (Quad screen) a probability of a SB defect, the better our chances of helping a baby get the care he/she will need at birth. So there, I changed my mind, gave blood and now I sit and wit for the results.

Any others with experiences as I sit here and bite my nails?