Dear all,I am currently 32 weeks pregnant and seeking alternatives to prenatal care I have been receiving thus far. I am well aware it's very late in the game. To give some background on my situation and what is wrong:I am on a limited 3-year contract in Toronto, where I moved a bit over a year ago with my husband from the US. I got pregnant in May (which was a surprise I am in my late 30s and was expecting the whole process to take some time), and then it took me around a month to get a family doctor. By the time I actually got the referral to confirm the pregnancy it was already mid-July. Throughout my experience with the staff at St. Michael's hospital, I grew increasingly worried. Firstly, I did not get any concrete advice on diet (I brought up sushi to which it was confirmed this is not what I could be eating). Secondly, when I brought up genetic testing (a standard in Central Europe where I am from originally for women over 35) I've heard a dismissive comment about how maybe in "our countries" women have children in their 20s, but not here, in civilized Toronto. I kept insisting, and finally got tested. Everything is ok. Then the doctor was not in touch with me for weeks (it's really hard to get in touch with anyone if you are the one calling), and then informed me that all the test results were good, but she will send me to an additional test. Before the test, I was not instructed to do it on the empty stomach, and, during the next visit towards the end when I was about to leave I was informed almost casually, my blood sugar is high and I need to be treated for diabetes. I was totally stunned as I do not fall under any risk factors, and don't have any symptoms. Neither does the baby who is actually on the smaller side. In fact, I have been feeling very well physically throughout all the pregnancy.This diagnosis crashed me as my daily schedule is full already and will be until my son is born. For the last couple of months, I was forced to work over overtime (my supervisee did not get her work permit on time...), and I was, frankly speaking, overwhelmed. The vision of having to spend additional hours a day designing meals, and measuring sugar 7 times a day seemed like a nightmare, and something I am unable to cope with. Soon I had a visit with an endocrinologist, who had me waiting for 50 min, didn't apologize for being late, and didn't introduce himself. He didn't seem to know anything about me or my case (asked questions that should be on the file?), and then laughed at me when I said I know what products contain sugar and what to avoid (I cook since I was 15). Then threatened me that they will induce early delivery if I don't follow their recommendations. After the meeting, I asked if I could have access to all my test results, but the doctors evaded the request and said he has to go. Now after I tested myself at home for a couple of days (and it is a time consuming and an awful experience for someone who never did drugs, or had medical issues herself or in the household) it turns out also my sugar levels are on the lower end of the norm.At this point, I don't trust the staff at the hospital, and I am worried about the delivery. This is my first child, and I dread the thought that it will be handled by people with this type of attitude. The medical system out here is very complex for me to navigate, and I am not sure if I have any alternatives, or should I just suck it up and hope the delivery won't be as mismanaged as my experience with prenatal care so far. To clarify, I have OHIB and Green Shield, but at this point, I would be able to pay for private care if it's possible to arrange. I would be super grateful for any advice. I am seriously scared now.
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