Wednesday, October 12, 2011

24, 25 and 26 weeks!!

How has time gone by so fast again?!
If I would have written last week I would have said that I found a Doctor. Her name is Dr. Xu and she has delivered almost every baby in our branch. The only babies she has not delivered are those who were not born at the one hospital. Needless to say I was feeling pretty relieved. Her office is about a 15 minute walk from our apartment and then the hospital is about two blocks from there. Ali and I walked to the office last week and spoke with the lady at the desk about becoming a new patient of Dr. Xu's. She said that would be no problem. She then got a nurse for us to talk to about which appointments and tests we would still need. This nurse also said it would be fine to see Dr. Xu.
Since the women here only have 1 baby it's a really big deal! The offices sell different packages and they get VERY pricey! Most of the packages include 4-D ultrasounds, pictures, DVDs, etc. The check-ups end up being more than the actual delivery but the people seem to love it! In a way it's nice that they are enjoying the process as much as they can since they know it won't happen again. For me, I can enjoy the process just fine on my couch or walking to the subway. Luckily, they allow you to pick and choose what you want. If you don't want the tests or ultrasounds, you don't have to get them. You do have to be pretty firm about it since they are trying to sell you on large packages. For example, the nurse said that I was too far along to purchase a package but she tried to sell me a 60,000 RMB prepaid card that would go towards the rest of my appointments and then could roll over to help pay for the delivery. That's about $10,000 just for the last 15 weeks of checkups! Not going to happen! Especially since our student insurance doesn't cover maternity and we are paying out of pocket. Anyway, I told the nurse that I would talk to my husband and call back to make an appointment.
Half a week passed and we found out that Jimmy was going to have some free time on Wednesday so I could go do my glucose test while he stayed with Ali. So I called on Monday to make the appointment and the lady at the office told me that I wouldn't be able to see Dr. Xu because she had too many patients in December and January but that I could se Dr. So-And-So. No, I don't want to see Dr. So-And-So. I don't know that doctor and I don't know how Chinese they are when delivering babies.
So, the update this week is that I don't have a doctor yet. I'm trying not to freak out. This hospital would have been perfect for us. The price is a lot cheaper than other hospitals and they had that good doctor that a lot of Americans trust. However, trials come and we just roll with it. We'll see what happens. I need to find a doctor by next week so I can get the glucose test done.
As far as how things are going health-wise, things are GREAT. I feel fabulous and the belly is BIG! It's amazing how much bigger you get with the second baby. I know I wasn't this size at 26 weeks with Ali. I don't remember feeling really big until I was in the 30's. It will be fun to see how much bigger I get. People are already staring and some people even look disgusted that I would have two children. I really wonder what is going through their heads since they only have 1 and here I am walking around with 1 and pregnant with another. They must think I'm a reckless, crazy person. That's probably true!
I'm getting nervous to leave Ali for the birth of Baby Boy. I'm going to miss her so much. We've never been away from each other and it's going to be hard!

4 comments:

Teagan said...

Oh Julie, you are a reckless, crazy person! :) I love hearing about your Asian adventures. I'm praying you find an American-ese doctor.

Amanda said...

Oh girlfriend,.. #3 is even crazier(as far as how fast that belly grows) I feel like I am 35 weeks at LEAST! I remember thinking with Bailey "when my belly sticks out further than my boobs, I will feel like I finally LOOK pregnant. with Bailey that was at 30 weeks,.. with Cy,.. 16 weeks. it's like my uterus was like,.. well I know how big these things usually get and so I will just swell up now. heavens! I can't wait to see this little Jimbo!

Annie said...

Jimmy and Julie,
We are thinking of you and really hope you can find a good doctor that you feel you can trust by next week.
Pregnancy can be stressful as it is, we can't imagine in a whole new environment. Hang in there.
We love you guys.

helen said...

I am with Teagan, hope and pray that you can find an American-ese doctor SOON! Julie, you look amazing and add to the fact you are living in a CHINA and all that implies. Really only 76 more days!?!