K___ phoned the doctor's surgery this morning and said, 'Hello, I've missed my period and tested positive...' The receptionist went through a list of questions; how old are you, is this your first, are you happy about this, etc.. It turns out that today's home testing kits are so good, there's no point in your GP running a test too. If the home tester says you're pregnant, you are!
K___ has made an appointment to see a midwife for late May, about her 9th week, and that's the first time we'll actually see a health care professional unless something goes wrong. It seems almost incredible really. By that time we'll be almost through the most dangerous time of the pregnancy.
Mind you, thinking about it, is it really incredible? We're so spoilt now that it's sometimes possible to forget that women were having babies quite successfully for hundreds of years without all the medical advances we have at our disposal!
Still, I'm sure no one would want to argue that it was better without the back up of modern medicine...
K___ has made an appointment to see a midwife for late May, about her 9th week, and that's the first time we'll actually see a health care professional unless something goes wrong. It seems almost incredible really. By that time we'll be almost through the most dangerous time of the pregnancy.
Mind you, thinking about it, is it really incredible? We're so spoilt now that it's sometimes possible to forget that women were having babies quite successfully for hundreds of years without all the medical advances we have at our disposal!
Still, I'm sure no one would want to argue that it was better without the back up of modern medicine...
I've read that women are much less good at dealing with giving birth than they used to be. The rationale is that women are so used to having control over every aspect of their lives now that the thought of giving birth, something out of their control, is completely terrifying to them.
ReplyDeleteThat might sound like a justification for undoing years of emancipation though, so I'm not entirely sure I go along with it!
K___ wants a home birth too. She was, her sister was... If it doesn't work out, we're not too far from the local maternity hospital should anything go wrong.
As 'dad to be' says it is going to be a home birth for us - I've only even been in hospital once and it wasn't an entirely positive experience. I wasn't helped to get washed, had to wait ages for someone to help me get to the toilets etc. and the food was really bad. I am not one of nature's great sleepers at the best of times but hospitals are not conducive to getting rest! I would much rather be in my own home surrounded by my own things to feel comfortable and safe.
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