Pregnancy Stress and Irritation

Having a baby can, and should be, a joyous time for women. Pregnancy is an amazing wonder and should be enjoyed. Though, I'm finding with this pregnancy that I am not nearly as happy with things as I was with my other pregnancies. It's not the pregnancy itself, rather the care I've received, or not received, however you want to look at it.

I realize that I had my other children at another hospital but does care really differ that greatly? I am still dealing with military providers, how come it seems so much different than what I had before? I understand that even with the military, different places will have different operating procedures, but the care I have received recently is definitely substandard and it's creating lots of stress and a lack of confidence in the people that should be caring for me and my baby.

A couple months ago I got sick. I had a head cold that lasted over 2 weeks. I'd made an appointment with my PCM but she said it was just something I needed to let pass. She'd also stated that she was uncomfortable prescribing medications to me because I was pregnant. So, a few nights later I went to the ER because I was getting worse, not better. They would have prescribed penicillin but I am allergic to it, so they were uncomfortable giving me anything else because, well, I am pregnant.

By that point I was fed up with being told that I couldn't get prescribed meds because I am pregnant. I was sick, have 2 other kids and a house to take care of. I can't afford to be sick for 2 weeks without some sort of help to make me better. I finally called the OB/GYN clinic to see if I could get in to see the midwife I'd seen for all my baby appointments. They, luckily, were able to get me in that day and she gave me some antibiotics and I was already feeling better by the next day. Just frustrating that I had to go through all of that to get helped.

Well, now, I am sick again. Head cold. I am stuffy, coughing and my left ear has so much pressure built up in it that it feels like I've stuffed an entire cotton ball in my ear. This started over the weekend, but since I had my baby appointment already scheduled for today, I decided to just wait to do anything and have them deal with it. Ha. I ask if she can look in my ear to make sure it's not an infection or to at least see what we can do about it. Her response was that they don't have that equipment because they don't look in many ears. REALLY?

Ok, I give credit to the fact that it is an OB clinic. They aren't looking at ears, but I know for a fact there is at least 1 room there that does have that equipment and she could have very easily made it possible for it to be checked. Instead I am being told to go to my PCM who isn't going to do anything for me anyway, I'll either end up in the ER or calling them back for an appointment when it could have all been handled today. I'm extremely disappointed and frustrated with this place.

At our last base, the hospital had 2 different OB clinics. They had the clinic that only saw pregnant women and the clinic that handled all other womanly appointments. Even if you weren't regularly seen in the women's clinic, before 20 weeks, that is where you'd go for any illness or issues during pregnancy, whether it was pregnancy related or not. This ensured that you were always seen by an OB and there was never the issue of a Dr feeling uncomfortable or unwilling to prescribe medications to a pregnant woman. I just think that is how it should be everywhere. While pregnant, whether the issue is pregnancy related or not, we should be seen by an OB or someone who has more knowledge of OB care than a general physician.

I'm beyond unhappy with this place as a whole, now adding this stress and irritation doesn't make me feel any better about being here. And with some of the stories I've heard about having babies here from other people, I am worried that my birth experience is going to be one huge nightmare. Just not the happy and joyous feeling of pregnancy I remember from when I was pregnant with my other kids. Hopefully things will either get better or my birth experience at least won't be horrible. If so, they are going to have a lot to listen to from me, that's for sure.