The next ultrasound with my doctor to check on the baby is coming up in a week or so. I'm 5 months along, and it will be the ultrasound where we'll find out if it's a boy or a girl. Unfortunately, Matt won't be able to come with me to the appointment.
Matt is visiting America right now, but one Saturday before he left, we tried to find a doctor close by with an ultrasound machine to find out the sex so that Matt could be there too. The hospital I've been going to for this pregnancy is on the other side of Phnom Penh and we didn't want to drive out there. We tried a Chinese hospital down the street. They had the capability, but the doctor wouldn't do it for us. She said it is against Chinese medical ethics. In China, with the one child limit, illegal abortions are more likely to occur for girl babies, so apparently doctors aren't supposed to reveal the gender so early. It was nice to see someone stick to their ethics in favor of money, even though the doctor wasn't under Chinese law here. We were tired, so we didn't try any other places that day, and we didn't try again before he left for America and it was too late.
Today the weather here was cooler than usual, 86 degrees, so I decided it was a good time to go out and forage for some food. While walking in my neighborhood, I came across a Cambodian hospital I hadn't seen before. Why wait another week? I popped in and asked if they could check the sex of my baby. The building was very run down on the inside, but it was clean. I had three Vietnamese doctors fussing over me. They spoke Vietnamese with each other, but they could speak Khmer also. They were sending me in different directions without coordinating with each other. One had me come in to the room with the old ultrasound machine before another one wanted me in there, so I went back to the waiting room. A different one, who didn't know how far along I was yet, told me to drink water so my bladder would be full for the ultrasound, and then another one came along and told me that wasn't necessary.
Finally, my three doctors and I were in the room ready to go. They were being completely adorable, acting so excited, like they were finding out the gender of their own baby. All smiling big, and talking excitedly while examining the screen.
"IT'S A GIRL!!"
"Do you like girls?" One of them asked. "Yes, I do!" I said. They were all very pleased. "Oh, it's a girl, and she like's girls!" One of them patted me on the leg. They melted my heart.
Such a contrast from my Russian doctor! She seems very strict and isn't touchy feely.
Examples:
Doctor--"Pregnancy is not a disease"
Doctor--"You paid too much for IVF. In my country, only $500!"
Doctor--"Have you been exercising?"
Me--"um...No"
Doctor--"Why not?"
Me--"Because I've been constantly nauseated"
Doctor--
silence
Doctor--"You plan to have c-section?"
Me--"No, the only thing is that I want an epidural."
Doctor--"Why you think you need epidural?"
Me--"Um, to avoid the worst pain known to mankind?"
Doctor--"You should come to my birth class"
She is growing on me though. Every time I see her, I like her a little more. And perhaps the language barrier makes her seem more serious than she really is. Her English isn't that great, and she doesn't speak Khmer to help bridge the gap. I can understand what she says, but she has a hard time understanding me.
Anyway, back to my Vietnamese doctors. Originally, I was quoted a price of $10 to check the sex. When the receptionist handed me the bill, it said $5.50. One of the doctors, an older man, came over with a big smile and said "You are having a baby girl! We are giving you a good price to help your baby" and gave me a pat on the shoulder. If my heart wasn't a puddle of goo before, now it was dripping all over the waiting area.
We're not surprised to hear it is a girl. Since Matt missed the previous ultrasound with my doctor also, we got another one for fun a couple of weeks later on a weekend with a random doctor so he could have a chance to see the baby too. The doctor at that time guessed it was a girl, but said it was too early to really know.
So, for whatever a $5 ultrasound is worth, we're having a girl! I think it is correct, though. They got some really clear views from different angles, and it looked like a girl to me.
On a related note, has anybody ever watched the show "I didn't know I was pregnant"? There are several episodes on YouTube and I've watched about 10 of them. It's like the best practical joke in the world that never gets old to watch. It is hard to understand how it can happen though. At 5 months, I can feel this little baby squirming up a storm every day.
