First Doctor's Appointment

Back in January Jake and I found out Sawyer Stacy Garn would be joining our family. So, like most expecting mothers do, I made an OB appointment to make sure everything was okay and I wasn't just having a "hysterical pregnancy." Well the day came and I left work a little early so I wouldn't be late. I arrived 15 minutes early, 2:15 for a 2:30 appointment :) As I sat in the waiting room I thought to myself, "it might be a while, I should have brought snacks." I was only in the waiting room 10 to 15 minutes, which I thought was pretty fantastic. They took me back and had me take a urine sample, sign some paper work, and then took some blood. The nurse taking my blood had a runny nose and kept sniffling. Then as she stuck in the last tube to extract my blood, she said, "Oh NO!" and started sniffling really hard as a great wad of snot leaked down into the palm of my hand. She was horrified...I was disgusted. For those of you who know me, I'm generally a appeaser (some would say non-assertive) and I didn't want to make her feel worse so I pretended like I didn't care. "Oh it's alright, I can just wash my hands," which is true...that's really all I could do at that point. The snot ball was already there. So, I washed my hands and when I got back a different nurse took me to another room with the ultrasound equipment and handed me a paper towel. "Strip from the waist down and wrap up in this. The doctor will be in shortly." Oh how I wish that were true. To bide my time until the doctor got there, I read through the three magazines that they have hanging by the door. When I got through the third I thought..."it's been a while, I hope he gets here soon." and as I waited some more I looked at all my information that was on the ultrasound machine. Still no doctor, so I decided to start counting seconds. "one-one-thousand....303-one-thousand." I finally stopped at 303 because I got extremely bored counting. Still no doctor, so I started singing all the preschool songs we were learning at work. Still no doctor! I looked at the clock at this point and noticed it was 4:45! So, I peeked out to see if anyone was coming. I heard a bunch of people so I figured they must be REALLY busy! I didn't want to go look for someone though because let's remember, I only have a paper towel on from my waist down. So, I close the door and start walking back an forth, back and forth in the tiny room. Still no doctor. I decided to start drumming cadences I learned back in high school marching band. I got through about 4 or 5 of them until I got sick of that. Still no doctor. Then Jake called to see how things were going. I told him I was still waiting. Then I asked if he could have dinner ready when I got home because I was STARVING! He told me to give it 5 minutes and check again for the nurse or doctor. So I did and during that 5 minutes I kept thinking, "I hope they didn't forget about me...I really hope they didn't forget about me...please don't have forgotten about me!" Then I looked out the door...The hall lights were off. "Hello?" "Helloooo?" No answer. I didn't hear anyone. I start to panic and run out in my paper towel. "Hello! HELLOOO! Anyone!" and I look in every room in the OB office two times. All the lights are off and no one is there. I run back to my room and throw on my pants and think..."somebody has GOT to be here." I run around the office two more times checking every room. Still no one. So, I went to the front desk to write a note. Then out of no where I see a couple holding ultrasound pics heading for the stairs. "Hey, is there still a doctor here?" and they respond, "well there is the ultrasound tech here." "K thanks!" So I went around the office one more time. Couldn't see her anywhere. So, I start writing my note again, "my name is Jennifer Garn and I had my first appointment today and the doctor never came in. My appointment was at 2:30 and everyone has gone home." Then I see a lady walking towards the stairs..the ultrasound tech! "Hey, do you work here?!" Her: "Not for this office, I was just borrowing the equipment for a friend. Why? Do you need something?" Then I start bawling..."They forgot about me! and I tell her it was my first appointment and I've been there since 2:15 (at this point it is 5:55). She is so nice and says, "Oh and it's your first, well here let's see if I can find the heartbeat for you so you'll at least no it's doing okay. So she took me back and I saw little Sawyer's heartbeat for the first time. :)


I cried all the way home and walked in the house crying. Poor Jake thought something was wrong. Then I told him and he laughed. Then he called the doctor's office and left a message. I got 5 phone calls from my doctor the next day apologizing. He had no idea I was there. The clinic didn't even have on record my co-payment for the appointment. It was like I was a ghost. For my long wait, they gave us movie tickets and a gift card to Red Robin...and I never waited more than 15 minutes to see the doctor again. (even though there were other problems throughout my pregnancy with that particular office.)