HELLO, MIDWIVES!

A week after our appointment at GP's, i'd finally received my first mail from Newham University Hospital (N.U.H), London. I was so relieved! :D Alhamdulillah. Inside the envelope, it had not only one but three copies of appointment letters! 

I will start with my first appoinment which was called as a Booking and History appointment.

January 17, 2011

My appointment was at 10a.m. So we off to the hospital around 9.15a.m. It took only 10-15 minutes driving. Once hubby dropped me in front of the building, i'd started to feel nervous. It was not my first time going for pregnancy check up without a company but that was in Malaysia where communication will never be a trouble. So I was kinda afraid if i couldn't catch up with the British accent since that was my first time without my personal translator. ;p How i really wished hubby could have accompanied me...but when i realized that my girls needed their father more than i needed him, then i quickly wiped out the negative thinking away from my mind. So, be tough! 

Then i started walking through the entrance positively and bravely. Eceh. ;p But I stopped at the lobby first to check for Maternity Booking Clinics at Zone 12 on 'YOU ARE HERE' direction map display there. Ooh how relieved i was to see the easy direction. It was just a straight forward direction. No need any turning at all, no stair or even elevator. ;) Hence from the lobby i just needed to walk straight until i finally found Zone 12. (The last zone ;p)

Alhamdulillah, the clinics was on my left and it was already 10 minutes before 10a.m. I quickly entered the entrance and went to the reception counter. Then told the receptionists that i got appointment by showing my appointment letter. After they checked my name and confirmed it in their system, one of them gave me a green booklet and a urine bottle. She immediately ushered me to the seats and asked me to wait til they called my name. As i was about to complete my personal details on the first page, a nurse called up my name to check on my blood pressure. Alhamdulillah, my BP was normal. :)

The antenatal booklet or simply the Green Booklet. Kt Malaysia buku antenatal colour pink, comey sket kan? hihi

Then i continued completing the 22 pages booklet..but i had to fill the required details only in page 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5. Still it had taken quite some time for me to finish it. Huhu. The details required were such

Personal Details, Partner Details, Social Assessment (Edu. level, Eng. Proficiency, Employ. Status, Housing, Smoking, Drug use and Alcohol Status), Ethnic Origin, a long list of Medical History, Mental Health, Family History, and Previous Births.

Huhu very long one i tell you.

Inside of page 2 and 3.

Details about my previous births. Tulisan kecik2, tak cantik and in the blue ink was mine, ;) while tulisan besar, cantik and in the black ink was midwife's. :)

As soon as i was done with the booklets, i went to the toilet with a urine bottle. ;) i was glad to know it's only for ladies. :D  It was quite a spacious toilet and it's clean. The moment i finished my business i heard that my name was being called up and i immediately responsed from the toilet. Lucky,  i was done at that time. Heheh.

When i came out from the ladies, a nurse greeted me and i quickly put my urine bottle on the counter before the nurse ushered me to a midwife room. Once i stepped into the room and said hello and smiled to both of them, the older widwife cheerfully greeted me with "Helloooo, i thot u had passed out in the toilet. Nway, i'm your midwife, Linda!" Haha i just chuckled NO and smiled to her. There was another midwife with her, a younger lady. Her name was Anna and she was a midwife trainee from London City University.


Firstly, Linda handed me out a Bounty Pack and then she started interviewing me and checking my green booklets while Anna was just watching and learning quietly. :). We had discussed on my pregnancy, balance diet, food that i should avoid and etc. She then seemed happy to see that i was in a good shape, live healthily and have a good husband too. (Banyak kali hokey dia tanya samada Hisham tu suami atau just a partner. ;p Siap tanya ada tak hubby pukul-pukul saya ke..Cepat-cepat sy jawab No, Never..;) Dia tanya lagi hubby helpful ke tak.? since she knew that i already have two kids. Hihi..Sy jawab, he's so helpful. ;) Barulah dia puas hati dan cakap "Good and you do look happy, don;t you? " I said yea, i do..:D Terus dia right sume kt column 'Mental Health'. hahaha rasa lawak tapi penting jgk tu kan. Kot la belum beranak lagi dah kene depression kan. ;p

