Pregnancy Calendar and ‘ejastu wait!’

28^th Jan 2012:  Time to go to the Obstetrician/Gynecologist!!  I love that word, Obstetrician.  A bit of a tongue bender, I must admit. Obstetrician!

Appointment time is 9.40am, but we are in at 9.20am.  We are supposed to register first. And we do.  So far good.  They even got Ingrid’s surname right. Grimmelikhuizen.  That’s more like a sur-sentence!  The hospital seems rather laid back and not teeming with people like a ‘Trash and Treasure’ sale.  The mix of people in Oman are very interesting.  The Indian population takes most part of it, who are always in a hurry, because they nearly always take on, more than they can handle.  Be it work, at home or rearing kids. Everything is a rush.  And then the Omani’s on the other hand, are a much laid back people. But, they seem to like the fact that having a rushed personality is good for health.  They are impatient at counters, at traffic lights and even to see a wadi overflowing; it does not matter, if it brings death to some eager ones.  And then, they have no idea why queues are there in the first place. They buzz around the counter like ants to a grain of sugar!  End result,  many Insha Allah's mixed with pandemonium is a way of life.  That seems to be NOT the case at The Raffah Hospital. Things seem petty calm. They also have the trade name, ASTER – Big on Care.

We are guided to our waiting area, when the Obstetrician/Gynecologist does her consulting. Brilliant service so far.  We are called in to the room of the doctor. A lady in her late 40s or so.   Very Indian, very no-nonsense too. Which gives a very assuring feeling.   We walk in, and a bit crowded I must say.  The doctor, her assistant, and her assistant’s assistant.  She kindly asks us to sit, and they all look at me, as if they have just seen a unicorn.  Now, what on earth is a man doing here?  More embarrassing for them, than me! I am thick as leather to these things usually.  Understandably, having a baby in this region is seen as a 'women-only' activity.  Man's job is over!  

We give our story, and she instantly says. Let’s do some testing. On the test bed Ingrid is laid. Screens are drawn, since I might see some bare skin which can be absolutely adulterous, or can trigger my  libido and  bring out that dormant evil sexually deviant personality that I have been  hiding and turn me into a raving rapist.  Thank god, I saw nothing…all are safe.   

Oh, by the way, in the days prior I downloaded this wonderful calendar. Yes, it is a called The ‘10-Month Pregnancy Calendar’ made by the Government of Canada.  

My 10 Month Pregnancy Calender

I like the way it work. Being a bit  of a stickler to these kinds of thing, as keeping record, I love it.  You just cannot go wrong on the documentation.  It has just about everything to do with the whole pregnancy thing.

I proudly pull it out, and flaunt it in front of the doctor. All 3 of them look at me, like, ‘is he mad, or does he think he is building the Titanic?’ 

I don’t care. I like these things done in order.  In a very meaninglessly fascinated way, the doctor says, ‘Good’.  

Bitch!  I know they must have bawled out laughing when I walked out.

She wants all tests done.  A complete blood count, urine routine test, blood HCG serum test and random blood sugar.   We are sent to another floor, and Ingrid gives her blood sample, and urine sample. Of course, in the middle of that, an Omani man interrupts waving his stool sample asking, where he must leave it!  Welcome to Oman!

Two hours later we are back with the doctor and her gang.   The nurse outside see’s us, ‘ejastu wait’.  Tells us in a typical Kerala accent. In case you did not get it, it is  supposed to be Just wait!

‘Congratulations!  A good pregnancy you have, good hormone count’, the doctor says.

What in god’s name does that mean? Even Google cannot find that definition. 

She confirms that, Ingrid is on her 7^th week of pregnancy.  Wow.  So the little fetus must be around 3 cm’s in size.  All I can imagine are tadpoles! One little tadpole!

She wants the Feroglobin tablets  discontinued.  Instead, prescribes,  Folitab 5 Mg tablets.  A straight forward dose of daily Folic Acid, with no frills and flowers attached.

Next visit, 4^th February 2012, at 10 AM.  Ultrasound to be done. Wow…so now we will have a picture out.  A flat white sheet with a negative like image in the shape of a circumcised cone! With some creativity we will see ET!

For today, I guess I can say with some sense of confidence that Ingrid is pregnant.  So I think!