Someone once told me that their overriding experience of pregnancy was going hither and yon with a handbag full of wee, ready to give to whoever asked for it next.
At the moment I'd say there are quite a few things registering rather more strongly on my radar, but I couldn't go so far as to say she was wrong.
Certainly the approach to wee seems to be quite different when it comes to obstetrics, compared to any other department I've dealt with. In obstetrics, it's all about the wee. Seriously. You must turn up to every appointment with a urine sample, or a full bladder, or both. I have an appointment coming up to discuss birth options with my consultant, but I had to contact the hospital to find out what the appointment was for and who it was with, because the only details anyone saw fit to include in the appointment letter were the time/date/location and the necessity of bringing wee. I'm not even sure why wee would be relevant to that appointment. Maybe it's just a standard line on their appointment letter template.
The response to a sample is different too. In other departments, you slightly shyly proffer your sample and say something like "do I give this to you?" and the doctor or nurse either says "yes, I can take that," or "no, hang on to that and give it to (person)." In obstetrics, almost without fail, the response is a gleeful "ooh, yes please! We love wee!" and do you know what's really upsetting? That's not even bothering me any more.
At the moment I'd say there are quite a few things registering rather more strongly on my radar, but I couldn't go so far as to say she was wrong.
Certainly the approach to wee seems to be quite different when it comes to obstetrics, compared to any other department I've dealt with. In obstetrics, it's all about the wee. Seriously. You must turn up to every appointment with a urine sample, or a full bladder, or both. I have an appointment coming up to discuss birth options with my consultant, but I had to contact the hospital to find out what the appointment was for and who it was with, because the only details anyone saw fit to include in the appointment letter were the time/date/location and the necessity of bringing wee. I'm not even sure why wee would be relevant to that appointment. Maybe it's just a standard line on their appointment letter template.
The response to a sample is different too. In other departments, you slightly shyly proffer your sample and say something like "do I give this to you?" and the doctor or nurse either says "yes, I can take that," or "no, hang on to that and give it to (person)." In obstetrics, almost without fail, the response is a gleeful "ooh, yes please! We love wee!" and do you know what's really upsetting? That's not even bothering me any more.