Second Appointment

April 20, 2008

No thanks to the snow that started Thursday night, and didn't stop until Saturday morning, most of the doctors who work at the clinic I go to were unable to make it into work. We got over a foot of snow and most of the roads going out of town were closed during this time as a result. Visibility was horrible if you were not in town. And despite the fact that the plows went down our street 4 times and later a 5th, you could not tell most of Friday morning. We got a phone call from my doc early in the morning explaining that she would need to reschedule us due to the weather. Although we were disappointed, I could understand.

So on Monday, I called the clinic to reschedule my appointment and we were fortunate to land an appointment that very day for 4:15 pm. The earliest otherwise would have been Wednesday or two weeks from Friday. Luckily, my DBF had Monday off this week. He normally only gets Fridays.

When we got to our appointment, we listened to the heartbeat of our baby, and for those who have been teasing me about having twins, we only heard ONE heartbeat. So plan on only one baby arriving this October. My DBF later was kind enough to argue that if there is a second baby in there, it could be hiding behind the first which is why we only heard one. Don't get any ideas from this, we are planning for one baby at this point. Afterwards, my DBF opted out of being in the room for my physical, pap smear, breast exam, etc. And of course, they needed me to be naked for this. I was given the equivalent of a small poncho that went over my head and was open on the sides to cover my upper half. The lower half had the luxury of a paper skirt. The exam went off without any hitches. And as usual, the doctor kept a nurse present for the entire exam. They also asked me what symptoms I'd been experiencing during my pregnancy so far, and I have to admit, there have been several at least. So far, this is what I've been experiencing: morning sickness, excess phlegm (my nose feels like Niagara falls), nausea, hamburger has not been appealing, soreness in the lower back, growing pains in the lower abdomen, frequent urges to pee, exhaustion (I've had to take naps, and go to bed early), extreme hunger (I can eat 2-3 times what my DBF does on a good day), and some mild cravings (corn dogs, ice cream, sweets, fruit).

The doctor also let us know the results of the blood test I had to do on my last visit, of course, I wasn't worried. It came back stating I had no diseases and was otherwise healthy. She explained to us about the insurance companies being cheap and not willing to cover more than one sonogram unless it is shown to be medically necessary. I was disappointed that we would not be able to do more than one unless we had $400.00 to cover a second one later if we chose to do so. She also mentioned that they would not do a lumbar test unless absolutely necessary. For anyone who does not know, the lumbar test consists of them taking a long, long needle, and running it through my belly button, into the placenta of the baby, to draw a small amount of fluid or tissue out. It's only done if the blood test they will do later shows any indication that the baby would be born with down syndrome, or any possible genetic diseases that show up at birth. It is typically not done due the risk of a possible miscarriage that can result from the puncturing of the placenta. Our next two appointments have been scheduled as well. The next one is on May 22nd which is just a normal OB checkup and the ultrasound will be done on June 19th. The doctor told me I am allowed to bring a couple people with me if I wanted so they could see the baby too. I imagine I will have to see who has the day off and wants to go. My mom will be in Germany visiting one of my sisters so I know she won't be attending. Maybe our other sister would like to go and see? We've also started receiving in the mail subscriptions to American Baby and Baby Talk (www.babytalk.com), which have been nice. There's some interesting stuff in them for new parents to be. My DBF won't hardly read them, he's saying 'I already know how to take care of babies and kids, I don't need to read those.' This is also in reference to me suggesting to him that he should read a couple of the books we have lying around as well. The way I see, refreshing one's memory about what it is to have a baby in the house for the first time in years, is not a bad thing. And there's some interesting ideas on ways to deal with the unpleasant times when baby has colic, won't fall asleep due to being over tired, potty training, etc. Even suggestions for how to get dad involved when the baby is born so both of us have the opportunity to bond with our newborn, what you can expect to experience post-partum, as well the experiences of other moms and dads with their children, and how they overcame an obstacle with their little one. Anyway, I'm loving reading them, despite the fact that I've taken care of everyone else's kid but my own for the last 10 years.