What Not To Do At Your First OB Appointment

This is the post in which I detail exactly what you should not do at your first OB appointment at Portsmouth Naval Medical Center.

1. DO NOT bring your 15 month old baby to the 9am appointment that happens to coincide with nap time. I cannot stress the importance of this one enough!! If I'd had another option I certainly would have exercised it but I had no one to watch her and everyone knows you don't dare miss an appointment with Navy Medicine- you may have to wait months for another one!

2. Upon discovering the appointment is actually an orientation to PNMC that you will take along with 15 other couples, DO NOT get teary eyed and depressed because your husband isn't there. Instead make sure to wave your left hand around profusely to ensure that everyone sees your wedding and engagement rings lest they think you are an unwed mama!

3. DO NOT park the stroller next to the table that contains all the forms, manuals and paperwork easily within your child's reach.

4. In a desperate attempt to entertain your child, DO NOT give her a ball point clicky pen to play with while you are filling out paperwork. Inevitably you will find her arms and face covered with ink marks

5. When you finally get out of the excruciatingly long class and go downstairs for your first set of lab work, DO NOT decided to give your child a break from her four wheeled prison and let her out of the stroller in the bathroom while you are collecting your urine sample. As you are washing your hands, you will remember that this toilet has no lid like the one at home just in time to watch her throw her toy into the bowl as you mouth "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO" in slow motion. Perhaps you never liked said toy anyway and just throw it in the trash.

6. After nap time has come and gone and you are finally leaving the hospital, DO NOT forget what level and row you parked in. Screaming unhappy children do not aid in recollection!