Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Pregnancy part 2

My intention is not to talk about baby stuff all the time in this blog (and annnoy the hell of those who are not interested in babies), but bear with me, it's been only 2 weeks since I really "understood" that I am having a baby.  

It's been a whirlwind of medical appointments since.  I have contacted the hospital where I would give birth.  They gave me an appointment with a midwife.  My cousin who lives in the States is shocked that I have been followed by a GP only.  She said that in the U.S. it is an OB/Gyn from the start of the pregnancy.  I was annoyed and scared when she told me that.  But France is baby-land and it is not the first time they deliver babies.  I think that specialists are way more expensive than midwives and GP's, so specialists are not a necessity at this point.  Besides all the medical expenses are covered by the social security in France, so this must be a way to cut down on costs.  I really don't know how it would be if I were pregnant in Canada. 

 In the past 2 weeks, I've done a little research on pregnacy.  The doc told me I was not immunized to Rubella and Toxoplamosis.    Those diseases aren't not dangerous for "normal" people, but for pregnant women, it could cause harm to the unborn baby.  I was wondering at first why in hell can't the doc just give me a vaccine already, it seems that once you get pregnant, you can't get vaccinated.  They can only monitor with blood tests each month.  

Last week, I also had my first echography.  At only 2 months and a half, I saw the baby swimming in my belly, rotating and it was a challenge for the doc to take pictures, because he/she can't stay still.  With the baby on the tv screen, and pictures in hand, this is for real.  There is a real baby in there.

I also learned that I needed to watch my glucose, if it gets high, I could have gestational diabetes which can also lead to complication, a baby that would grow too fast and prematurely. I don't have anyone around in France to tell me what to do with a baby.  I am clueless.  I rather not have my French mother-in-law around me to tell me what to do.  Mothers-in-law are what they are....annoying. 

I think my trip to Canada would be a great break from all this.  Besides, most of my friends had babies, they will give me some advices I hope.

Having kids was not my priority in life, plus I was constantly nagged by my MIL for not being pregnant.  Because of her, I was even more reluctant. I thought I wasn't made to be a mom, and my periods were not the most regular. (is it TMI? lol).  I guess things happen for a reason.  I have to ajust to this now, and prepare to be less selfish and less careless. lol  If things go as planned, by mid-December I would finally meet the baby.  I admit I can't wait.

7 comments:

  1. In Ottawa, I was first followed by my GP, and then eventually referred to an Ob-Gyn. But really, both did the same... not much. They weight me, took my blood pressure, analyzed urine samples (at least I assumed they did, each and every time I had to pee in the little sample bottle, I was an expert by the end!) and that's about it.

    Don't freak out because things are done differently here and there. My French friends were shocked I wasn't tested for Y or X, my Canadian doctors were shocked I wasn't doing Y and X, etc. The result is the same. Both countries are first world countries and their babies are fine.

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    1. It's only been 2 weeks since my first visit to to GP and I have been doing blood tests a lot. I am breaking the bank of La Sécu. I have looked for the Maternité that I chosen. They ranked4th place in Nord-Pas-de-Calais, it has great reviews. I feel more relieved. I'm a anxious person by nature, but this pregnancy drives me nuts. I am working on being chill. lol

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    2. I was super anxious when I was pregnant too. Unfortunately, I don't have a magic trick to relax, the best I can say is "trust your body". Seriously, it does a pretty awesome job and you will be fine.

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  2. You can talk about having a baby on your blog - it's a big deal for you so you should be talking about it!

    I don't mind reading about babies even though I don't want any children. Zhu talks about Mark all the time and I still keep reading. I like to read about her no-nonsense way of parenting. There is still a lot of France related baby topics to discuss that would keep my interest any day.

    I think Zhu is right, both France and Canada are great countries to have your baby. I don't think you have to worry about much, just take care of yourself.

    Too bad I won't be seeing you this summer. I was thinking that it would have been a great opportunity for the three of us to meet with Zhu. Maybe one day...

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    1. Yes, that would be a nice meeting both of you. Oh well, maybe next time, in some other place, but Ottawa is what we have all in common.

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  3. Being a parent is a learning process, starting from the day you are pregnant. Like you, I'm not immunized against Toxoplamosis, so blood test once a month. My first pregnancy was followed by a GP till the 7th month. My current one, since I have gestational diabetes, I'm being followed by a gyn. Hope you enjoy every stage of your pregnancy.

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    1. I have blood and urine results, sugar is high too. I hope I won't have to take meds. But for my defense, I didn't drink a lot of water the day before the tests. I had to be out 2 hours....I hope the next tests would be better.

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