Breaking and Building the Routine Checkup.

In Canada we are so blessed to have the free (for the most part) healthcare system that we have. Especially as a pregnant woman getting to see her doctor multiple times leading up to delivery day; it really can help to relieve just some of the many concerns and fears that you have during pregnancy. However, even though these regular checkups are appreciated, they certainly could be more informative.

During my pregnancy I became quickly familiar with the same routine visit that would take place every time I went to the doctor’s office. These appointments would always consist of three main checks: weight, blood pressure, and baby’s heartbeat. At the end of the appointment there would be the same two questions asked: Any bleeding? Any other concerns? And though these are all certainly great and necessary things to check during pregnancy, there was so much more that could have been discussed to my benefit.

Being the worrier and over-thinker that I am, I had already taken it upon myself during the entirety of my pregnancy to read up as much as I could on pregnancy need-to-knows, birth preparation, and postpartum recovery. Because I had proactively done this myself, I would often go into my appointments with loads of questions for my doctors. Even still, being as prepared as I was, I wish more was discussed during these checkups.

Here are just a few of the topics that I, or other women I know, would have greatly appreciated learning more on in advance: postpartum physical recovery (and what you actually need to pack in your hospital bag for this), postpartum depression (signs to look for, what you should do if you think you have it), breastfeeding/lactation or lack of lactation when first giving birth, what to expect for your first postpartum period and when to expect it – the list goes on and on.

Was I advised that the hospital provided online birth classes that I could take? Yes. Did those classes at least broach some of these topics? Yes. Could I have learned more that would have helped me? 100%.

I had two doctors during my pregnancy; one residency doctor and one OBGYN – I loved them both. I do not put full blame on them for not proactively going into detail in all of these areas. I am sure that doctors are specifically told what they need to cover during these appointments and they are doing just that. I am not entirely sure where exactly the change needs to happen, but I do think a change is necessary. We can certainly do a better job of being more informative, more vocal, more upfront about the very real issues that women can and will encounter, and how to be better prepared for them. We should be equipping women with the information and knowledge that they need to maintain both their physical and mental health. There is a wealth of information out there that can greatly enrich our wellbeing – we just need to do a better job with sharing it.