First Doctors Appointment- Saudi Arabia Style

I had my first doctors appointment last week since moving over here.  We've done a lot of research on local hospitals and doctors in the area as well as talked to numerous people who are familiar with the medical care here and found a great hospital with a great doctor to go to.  I was a little nervous and apprehensive about the appointment, but I think it was because I was unsure what to expect.  Over here, just like everything else, they have different ways of doing things, so I figured an OB appointment wouldn't be any different.

Brooks and I traveled to Khobar, an hour away, where the doctor and hospital are located.  Over here, the doctor is affiliated with a hospital and doesn't necessarily have a private practice.  When we entered the gates of the hospital, we were in awe of what we saw.  There were several buildings all facing the entrance and they stood easily 15 stories high.  They looked more like apartment buildings or hotel buildings.  When we walked inside the facility, we felt like we were walking into a five star hotel.  The chandeliers, ceilings, art work, marble tile, and aquariums were GORGEOUS!!  We quickly realized we were not in some hole in the wall hospital, nor were we going to be seeing a third world country "doctor".

After registering with the hospital and checking in with the doctors clinic, I was called to the back alone.  A nurse took me to look at my vitals, check my temperature, blood pressure, weight, etc.  Then, they had me return to the waiting room.  I was called back again, this time Brooks could come back with me.  We were brought into a room where we discussed family history, previous pregnancy, medical conditions, etc by a female doctor.  She was really nice and easy to communicate with.  She even asked if Brooks and I were related.  I think the look on our faces said it all, and she explained that is common in their area.  WOW!

After a few minutes, we were brought into ANOTHER room, this time with the actual doctor.  He was great!  He did all of his schooling in the USA, did several fellowships at Harvard Medical and even taught at Harvard.  He is very familiar with the Houston area- even asked if we've shopped at the Galleria (um, hello... only since I was 3!).  Upon finding out I was from Louisiana, he mentioned he and his wife have many fond memories on Bourbon Street in New Orleans (hmmm....).  He looked through my medical records and we discussed my previous pregnancy a little more thoroughly.  After hearing all the details, he said he wanted to start me on weekly injections of progesterone as a precaution.  I think my heart skipped a beat when he gave that recommendation.  I was comforted to know that he would have had me do the exact same thing that the doctors in the states prescribed.  This made me feel even more at ease with him.

Next, it was time for my actual check up.  Now, most of you women know that you'd pee in a cup, have them check for the baby's heartbeat, measure your stomach, and then you'd be done.  Not in this case.  I never was asked to pee in a cup and I didn't get "checked".  I had an ultrasound.  Come to find out, they don't "check you", if you know what I mean, unless you come in complaining of contractions or if it's at the VERY end of your pregnancy.  To be exact, the female doctor said not until 38 weeks.
Anyways, we had an ultrasound and the prepping me for the ultrasound was VERY different.  First of all, the doctor and Brooks were sitting in one part of the room, and I was moved to the other side of the room behind a curtain, where the ultrasound machine was.  A nurse "prepped me" for the ultrasound by having me LEAVE MY ABAYA on, unbutton just two buttons on it, lift my shirt partially, then covered my chest area (which was already covered with my shirt and abaya) with a blanket, placed a towel below my waist, and covered my lower stomach with another blanket.  There was only a small area of my tummy opened to put the gel on for the ultrasound.  That didn't stop the doctor.  He was able to do what he needed to do and the ultrasound checked EVERYTHING on the baby- his heartbeat, his body measurements, everything.  Ultrasounds are performed at every appointment to check the women's cervix as well.  This is why they don't need to perform an "exam" on you.

So, we got to see our baby boy and we saw him in 4D.  He looks just like Gavin did in his 4D ultrasound.  They have the same lips and nose.  I will say this though, the doctor kept commenting on how LARGE our child's lips were.  It was a little funny how many times he commented on it and then kept going back to his face to look at the lips.  We were excited just to get to see him "so close up".  It was sweet! Just wish we had a name for him.  Well, good news, sort of... I think we may have decided on a name for Baby Perry #2.  I started typing this post days ago because I wanted to figure out how to work our scanner and scan the ultrasound pics in and since then, we may have declared a name.  I think!!

There he is!! I'll post the name later just incase we still have a few more discussions on it!  Our next appointment is in 2 weeks and we are hoping to tour the hospital at that time as well.  We still need to find out what the procedures are at the hospital for husbands being in the room, epidurals, other policies, check out the baby nursery, etc which will help us make a decision on whether or not we will have this child here or in the states.  We will keep you posted!