The morning went by pretty quickly and the next thing I knew it was lunchtime.
I grabbed my lunch that I brought just like I do everyday. I walked into the kitchen to heat up Kristin’s leftover spaghetti, and then I headed to my car.
Everyday I couldn’t wait until my lunch break so that I can call Kristin to say hi to her and Mason.
I always spend my lunch break in my car. It’s quiet in there, and I can nap when I want. My coworkers are so obnoxious. In the five minutes that I’m in the kitchen I get “That’s all you’re gonna eat?”, “Oh my god, you’re eating a cookie today”, and my favorite “You’re the dietitian…are you supposed to eat that?”
I don’t come here to be judged on what I eat. I’m a dietitian because I love food, so I’d rather sit in my car and enjoy eating it, thank you. Plus whatever I have to eat is a hell of a lot better than the shit they eat.
Did I mention I can be a bit of a snob too? At least that’s what Brian always tells me.
I ate my food and called Kristin. No time for a nap today so I grabbed my water, wallet, and phone and headed inside to punch back in.
As I headed past the nurses’ office, I saw a pile of charts in the door that we needed to get to. I grabbed one on the way to my office.
It happened to be a pregnant woman. Her questionnaire actually doesn’t look too bad. She doesn’t drink enough water or milk. And she’s eating unheated lunchmeat. Most people get that one wrong.
But this is her first pregnancy, so it’ll probably take a bit longer than usual.
I opened the door and called her name. “Lauren Kitt!”
A tall blonde man jumped up. He looked young, or boyish I should say. He proceeded to yell across the waiting room. “She’s peeing! I’ll go get her!”
Seriously?
“It’s ok, you don’t have to disturb her. I’ll check back in a couple of minutes.”
I shut the door and walked back in my office.
I pulled out my phone to check it.
Call me later? We need to catch up.
That was from my best friend, Howie. We did need to catch up. I replied to him and set an alarm to call him later. Have I mentioned that I’m a little anal?
I walked back to the waiting room to call my patient back. But this time when I opened the door, the blonde guy was right behind it. I was so close to hitting him.
“There he is, babe! I told you he called you.”
“Hi Lauren, we’re gonna get your weight and height today. I also have to stick your finger to check your iron.”
“Ok, sure although I’m not too thrilled to stand on a scale.”
“Aw babe, you’re gorgeous.”
They seemed really nice. Maybe this visit would go well.
“Hi I’m Nick…I’m the baby’s dad…I mean her fiancé…I mean…nevermind.”
I chuckled as he reached out and shook my hand.
“Hi Nick. I’m Kevin. I’m the dietitian here, and I’m gonna get ya’ll setup. We’ll be about fifteen minutes, and you’ll leave with your vouchers.”
After we got Lauren’s measurements and iron level, I led them to my office.
“Ok Lauren, I’m going to start putting this information in the computer while I talk to you. How are things going? I saw that you are about twenty-five weeks now. How are you feeling?”
“She eats all the time. And she pees all the time, I mean, not in a bad way. But she does. Is that bad? Is something wrong?”
Poor guy.
“Well, her weight gain is right on track. Her iron level was a little low but that’s pretty common. Lauren, are you taking iron pills?”
“I have a prescription, but I haven’t been taking them.”
“WHAT???? Babe, you can’t do that. This is for our baby!”
“Are they making you nauseas?” She nodded.
“That’s pretty common. Try taking them at night before bed.”
“What if that doesn’t work? Can she just take my Flintstone vitamins?”
I was trying hard not to crack a smile. This man was a kid! An overgrown kid. I sometimes get annoyed by that behavior, but something about him was so endearing. I just wanted to hug him and tell him that it was going to be ok. He looked terrified.
“Well Nick, prenatal vitamins have all the nutrients that are necessary for proper growth and development of the baby. “
I then turned to Lauren, “If you’re really having a hard time keeping them down, I would suggest talking to the doctor.”
She nodded.
“So have you thought about breastfeeding? What are your thoughts?”
I glanced at Nick to see his reaction. I was hoping he would be on my side. He was a little surprised that I asked. He looked like he was waiting for Lauren’s answer as well.
“Well, I heard that it hurts and that it’s really hard.”
I then discussed the benefits of breastfeeding with the couple and addressed her concerns. As I was about to move on, Nick seemed to have finally realized what we were talking about.
“Babe, I want you to breastfeed. I mean, it’s good for the baby. Plus, Kevin said that it’ll be a good bonding experience.”
I love when the dads come in for the visit. I really do. Especially when it’s a supportive dad. As aloof as Mr. Carter here seemed, he meant well. And when we could get the dads involved and we get them in our corner, the moms feel supported and are more successful.
“I do wanna try, babe.” Nick smiled at her.
“I also see that you’re eating unheated luncheon meats. That’s actually pretty common, but we want to make sure that you’re not putting yourself at risk for a foodborne illness. Deli meats can actually have bacteria called Listeria and when pregnant moms get infected, it can be very serious. Just put the meats in the microwave and heat until steaming.”
Lauren nodded.
“Wait, oh my God! You had a ham sandwich earlier, babe. Maybe we should stop at the hospital on the way home just to be sure.”
“Well, I suggest you follow up with the doctor if there’s any concern but this is very common. I just want to make sure that ya’ll are aware of foods that may be unsafe. That’s all.”
Follow up with the doctor. That was my go to answer if they really needed reassuring. Not that I didn’t know what to say or do, but ultimately the doctors had final say. Not that they were always right…
I glanced at him and he half nodded back at me. Then I printed the vouchers and explained how to use them.
By the time they left the office, Nick had finally relaxed. Lauren also asked plenty of questions and was excited to try breastfeeding. I congratulated the couple and walked them out the office. I went to shake Nick’s hand but he turned and hugged me.
I couldn’t wait to see when they returned with their baby.
It’s visits like that one that make me feel good about my job. I knew that for every eight people that didn’t care what I told them, there were two that really did care and needed to know.
Author's Chapter Notes:
Just a note for the whole story, none of these names are real. And yes, all of these things happen all the time. In fact, this is almost an autobiography. lol. Enjoy!
