How to Have a Baby in Hong Kong: Part 7

At my regular prenatal appointment on October 24, I was scheduled to have my next regular appointment on November 10, which was last Thursday. Only instead of the appointment being scheduled for the clinic here in town, they scheduled it at the prenatal hospital (Tsan Yuk) where I went for several of my initial appointments. This scheduling change was due to the fact that the Mui Wo clinic is only open on the 2nd and 4th Mondays of the month and October had 5 Mondays... which meant they couldn't give me an appointment for 2 weeks later.

But Nathan was gone last week. And Josiah had been sick. And taking Josiah on the trek to Tsan Yuk for a check your weight/blood pressure/urine appointment just didn't sound fun. So I didn't go.

Instead, I went back to the Mui Wo clinic this past Monday to try and get back on the schedule. Thankfully, they didn't have many pregnant women that day and were able to see me quickly.

The visit was still routine, but I actually got to see the doctor, instead of just the nurse. I think this was due to the fact that I only gained .5 kg in 3 weeks. I'm supposed to be gaining about .5 kg a week, though since I had gained a bit too much at my previous appointment, I suppose it all evens out. I was surprised, however, to have gained so little considering all the junk I ate while Nathan was gone. :)

The doctor said my measurements were good and that Daniel is head down. Though there is still plenty of time and space for him to flip around as much as he wants. And trust me, he does!

The only other thing that happened this visit, was that the nurse questioned whether or not I had actually attended the glucose tolerance test. See, I am responsible for bringing my medical booklet to appointments. They always put it in an envelope and staple it shut, with my appointment card and bar code label on the outside.

(Side note: Is it really possible they have these envelopes left over from pre-1997? Or are they still printing envelopes that say "On Her Majesty's Service"???)

Sometimes I open the envelope and read the recent stuff they wrote in the booklet. And sometimes I put extra stuff in there, like my glucose tolerance appointment sheet and taxi directions to the hospital.

Because I had skipped my last scheduled appointment at Tsan Yuk and because I had left the glucose tolerance appointment sheet in the envelope, the nurse was skeptical about whether or not I had attended. She asked repeatedly throughout the appointment if I had gone. It was a bit humorous how little she trusted me... maybe a lot of women skip!? Of course, she could have just looked it up in the computer system.

So my next appointment is Monday, November 28. I'll be 34 weeks.

Then sometime during week 36 I'll have an appointment to go to Queen Mary Hospital, the hospital where I will deliver. After that, I think I will have weekly appointments at Queen Mary until I deliver.

I can't believe it's actually getting that close...