First Dr. Appointment in Bulgaria

Last week, I had my first “baby appointment” here in Bulgaria. I feel comfortable in that Dr. Kalvatcheva, the doctor I am seeing, was the Dr. for two other American, missionary women who both delivered here in Bulgaria. There are a few minor differences than in the states- the first being there is no receptionist so you wait in chairs in the hallway outside the office and hopefully go in to see the Dr. in the order you arrived (of course on the honor system, which in lines, Bulgarians are not always good about.) You then let yourself in after the person in front of you. Luckily with this system, the door is locked behind you to avoid embarrassing moments. Speaking of embarrassing moments, when asked to “prepare” for the appointment, I asked, “Do you prefer the robe tied in the front or the back?” as I have been to doctors with different preferences. Her kind reply was, “Oh, there’s no need for a robe as we are the only ones who will be in here.” True, but a bit more uncomfortable with no robe. There are some really nice differences. My appointment with ultrasound cost 18 leva ($12) blood work 40 leva ($26.50). Ultrasound is the regular method here of checking in on the little one so we’ll have a lot more than just the one we had with Drew. We still have yet to decide for sure whether or not we will find out if it is a boy or girl. We are excited about becoming a family of 4 and well let you know how future appointments go!

Love,
Lisa