I am in my 28th week of what is considered a high risk pregnancy. I am on low weight molecular heparin due to previous pulmonary embolisms, I have to have a Caesarean section due to a previous myoectomy, my blood type is B Negative, my ocular rosacea has recently flared up, probably due to the pregnancy, and I have recently been told that I have Gestational Diabetes. As you can imagine, all of this requires some doctor appointments from time to time. Since most of my care is now provided by the public hospital where i will deliver, I am somewhat at their mercy as to when I can schedule appointments. The obstetrics clinic operates on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 1:00 to 3:00, with the latest appointment I can get being 2:15. I work about 45 minutes from the hospital, so with the commute and allowing time to find parking (if there is any), I have to leave work at about 1:00 for a 2:15 appointment, earlier on occasion when I can only get a 1:00 or 1:30 appointment.

Just as I was leaving work for an appointment today my boss approaced me and said he wanted to talk to me about my appointments. He said the number of appointments I was going to was becoming a "disruption" to the company I work for. I told him that I was sorry but I really have no control over how many appointments I have, and that its only going to get worse as I approach my due date. He asked me to try to schedule my appointments at more convenient times, i.e. early in the morning or late in the afternoon. He reminded me that I had in essence missed a whole day of work this week (Tuesday left at 1:00 for an ante-natal appointment and today left at 1:45 for an opthamologist appointment that was somewhat an emergency - I have an ulceration on my cornea). I again apologised but told him I could only make ante-natal appointments between 1 and 3 on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and that todays appointment was an emergency, the doctor squeezed me in and I had no choice about what time he was able to see me. And unfortunately there are lots more appointments to come. He just kept reiterating that I needed to make the appointments at more appropriate times or that I need to come back to work after appointments, but the problem there is that most of my 2:15 appointments aren't finished until about 3:30, and its a little late then to drive the 45 minutes back to work and then turn around 45 minutes later to go home. I always attempt to make appointments as early or late in the day as I can, but sometimes this just isn't possible. I'm terrified because today's eye doctor appointment will require a follow up next Wednesday morning (9:00 was the earliest appointment I could get) and I'm really dreading telling him that once again I will be late due to a drs appointment. Then Thursday I have to leave at middday for a 2 hour dietician/diabetes educator appointment, followed in 2 weeks by another ante natal appointment, plus no doubt the dietician will want me to come in for a follow up....not to mention Birth classes, which start in mid November, which I was able to schedule in the evening 3 Thursdays in a row but will need to leave work an hour early for......

I'm sorry this is so long, I'm just really freaked out. I know he can't fire me for having dr appointments, but I feel so intimadated by him (I swear sometimes he's not human and has no feelings whatsoever). I can't control the appointments that I have and am not going to let him scare me out of going to them....I'm tempted to ask him if he'd prefer I start my maternity leave early (I'm planning to work until December 9)....it seems that might be more of a disruption than a few half days here and there, considering that I am ALWAYS up to date with my work when I'm there and have never gotten behind schedule due to an appointment)....but I'm afraid he'd call my bluff, and my husband and I need as much money as we can get between now and when the baby comes.

Thanks for listening, I'd love you opinions on my situation.

-Stephanie