Registering a Home Birth
Here in Québec we have one month after the baby is born to register the birth, after which we are penalized and it's a bunch of trouble. Nicolas is already 15 days old today. All the papers are ready for him to be registered. Everything is filled out and ready to go, except for one thing. Since he was born at home, "unassisted" (since I had a renegade mid-wife, the birth was "unassisted"), I need a paper signed by a doctor saying he saw me with a newborn baby. I have only two more weeks in which to get this and send everything out.
But,... I can't even find a doctor willing to look at my baby and sign a paper saying he saw a newborn baby!!! I tried to make an appointment to see my gynecologist, early last week, but the secretary put me on a waiting list. So I called up my family doctor who's office is at least a half hour to 45 mins away. (In a different city.) And his secretary didn't think he "did" that. (Now how hard could it be to do that?), but she'd phone back and let me know. Of course, she hasn't phoned back. So I finally phoned back the gynecologists' office today to find out just how long I might be on the waiting list, and she said not until after the holidays. So then I explained to her, that I'd had the baby at home, and that I needed to have a doctor confirm the birth, that is all. I tried to explain that the baby was already two weeks old, so I only have two more weeks in which to send this paper off but she interupted me: "Oh but then it's not a gynecologist you need, it's a pediatrician!! A pediatrician takes care of babies not a gynecologist! We'll call you back when we have room for you okay?" Yeah, okay, but AM I ASKING HIM TO DO SOMETHING TO THE BABY?!! Come on! ANYONE can look at a newborn baby and see it's a newborn baby, you don't have to be a doctor to tell if it's a newborn baby!! And you certainly don't need to be a pediatrician! I think a gynecologist should be perfectly capable of recognizing a newborn baby, AFTER ALL THEY DO ACCOMPANY WOMEN WHEN THEY GIVE BIRTH, do they not?!!! Unfortunately, the state wants the signature of a doctor, otherwise I'd ask the neighbours to sign! So (I didn't actually respond in kind to the secretary, although I sure felt like it), I phoned up a pediatrican. Well guess what, OF COURSE they're not taking new patients! And the secretary tells me I probably won't find any pediatrician who is! So I explain my situation again and she gives me the number for a pediatric clinic, which is pretty much like those walk-in emergency clinics, except for children, and of course it was all booked up for today and you can't make an appointment in advance for the next day, so I have to phone back tommorrow morning... and hope for the best. I am about ready to camp out at the hospital until someone looks at my baby and confirms he's a newborn!! And the secretary at the gynecologist clinic can just not bother phoning back, because I think I will be refusing to go and see them again anyone, I have just about had it with the bunch of them! Giving me hormones I don't need, talking about inducing labour when I 'm only 39 weeks and now this!!
Watch out world, Coucoumelle has sprouted horns!!!
But,... I can't even find a doctor willing to look at my baby and sign a paper saying he saw a newborn baby!!! I tried to make an appointment to see my gynecologist, early last week, but the secretary put me on a waiting list. So I called up my family doctor who's office is at least a half hour to 45 mins away. (In a different city.) And his secretary didn't think he "did" that. (Now how hard could it be to do that?), but she'd phone back and let me know. Of course, she hasn't phoned back. So I finally phoned back the gynecologists' office today to find out just how long I might be on the waiting list, and she said not until after the holidays. So then I explained to her, that I'd had the baby at home, and that I needed to have a doctor confirm the birth, that is all. I tried to explain that the baby was already two weeks old, so I only have two more weeks in which to send this paper off but she interupted me: "Oh but then it's not a gynecologist you need, it's a pediatrician!! A pediatrician takes care of babies not a gynecologist! We'll call you back when we have room for you okay?" Yeah, okay, but AM I ASKING HIM TO DO SOMETHING TO THE BABY?!! Come on! ANYONE can look at a newborn baby and see it's a newborn baby, you don't have to be a doctor to tell if it's a newborn baby!! And you certainly don't need to be a pediatrician! I think a gynecologist should be perfectly capable of recognizing a newborn baby, AFTER ALL THEY DO ACCOMPANY WOMEN WHEN THEY GIVE BIRTH, do they not?!!! Unfortunately, the state wants the signature of a doctor, otherwise I'd ask the neighbours to sign! So (I didn't actually respond in kind to the secretary, although I sure felt like it), I phoned up a pediatrican. Well guess what, OF COURSE they're not taking new patients! And the secretary tells me I probably won't find any pediatrician who is! So I explain my situation again and she gives me the number for a pediatric clinic, which is pretty much like those walk-in emergency clinics, except for children, and of course it was all booked up for today and you can't make an appointment in advance for the next day, so I have to phone back tommorrow morning... and hope for the best. I am about ready to camp out at the hospital until someone looks at my baby and confirms he's a newborn!! And the secretary at the gynecologist clinic can just not bother phoning back, because I think I will be refusing to go and see them again anyone, I have just about had it with the bunch of them! Giving me hormones I don't need, talking about inducing labour when I 'm only 39 weeks and now this!!
Watch out world, Coucoumelle has sprouted horns!!!
Comments
Post a Comment