Personal experience: a Russian doctor about pregnancy and childbirth in the United States
Daria Penionzhkevich moved from the Moscow region to Texas two years ago. At home, the woman worked as a doctor.
Daria, on her own example, told about how she gave birth to her second child in the USA.
Good news and search for a doctor
A year after my emigration to the USA, wonderful news struck our family: we will have another baby. At first I was very worried.
We began searching for a doctor and a clinic for pregnancy. After reviewing all the reviews, we called the office to one of the best doctors. But there was no limit to our surprise when the administrator politely explained that the doctor would not even look at us before 12 weeks. We continued the search, but all in vain. Without exception, doctors believe that watching a pregnant woman makes sense only after the 12 week, and it is better to 14-15.
If you suddenly can’t save your long-awaited fruit until that time, no one will worry too much, since nobody has taken you on record. Such an unpleasant incident occurred with my new girlfriend, who 2 times with bleeding in the early period came to the emergency service of the hospital, where she was just examined by a nurse (not a doctor) and sent home with apologies that the pregnancy was apparently interrupted. All these cases frightened us so much that we decided to just go to the largest new hospital in the city and sign up for further pregnancy management with subsequent birth within the walls of this medical center.
During the 13 weeks, I myself had no doubt that, nevertheless, my pregnancy was confirmed, it is not ectopic and everything proceeds, thank God, so far safely. First, the nurse took the necessary measurements (height, weight, pressure, pulse), collected anamnesis, started an individual electronic card and politely, smiling, asked to wait for the doctor.
At that moment I remembered my unfortunate gynecologists from the antenatal clinic, who not only did all the paper and cards manually fill in 15-20 minutes, so they still have to measure all anthropometric data themselves and listen for a long time to the patient reproaches that I had to sit. Here doctors love themselves. The maximum time taken to take 10 is minutes. True, my first visit was a little longer, I finally had an ultrasound scan and were solemnly congratulated for being a mother.
Счастливая и довольная, я отправилась домой с листочком в руках, на котором был написан график моих посещений клиники, а именно — 1 раз в месяц визит к доктору, всего пару анализов и еще 1 УЗИ на сроке 22 недели. И все. Никаких трех скринингов, как в России, только 1 скрининг по анализу крови (без УЗИ) в 18 недель и, для женщин старше 35 лет, более расширенный, который выявляет вероятность хромосомных аномалий развития и сразу определяет пол ребенка. Никаких регулярных анализов мочи и крови. Никаких 3D УЗИ вообще и в принципе.
Беременная женщина в Америке — это совершенно здоровая женщина, которой необходим лишь 3-минутный осмотр медсестры со взвешиванием перед беседой с врачом и 5-минутный разговор с гинекологом на предмет того, что все хорошо. Даже если вас что-то беспокоит — это все вариант нормы.
Examination
Чувствовала я себя просто замечательно, а через несколько недель меня ожидал ответственный тест, который должен был раскрыть секрет, мальчик или девочка появится в нашей семье. Поэтому другие анализы меня не интересовали совсем. И вот долгожданный момент настал, скрининг-тест в США — это куча бумаг, которые ты должен подписать, и 1 минута на анализ крови из вены — все. Дальше ждешь результат 2 недели, тебе просто позвонят и скажут: у вас все отлично, вы ждете мальчика, хромосомных аномалий развития нет.
In the ultrasound room I immediately remembered my homeland again. When I asked in a modestly quiet voice, and we could switch to 3D or do a doppler, I was no less modestly told that they do not do it to anyone at all. I did not begin to understand why, but I became sad. After completing the ultrasound, I was asked to wait for 5 minutes and answer the phone. Exactly in 5 minutes, a very polite and pleasant male voice called me, who introduced himself as a doctor and made us glad that the ultrasound was just great. That's all in essence what he said.
To my questions about the heart of the baby, the doctor asked: “Why are you asking, are you worried about something?”. I explained that my first daughter was born with a congenital defect, and it is important for me to understand how things are with the second baby. To which the doctor again politely explained that there is no need to worry. I realized that he himself didn’t know what to answer, so in order not to embarrass the doctor with his “stupid” inquiries and not waste his insanely expensive time, we ended our dialogue, satisfied and happy.
