Some serious menu planning (eating like a rabbit for 3days) and efficiently chosen clothing (I looked like I was about to hit the beach, lol - and I even re-weighed myself without my thin hoodie, which cut another 300g off!) and I came in at 2.2kg for the last month and 3days....not bad at all! So there was no weight mentioned this time. As it turned out, it was a different doctor, who didn't say very much AT ALL (not even the "this may be a little cold" before putting the gel on my tum-tum) so I probably needn't have worried. Oh well, it was fun for a few days. And I got to reward myself with a Mr Donut morning tea break afterwards - seriously! We got out of the doctors before 10am, so went to the small shopping centre close by to pick up some groceries, and shouted K and myself to some donuts and (gasp) a cup of coffee!! I don't really drink coffee (and have avoided it more so than usual during pregnancy), but every now and then I just feel like one, and when Mr Donuts offers free refills, well, I just couldn't resist. How good is THAT! (mental note to self to go to Mr Donuts more often). So K and I shared 2 donuts (only because as soon as we sat down she decided that she DIDN'T want the one she picked out from the pack, but she wanted MINE, but I managed to convince her to go 半分子 with me, since she had the plain one, lol) then she said she wanted a drink of milk, so we got her a kiddies drink (105yen, again, too coool!) and a pink donut to share again and sat for some more. Was nice. She didn't eat lunch when we got home, but hey, once in a while ain't bad, right.
So all is good with TJ-baby - about 907g according to the ultrasound pic, right on track. We left home just before 8:20am, coz the traffic in the morning here is crazy - there are 2 lanes going down the hill, about 1km until we turn onto the start of the expressway or straight ahead to the next station area. In the mornings, the road to the expressway is always backed back to OUR traffic lights, so I usually jump into the right hand lane and try to cut in at the last minute. Seriously, can be like a 15min difference if you just stay in the left lane. A bit いんちき maybe, tho..... Anyway, got to the docs before 8:40am, so we were the first ones there, K likes playing with the toys there anyway, and I prefer to get there early and try to get out quickly. Had my checkup (all of 5mins) then was called back for 採血. It seems every time I go they are taking more tests or blood from me - never remember doing it this often when pregnant with K. I was also getting a bit worried because each time the appointments are costing close to 8000yen, or more, and that is WITH the little discount tickets from the city. When I asked the clinic originally they had said that it would be more like 4000yen or something each visit, so I thought I was be taken for a ride, but today it came out at only 3900yen (lol) so I was happy - more money to shout myself Mr Donuts with, right!? Next appointment is in 3 weeks time.....guess I am over the halfway point now, so they are just gonna get more frequent until I am down at the docs every other day, lol.
I also have to pay the 2nd down payment/２次予約金 probably next time, 20万 I think it is, yikes! Better start searching behind the sofa for loose coins or sell my body or something to pay for that.
Apart from the pretty constant back pain (not dilapidating, but ever existent) and some nightly headaches, things are going well though! I am probably not "enjoying" being pregnant this time, but that is only because I am not 100% focused on the pg. That said, I am not NOT enjoying it, so that is good at least. We came home and I decided to end off a lazy week with a lazy afternoon on the sofa reading "Shopaholic and Baby" and eating salty senbei as I figure I can only use the "I'm pregnant, why not" excuse for a few months more so better make the most of it now.
Oh, and it seems each time I go my current pg status (how many weeks/days pg I am) changes again, just by a day or 2. Not sure if that means that my EDD changes too or not, lol. but today I was recorded as 25w3days, even though I counted differently....oh well.
Friday, 15 January 2010
25weeks3days
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Wow, very impressive you only put on 2kg over the month with Christmas and New Year thrown in! Don't you just love the after doctor pig outs? I usually hit the bakery but did go to Mr Donuts last month too.
ReplyDeleteI didn't know the cost of pre-natal visits was so different depending on the prefecture! Down here in Yamaguchi, my visits have been free since about the 12 week mark. We don't have to give a down payment either. Very lucky I guess!
