Well, I did actually try to write this post from my cell phone while I was waiting (and waiting) for my appointment with the midwife. Somehow, though, it only let me write the title, and never gave me the option for writing the entry part.
When I did finally get to a computer, and started to write the entry, only an interesting font showed up. It turns out that something that I did with my cell phone made everything turn into what I later found out was Kannada.
For those who are curious, here is "Hello, my name is Tracy" in kannada:
Hello, my name is Tracy.
Oh, of course!!! Now that I actually try to do it, it won't. Go figure.
Well, from somewhere else: ಹಲೋ, ಮೈ ನೇಮ್ ಇಸ್ ತರಚಿ.
Well, back to the entry, I guess.
Anyways, it was lucky that I had told the midwife that I had to work in the morning, and that she had given me the "very first appointment of the day." Why do I say that?
Well, as usual for the public clinic, things never go as planned. When I got there, another couple was already waiting. Within a few minutes, another girl arrived, and within a few more minutes, another one arrived.
My initial thought was, what's going on this time?!?!?!
It turns out that the couple had arrived at 8:45 for their 9:00 appointment. (But I had the 9:00 appointment, and it was the "first one of the day!!!")
I guess not.
The girl in front of me had the 9:15 appointment, and the other had the 9:30 appointment. So, it seems that the idea of having 30 minute appointments for the midwife has changed!!! Not only have they packed more people in for appointments, but they also are double-booking them for the slots available.
The couple that arrived at 8:45 had knocked on the door, but nobody had answered, so they assumed that nobody was there yet.
As the time passed, with nobody arriving or leaving, they asked one of the administrators about it. She peeked into the room, and said that the midwife was there, and that she was with another patient. So, at around 9:25, that person left, and the couple, with the other 9:00 appointment, went in.
With the new 15 minute appointments, I assumed that I wouldn't have that much more of a wait. Unfortunately, though, I was wrong.
At around 9:45, I was starting to be bored out of my mind, but I was happy to see a friend of mine arrive for her appointment with the midwife. Finally, someone to talk to to help pass the time, but, of course, as soon as I had something to do, it was my turn to go in!! So, at about 9:50, I went in for my 9:00 appointment, (the first appointment of the day).
What was the point of this appointment??? Well, like all of the appointments with the midwife, I'm not exactly sure. I think they just like having you wait around the clinic for nothing.
I walked in and waited for her to try to catch up with the computer for about 7 minutes. Then she took her little wheel out and said "let's see how far along you are now." Today, now knowing the way she is, I didn't even bother telling her that I was 19 weeks and 6 days along. Normally she says I'm at one day less than what I have calculated, but today, without me having said anything, her calculations coincided with mine.
She then informed me that at the end of the 2nd trimester, in a month, I have to come in for a sugar blood analysis. This analysis checks for gestational diabetes, and I have to go there at 8AM, drink a bottle of gross sugar water, which she gave me, and wait for an hour for them to take my blood at 9AM. They want me to drink it there so that I'm not walking around after having drunk the sugar water. The ironic thing is that, if you recall, when you go for these analyses, there's really no place to sit amongst the hundreds of people in the hallway that you have to wait with to get your blood drawn. So, anyways, I'm considering doing what a friend said and taking it at 8, and getting dropped off at a little before 9 to avoid wasting away waiting in the stupid hallway standing for an hour.
She had no interest in seeing what the private doctor had given me, even though he had given me the information to show to her, so she quickly took my blood pressure, and then pushed me towards the scale.
She informed me that I had gained 4 kilos since the last time I saw her, and when I said that I didn't think I was really eating more than usual, she once again informed me that that is what they all say.
I did say that I haven't been doing the same amount of exercise that I normally do, so she said that I should eat less if I don't want to gain more weight.
She had me lie down on the table, and put gel on my belly to listen for the heartbeat with a baby doppler, found it right away this time, and took it just as quickly away, and said I was done.
She said the appointments are going quickly because she is a little bit behind. (I noticed.)
So, I left, a rushed 12 minutes after having gone in, feeling once again like I had completely wasted my time by having come.
I talked with my friend, who was now waiting to go in to see the midwife, for a few minutes before heading downstairs to try to get my appointment for the blood analysis.
Once again, trying to get the appointment was lots of fun, and I had to push through a bunch of people, who had no idea of how things worked (things are so well explained here), to finally get a number for the blood analysis appointments. I waited for my number to be called, meanwhile hearing many complaints from people who had taken a number from the wall, waited, were called up and told that they couldn't make an appointment for an analysis at the main part of the appointment desk, were sent here and now had to take a new number here and wait.
It seems like I'm not the only one who isn't really convinced by the poor functioning of the public clinic.
Since we have no choice, though, really all we can do is complain (take a number from who knows where? to do that). The only point, though, would be to let your complaints fall upon deaf ears.
With no other options, you either go to your assigned clinic, and assigned doctor or midwife, or you don't. You have no other options, and they have no real incentive to improve the system. Why should they bother, it's not like you're going to go anywhere else!!
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