Birmingham Sucks

I have been waiting to get my baby's heart checked out since March 2nd. The only notice I got was forwarded from a wrong address the day after the appointment. I don't understand why they didn't call me like a normal dr would. Today we left the house at 6:00 am to make it to Birmingham before 9:00, which was when my appointment was. All I got in the mail was an appointment card that said 1500 6th ave. That was it. So we drove around and found the 6th ave parking deck and walked into the hospital. We couldn't find the Women's Dept and we ran into a dr. She was very nice and called the women's dept to see where they were located. Turns out they were on the 10th floor of the new Women and Infant Center, and the dr. led us to it. It was so pristine and beautiful and it was amazing that anybody could afford to be treated there. So obviously I wasn't.

After traveling to the 10th floor, I was informed by a receptionist that the address on my card was wrong and was actually for a clinic 4 blocks away. And it wasn't called the Women's Dept. It was a research center for people with difficult pregnancies. Of course no one told me this either. So we went back down 10 floors to the street and walked 4 blocks down to a dirty overcrowded clinic. Out of 50 women there, I was the only married one. And I waited for 4 hours there until I was seen by a doctor for ten minutes. Only to be told that 16 weeks is too early to check the baby's heart and they needed to schedule a new appointment. Oh, they also said that the baby had 50% chance of inheriting my heart conditions. No shit! I could have figured that out. I have a heart defect. Brian does not. Ergo, 50% chance. Thanks, Genius Doctor.

I went back to the receptionist and she said she will mail me an appointment card. I told her the whole problem began because they mailed it to the wrong address. But she still insisted on mailing it. Which means I won't get it. But I have a real ultrasound coming up and a prenatal visit with my real Dr. So I am definitely not going back to Birmingham for any prenatal care.