My prenatal visits were always less than 2000yen except of course when I was having those big tests for alllllll those diseases. Never paid a down payment either!! Are you using a private clinic?, I only ask because I went to the local public hospital, maybe that's the difference.
ReplyDeleteI can't believe you just went saw the doc and were out of there. I always had to wait more than 90mins to see my doc-the joys of public hosp I guess!! (actually there was no other choice)
Understand the feelings of not enjoying the preg wholeheartedly. It is a totally different ballgame when you have to run around after another child, or two!!! My second was a neutral experience my third is not worth mentioning (only glad he has turned out much better than the preg!!) I hope things continue to go well
Wow that's steep!
ReplyDeleteWhen I had B the city paid for 2 visits only and the rest were usually about 4000 yen, except for a couple that were about 6000 yen or so. The clinic I went to seemed to even out the payments for the last couple of months so the last few weeks were about 2000 yen each time but there were more appointments. We didn't need to pay anything beforehand either. But we did need to sign a document saying we would pay the hospital fees and needed someone as a guarantor. The hospital fees came to a little over 30 man, and then we got 30 man back. If B was born 6 hours later we would have got 35 man back though cause he was born on the cutoff date!lol
For A the coupons got upped to 5 visits (this happened when I was pregnant) but no visit was ever free. I paid about 1000 yen for those times and 4000 yen for most other times. Except for MANY extra visits which were all insurance covered and were very cheap. The last few weeks went down to 2000 yen or so. Same clinic as before. The hospital fees had gone up a bit to just over 32 man, but we didn't have to pay a cent as the fees were paid directly to the hospital from insurance and then just under 3 man was sent to our account.
The 5 coupons have recently been upped again to 14 times!!!! And the insurance money is 42 man now so wer'e right for baby number 3 when it happens!lol Maybe you guys should move back to Kyushu too!!
Gosh I can't believe how expensive your prenatal check ups are!! With the use of the coupons I hardly pay a thing - sometimes it's as little as 200 yen per visit!! We don't have to pay any of the hospital fees up front either - although I have no idea how much we will end up paying :( It could be kind of scary!!
ReplyDeleteI had to laugh at your description of your clothes!! I too make sure I am wearing my lightest clothes when I head off to my appointments. Last appointment I was so scared of getting into trouble that I thought about going bra-less because I thought it might help, lol!!
yikes, i feel like I am being ripped off!!
ReplyDeleteBut with K, I went to the closest general hospital (to where we were living then), it was private, but not like back home when private means nice - it was still such a Japanese hospital, ifkwim!! anyway, I still payed about 4000yen each visit then, so I was kinda expecting to pay the same this time. I did check out a few clinic and hospitals nearby after we moved here, but none of them are public - I actually dont know where the closest public one is...oh yes, I do, and it is manky, I dont even think they do ob-gyn there, but I doubt that I would go there even if they did - hope that doesnt sound snobby, but it is SERIOUSLY manky!! It is hard to find a place that will actually deliver babies around here.....and most of the places are pretty backwards, as in no 立会い, no 母子同室, obviously no eppis....
My clinic is a small private one, so I knew that they would be a bit above the price of others for regular checkups, but didn't realise it was nearly free for others out there - so jealous!! maybe will have to consider a "sea change" if we want more kids before we go broke! lol
fwiw,I think the actual birth will be about 55man - I am gonna get a private room this time, which I think is only 5man extra than for a shared. When K was born, it was between 35-40man for a shared room (at a different hospital) and we got the 30man back!! I think that all the hospitals have bumped up the prices since you now get 42man back from insurance. So again, i figured the same 5-10man out of pocket for the birth. Also, my clinic only offers 母子同室 if you have a private room. (sigh) Nothing is perfect, right.....
btw, nay, I love the bra-less comment! I went make-up less to try keep the scales down, rotflmao!!
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