Дни шли быстро. Просто, можно сказать, летели, и я вместе с ними летала от счастья, пока мой доктор не определила дату плановой операции кесарева сечения. Имея опыт рождения дочери на 38-й неделе, я немного испугалась смелого решения моего врача рожать малыша на 40-ой неделе. А если вдруг роды начнутся раньше? Я, конечно, понимала, что до госпиталя ехать всего 10 минут, но как-то не очень хотелось попасть на операционный стол к неизвестному врачу и уже в родах. «Вы, главное, не рожайте в выходные, — нежным успокаивающим голосом предупредила меня врач, — в выходные я всегда за городом, постарайтесь всячески дотянуть до даты плановой госпитализации».
Well, said, done. We, people born in the USSR, can even control the time of birth if desired and under stress. The last two weeks have been especially painful, my whole house with visiting moms and dads blew me, literally, specks of dust and looked into my eyes. I understood that I simply have no right to give birth ahead of time.
Childbirth
We had to come to the hospital with things on the day of the surgery at 5 in the morning. Here it is normal, even for aorto-coronary shunting you arrive in the morning of the operation and leave after a couple of days.
Very pretty nurses in the 4 man brought me to the intensive care unit, in which I was supposed to be 2 hours before the operation and 2 hours after. I was dressed, my husband was dressed, numerous forms were filled in again, and they were asked permission to put an intravenous catheter. Of course, we gave permission, as it is necessary, only we did not think that this would cause such a difficulty for the 4-s nurses. In my beautiful veins, which they unanimously 5 minutes praised and examined, they tried to get into 5 as many times, first on one hand, then on the other. I tolerated it, though it was not very pleasant and painful, but I endure the pain, but my husband could not stand it, and after 5 the nurse tried to apologize, he demanded to call the head nurse.
Several times I almost didn’t get off the tongue to allow me to put a catheter on my own, but I decided not to cause irritation and confide in the professionalism of the clinic staff. Still, they were taught this at our city medical college, and he is one of the best in Texas.
Но вот пришла моя спасительница — старшая медсестра смены, в ее глазах я прочитала сочувствие и сразу почувствовала себя счастливой. За полсекунды она поставила безболезненно катетер и взяла кровь из вены. Правда, одну из пробирок те же медсестры нечаянно перепутали и потом испуганно звонили в лабораторию, чтобы предупредить, но я уже не переживала.
Для меня результаты всех лабораторных анализов были уже не важны. Я была в эйфории от мысли, что вот-вот увижу свое сокровище — сынулю, которого ждала всю жизнь. Вот только мой муж за эти 2 часа подготовки к операции перенес такой стресс, о котором он вспоминает до сих пор. Он пытался как-то справиться с собой и медсестрами, пил судорожно кофе, и тогда я поняла, как мудро поступали в далекой России, не допуская мужей на роды.
Exactly at 7 in the morning, 10 minutes before the operation, an anesthesiologist came to us. Not a doctor - but a dream. Probably the most attentive of all the doctors I have seen in America over the past 2 of the year. He was the first and only person in all the time who said that he was very worried about my safety, and he wanted to know whether I had any peculiarities or health problems. Of course, I did not want to delay the doctor a few minutes before the operation, so I quickly and briefly explained that I always had poor blood clotting and very weak blood vessels. This is what served as an indication for the first cesarean section in Russia. The doctor was very tactful to his colleagues, who missed this delicate moment and, without resorting to criticism, simply appointed a rapid analysis. After 5 minutes, the analysis was ready, because everyone waved a pen with a smile and took me to the operating room.
Maternal happiness
Почему-то этот момент мне показался ярче и приятней, по сравнению с таким же в России. 5 лет назад перед операцией с дочкой меня трясло от волнения и холода, вместе со мной тряслась металлическая кушетка, было больно от катетера, и яркий свет лампы бил в лицо. Тут меня везли, как королеву, по красной дорожке. Вокруг провожают улыбки медсестер и врачей. На стенах коридора красивые картины и фотографии счастливых мам с младенцами. Путь в операционную для меня был, как сказка, поэтому все неприятные воспоминания о неудачах медсестер я сразу забыла. А когда я увидела и опознала в операционных масках своего мужа, анестезиолога, врача-гинеколога и его ассистента, то совсем успокоилась. Вот они — свидетели моего чуда.