Ini lah bounty Pack tu. Kat dalam ni macam-macam ada! ada mcm2 pamphlet, cash vouchers from toys R us and Mark and spencer klu rajin nak join bounty club la, ;p and ada discount coupon from Pampers and Fairy. Oh i loikee..TQ, TQ..^_^

Then Linda had mentioned about flu jab. Owh not again so i quickly told her that i already got it when i went to GP. And she's glad to know about it. Ceh, macam smooth je la jumpa Late Booker ni kan..ahahaha...BUT sampai part check list medical history amik kamu! She was surprised to know that i had Female Circumsition. Mula2 dia ok lagi lepas dia tau saya disunatkan waktu baby..bila dia tanya The Eins plak. Saya mengaku la yang ktrg sunatkan diorang jugak. Tiba-tiba berubah air muka dia, cakap "Why u do that to your girls? It's not good, it's wrong you know...and it's illegal in this country." Erk. I was speechless but i convinced her it was done by a doctor at a clinic and in Malaysia, it's not illegal. So apa hal kan? Tapi dia tak boleh terima dan dia cakap dia akan report ke social service. Aduhai, mak buyung ni dengar je Social Service terus rasa nak menangis pun ada !. Takut wehh, kt sini pengaruh social service kuat. But being me who could control my face expression and emotion quite well, i just acted coolly in front of her. Tapi dalam hati Tuhan sajalah yang tahu. ;p

After that, she'd asked Anna to bring me to another room for a blood test. She then looked calm herself and told me to meet her again as soon as i did my blood test. So wokey. Masa tunggu turn nak buat blood test, i cepat-cepat called hubby and told her about the issue. I was upset and scared if she really reported to Social Service. We could be in trouble! I was apologised to hubby for being honest admitting that i had female circumsition and did it to the Eins as well. As usual hubby was always being on my side, he comforted me and we ended up marah gila2 kt L tu. Lega sikit. Huahuahua. Then i told hubby to pray together so that she would forget to make the report. So, in case  kalau u all atau sesiapa datang ke UK ni, tipu je tau bab bersunat tu, tulis je tak pernah OK. :D

Nway, my blood test was carried out smoothly too. Ashley, the medical assistant who did the test on me was a friendly lady, told that i would know the result in my next follow up. :) After that i went back to Linda's and she let Anna did examination on my baby bump. ;) I was ushered to a bed before Anna doing Fundal Height: She then used a centimetre tape measuring from the fundus (top of my uterus) to the top of the symphysis (pubic bone) and recorded it. Then Anna told Linda first about the baby's head and heart position or presentation roughly during 28++ weeks before she really checked it by searching for Lil One's head somewhere at my lower abdomen with her hands.

I was praying quietly so that baby's head was already down there and my placenta had rised. (Masa scan kt Malaysia, uri kat bawah) Then Anna said, Lil One's head was already down there but said nothing about the placenta. Then Anna used a Doptone to listen to Lil One's heartbeat adn we listened it together2. Hihi, it's so fast and Anna said, it sounds good, normal so she n Linda agreed that Lil One should be fine. Alhamdulillah..logo den! hikk.

After some more further explanation from Linda about plans of pregnancy and parenthood such as antenatal class and hospital tour, and also confirmed of my next antenatal visits/appoinments..i made my way out to meet Wallace from the passport team at the hospital lobby just to confirmed my passport to be entitled for free maternity treatment and medical exemption at N.U.H. Sekejap je jumpa Wallace and he then wrote 'entitled' on my green book. And  i was done for my first appointment! Wee!

The appointments.

The appointment letters. :) Bulan ni ada 3 lagi appointment. Huhu.

OK till then, Wassalam. :)