Week 16: Yep, it's a boy

We had the 16-week visit today. The doctor confirmed what we were told in week 12 during the NT scan - it's a boy. We have the genital shots and everything! All is well. She is not happy with my weight gain (I've only gained two pounds so far...) and thinks I need to eat more. I tried to explain that my stomach problems have really hindered me and that I still suffer from pretty serious heartburn that prevents me from sitting down to a real meal. I have to pick a bit at a time (it's really annoying actually because eating all day has become like a second job) or otherwise I get sick and am up all night with horrible heartburn. Personally I feel I am being strategic in what I am eating and am getting enough. She gave me a medicine that should coat my stomach but she wants to see me put on more weight. I'm sure that as the pregnancy progresses, I will have no problem, though I made the mistake of pointing out that I work out about three times a week doing pregnancy-approved things, such as walking on a treadmill. I think she thinks I'm some fitness-obsessed vegan freak who doesn't want to gain weight but that's really not the case. All it takes is one big bowl of pasta for me to be doubled over in pain on the floor with Mount Vesuvius exploding in my stomach. I can have the big bowl of pasta (and some fruit, legumes and all of the other good things I'm trying to take in) but I have to eat it slowly in different sittings. Well there's the whole overview of my digestive ailments. Moving on...

I expressed my concerns about the hospitals. What she said in a somewhat diplomatic way was, "Get over it. You aren't going to a spa - you are giving birth and what's important is that technically speaking the hospitals and doctors are good." She admitted that the hospitals here lack the "human aspect" but she told me to "try not to romanticize it or you will be disappointed." Then she slammed the U.S. healthcare system and said that it was a nice system for some but offered no guarantees to others. Uh, OK. I asked about epidurals. There again, she was pretty blunt. She said that the hospitals here are "badly organized for the epidural" and there is typically only one anesthesiologist to serve a whole department (or did she mean the whole hospital?). Nine times out of ten that person is busy in the operating room or in the emergency room and can't be dragged away to give some screaming woman an epidural. She said I have to be prepared for the fact that I will most likely NOT get an epidural because there will be nobody available to administer it. Her take on it is "Anyway, the epidural saves you a couple of hours of pain max just from the time you are dilated at 5 centimeters. The body expects pain in labor and is set up to take pain, so just try to deal. Maybe do yoga or learn hypnosis beforehand..."

So there we are. The baby seems healthy and for that, we are ecstatic. Hospital and labor concerns can wait, I guess.