I just want a stable relationship! Okay?

There are two places in Moscow in which you can visit an OB doctor. Two. After much debate and thought I went with the one that most of my friends had chosen when they were pregnant. That was seven months ago, and today, I just finished seeing every doctor at least once. You see, that's the policy at MPOB. You are required to see every doctor at least once before asking to see one exclusively. They do this because whenever you go into labor, you get whomever is on call that day. Okay, fair enough. I completely understand the value of visiting with every OB in an office so that when delivery time comes you aren't met with a stranger. But at the same time I don't feel like meeting a doctor once or twice or even three times qualifies us to not be strangers anymore...

Maybe I've just had a bad day today, maybe I'm just tired of being pregnant or maybe I just decided I don't like this system. I have seen FIVE doctors within the last five months. At first I thought this was a great idea because then it meant that I got to meet every doctor in the practice and then once I did, then I could pick which one or two I preferred to see after that. Not so much.

Today after my literally two minute appointment with the doctor, I went out to schedule my next appointment with the receptionist. She looked at me like I was crazy when I asked if I could pick which doctor I preferred to see. But she went ahead and looked up his schedule anyways-which I appreciated. However, he was only available in Pullman for the week that I need to go in next and unfortunately since Kasen and I both have ridiculously hectic schedules, driving to Pullman on Wednesday's just isn't an option for us.

You would think that since my first choice doctor wasn't available for me then I would be asked who my second choice was. Not so. You see the doctor's schedule changes every week. Not only are they not scheduled on a set day, but they are also not scheduled at a set location- Moscow or Pullman. If that were the case then I would just pick my first choice doctor and say he was available in Moscow or even Pullman every other Tuesday. Done. I would make it work. But he isn't. Every time I go to make another appointment I have no idea what doctor I'm going to get, because the schedule rotates.

Now it might seem like this might not matter. And in the end, I'm sure it doesn't. By the time I go into labor I'll probably take whatever doctor I can get- or a nurse since they know how to deliver babies as well and doctor's don't always make it on time.

However, who I see in the mean time does matter to me. I really, really liked the last doctor we met with. And so did Kasen. And even though that doctor also only spent a couple minutes with us, we both walked out of the appointment room understanding what we needed to do for the FIRST time in SEVEN months.  This doctor was direct and straight to the point. He didn't talk softly or try to appease us. He just told it like it was. And anyone who really knows me knows that I don't like fluffy information. I like cut and dry information. Black and white. Good to go.

I don't know a solution to my problem. I still have 11 weeks (give or take) before little Johnny decides he is bored with my uterus and needs a more interesting environment. Hopefully I get to see my first choice doctor or at least my second choice doctor the rest of the time, because you can bet that I will ask to see my first choice after every subsequent appointment. What I do know is that I feel as though the information told to me so far, a family practitioner could have done. And then I could have seen an OB doctor or doctors even as I got closer to my due date.

I just went into my appointment angry that I had to be there today, angry that I was rescheduled from last week and angry that I had to see yet another new doctor. It didn't help that the nurse asked me the gender of my baby twice. Within 20 seconds. I'm also irritated that during my last appointment I was told I needed to think about a pediatrician and then this time I was told again. Well guess what new doctor, maybe you and the doctor before could brief each other (or at least write it in my chart) and instead of telling me to think about a pediatrician, ask if I have given it any more thought. Which I had. And the one I chose? Its a block from our new apartment.

Don't worry friends. I still want to go to nursing school. And nurse practitioner school. I still believe in our health care system. But I just hope that I can recommend an OB (or office) that my patients can see time and again during their pregnancy. That way they will feel more comfortable during their appointments. More appreciated and less hurried.