A Blast From The Past

At the hospital, I was given a number and told to “please wait”. Women were called into a small room and come out a minute later to wait some more. When my turn came around, they took my weight and blood pressure and sent me back out to wait.

Dennis was watching soccer on TV and I was trying to drink more water for the ultrasound when I turned to Dennis and said, “I bet that’s the doctor.” We looked each other, our smiles almost turning to full-out laughter.

The “doctor” reminded me of an 80s Chinese Kung Fu villain. He walked with a slight limp most likely from age—not from fighting—and wore a dated suite with a collared shirt (unbuttoned of course). His eye glasses could have seriously been from the 80s though I’m sure they’re still available in stores. The best part was his hair. I don’t know how else to describe it aside for it was big and had plenty of volume—it framed his face the way a lion’s face is framed by that golden, glorious mane.

When we were finally called into the examining room, the Chinese boss was indeed our doctor. He looked over my prenatal records and asked me questions mainly about why there are no results for Toxoplasma and CMV screening. He explains that Toxoplasma is common in Indonesia and can be contracted by eating raw vegetables/salads from restaurants as they have been washed with tap water. I tell him that maybe the test wasn’t done because there is no need for it in the US. I asked him what the potential complications are for the babies: (1) blindness, (2) water in the brain, and (3) heart defects. I’m sure there’s more that those 3 were enough freak anyone out.

He explained that I needed to get tested in case I contracted it in the past 9 days we’ve been in Indonesia. Frankly, I knew I wasn’t as careful as I could have been, so it was somewhat comforting to know that effects of Toxoplasma could be prevented with antibiotics. According to the doctor, Toxoplasma is normally discovered in the 1^st trimester. I was already my 2^nd trimester, so it was important to find out as soon as possible. He told me to get a blood test after the examination.

He suggested the following:

1.     20-minute walk every day at around 4 o’clock in the morning to avoid pollution

2.     Classical music for the twins via earphones at the highest volume 5-6 times a day 15-20 minutes

3.     Stop taking my allergy medication, which he did not refill (I was down to 5—he prescribed 10 Claritins instead)

4.     Drinking more water and “mother’s milk” available at grocery stores to supplement the prenatal vitamins, iron and folic acid he prescribed

5.     Eating fresh fruit specifically papaya to help with constipation

I asked him how you say papaya in Bahasa. He looks at me in the eyes and with a straight face slowly says, “Pa-pa-ya.” Dennis and I just about died laughing.

We also saw the twins in the ultrasound. It seemed a lot more crowded in there compared to the first ultrasound. They were swimming around, kicking and turning, and it was hard to get good photos of them. Both pictures were of their backs and were not nearly as clear as their first photos—perhaps I should have drank more water. The doctor said it may still be too early to tell their gender. I told him I didn’t want to know. Dennis, of course, made his preference for twin boys known. The doctor teased that he could tell Dennis, but he didn’t have to tell me. I said no.