Spinal anesthesia was performed flawlessly, and the whole process of the operation for me lasted just a moment, because after a few minutes my husband had our baby in his arms, and a minute later the baby had already touched the lips of my chest. This maternal happiness is indescribable. I remember only tears of joy and insane excitement, so the rest of the time, while the doctors completed their process, I do not remember at all. My husband and I held hands and admired our baby. From this moment we did not part for a minute.
After childbirth
Chambers in almost all US clinics are similar. They are very comfortable, with good beds, equipped with an electronic call system, with the ability to order food from the menu to the ward, cable TV (huge plasma TV panels) and excellent bathrooms for the patient and relatives.
В моей палате стоял диван-кровать — спальное место для мужа. Все очень удобно. Правда момент уединения длился у нас недолго. Ровно через 5 минут к нам начали приходить всевозможные медсестры. Покой нам только снился. Каждый час осмотр ребенка, его взвешивание и измерение температуры. Поспать мне так и не удалось, хотя очень хотелось, потому что измерение моей температуры, давления и пульса каждая медсестра проводила ежечасно, в том числе и ночью.
For the whole day, we were so tired of the visits of the medical staff that in the evening I began to bleed heavily. Of course, I was not very worried about this, in principle, this was an ordinary thing, especially since I started to walk early and intensively, but my husband convinced me to call the nurse in the hope that a specialist would examine me and make sure that everything was happening. The nurse walked around me for a very long time, measured the pulse, pressure, temperature and, not deciding what to do next, asked us for permission to consult another nurse. The following nurse repeated the same manipulations, thought 10 for minutes and called another nurse. To the timid question of my husband about whether it is better to call the doctor, the nurse also timidly answered: "If you want to, of course, I can call the doctor on duty." Of course, we wanted to, because the experience of communicating with nurses on the first day was still warm.
The doctor arrived fairly quickly, in just 3 hours. Very pleasant, again, smiling and self-caring man. His appointments in the form of a dropper and blood test were just a joy to me, especially since, as a doctor, it was not very clear why the treatment and rehabilitation tactics of patients after the same operation differ so much in different countries. If in Russia the first thing after cesarean section is prescribed drugs to reduce the uterus, which improve blood clotting and antibiotics, in America I did not do it at all. I was offered strong narcotic analgesics, which I refused, and when the pain became so severe that I had to endure with difficulty, the nurse persuaded me to ibuprofen in a dose of 800 mg 2 once a day. And that's all.
Maybe this is better, because almost everyone agrees on painkillers, they don’t feel pain at all and the next day they go. And the uterus itself will shrink someday. Diet on the second day is total. No "only broth", as in the homeland. Restriction in the diet only on the day of surgery, on the second day you bring almost everything. Well, since I am a nursing mother from Russia, of course, I didn’t change my views on the diet and still adhere to nutrition according to the scheme, as I was taught, without hamburgers and sandwiches.
Утром нас осмотрел дежурный врач, отметил, что я — просто молодец и, пожелав удачи, выписал. Для нас это было счастье. Буквально за несколько часов нам подготовили все бумаги, оформили документы ребенка для регистрации свидетельства о рождении, распечатали кучу рекомендаций, выдали целый чемодан с подарками для малыша, и уже в полдень с цветами нас ждали в клинике друзья и родители.
The process of discharge of the newborn in America is impossible until the nurse is convinced that you have a car carrier for the baby. You have to lift her into the ward, show her, then go down to the car together, the nurse will fasten the child herself, check the seat belts, and only then can you go. Therefore, I was a little confused, because like all mothers in Russia, I prepared a beautiful envelope, a bow and a lot of beautiful things, and I was forced to take it all off, since it is impossible to properly fasten the child in the envelope. You can imagine my excitement and surprise of my elderly parents, when our two-day baby, sitting in a carrier in a crooked state, appeared on the first floor of the clinic to the joy of everyone.
True, this did not prevent us from taking memorable photographs that now resemble that day, which has become one of the happiest for us, because a healthy, strong baby was born in our family.
Material printed with permission of the newspaper. "Our Texas"
See also:
Personal experience: Russian woman on the work of children's doctors in the United States
How to plan for childbirth in America: step by step instructions
Personal experience. How to come to give birth in the United States for a tour. Part of xnumx
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