Imagine leaving your very first OB appointment feeling hopeless in finding appropriate care during your first pregnancy and like you'd better off ending the pregnancy than continuing with care. That's how I felt leaving this office after my appointment with the "midwife" Hayley Kisiel.
I've read more useful information on webMD than was given to me by the "midwife" they scheduled me with. When I scheduled this appointment, I asked specifically what it would entail. I was told it would be a urine sample to confirm pregnancy and a nice little session for me to ask any and all questions I might have. I took time to write out all of my questions and came fully prepared.
After my check in, urine sample collection, and vitals, they pulled out a gown and had me dress down to which I asked why and they said I would be having a full physical and pap, which I was never informed of when I scheduled the appointment. Apparently, it's a pretty normal practice, which I understand. However, with this being my very first appointment and first ever pregnancy, I am not aware of what's "normal" or what to expect and I was not informed of this when scheduling the appointment and asking what it would entail. So when a new, first time pregnant patient asks what their appointment will consist of, I do think having a more thorough explanation is crucial.
I dressed down and found myself sitting on the exam table for what ended up being the entire duration of the appointment, which meant I didn't get to reference my list of questions, let alone write anything down. The "midwife" they set me with was not to my liking and for quite a number of reasons. Mostly being that I had it in mind that a midwife would have a welcoming demeanor and have a more natural approach to the pregnancy. That was quite the opposite from the beginning of our appointment. She was not welcoming to say the least, she had a more reserved and in all honesty, stuck up attitude, which I surely didn't appreciate at my first appointment where I'm incredibly nervous. She strongly urged me to begin taking antidepressants, despite my telling her I have no desire to do so. As someone who has a psychiatrist to diagnose and prescribe such medications, it felt completely out of line to feel pressured to take something that I have never taken before simply because it is "strongly recommended" for those with anxiety during pregnancy.
In addition to suggesting I start taking an antidepressant, I was strongly urged to consider stopping all supplements that my Naturopath has advised I take, that they also approved are safe for me to take during my pregnancy. Last, but not least while the "midwife" overlooked my list of supplements that I am taking and no longer taking, she listed off a few that are safe to take during pregnancy, to which I had to correct her and tell her that it clearly states on the bottle "do not take while pregnant or breastfeeding" and that it is not safe to take and that is why I am no longer taking it. She also suggested that I meet with a high risk OB because of all of the supplements I am taking, and I really felt like I was being pushed off because she didn't actually know what any of these supplements were. FYI-these supplements are simple and standard-I buy them at Natural Grocers and Whole Foods.
Towards the end of the appointment, I'm still sitting half naked in the gown on the exam btw, never had the chance to get dressed again or get myself comfortable even long after the physical exam was complete, she's beginning to close the laptop and walk towards the door and asks if I have any questions...to which I reply of course I have plenty but they're all written down in my bag. She hands me my bag and I find myself awkwardly flipping through my note tab trying to pick out which questions are "the most important" since I'm feeling rushed at this point and it's clear that the appointment is over. I felt even more confused and lost at this point than I did before the appointment and so I asked the first question about feeling extremely dehydrated, despite my drinking well over gallon of water a day to which she responded "A gallon of water is 130 oz, you could eat some watermelon, it's really juicy and hydrating".
The last thing I want to comment on about this entire experience is the fact that there are signs posted everywhere, including in the exam rooms stating that masks are still required at this facility and for appointments. Everyone including staff and patients are wearing them at the front of office, but when I was called back for my appointment, I found it very odd to see the entire back of house staff either not wearing a mask at all (one of the male providers) or wearing it below their noses and chins, like the girls at the computers and even the "midwife" that saw me. read more