Friday, October 30, 2009

Happy Halloween!

(Click on pic to see it bigger.)

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Surprise ultrasound!

Today I had my second OB appointment. When it was time to hear the heartbeat, the dr. couldn't find it on the doppler! Of course I freaked out because it was so easy to find 2 weeks ago. She said not to worry, the baby had probably just moved, but she didn't want us to stress so she brought in an ultrasound machine to check it out. It was amazing to have my first abdominal ultrasound! I felt like a real pregnant lady! Everything looked great...the heart was pumping away like crazy and the baby actually looked like a baby! We could see the eyes, nose, mouth, and the arms and legs. Unfortunately, he/she was asleep, so we didn't get to see any movement. Since the u/s machine was so old, it didn't show any measurements, so we didn't get a CRL (crown rump length), a heartrate, or any photos. :( (Mr. C. didn't bring the camera this time b/c we didn't think there would be anything to see.) I SO wish I had pictures to stare at, but I guess I'll just have to wait 8 more weeks for that! Next OB appointment is in 4 weeks.

I needed to have some bloodwork done while I was there and my insurance is not recognized by my OB's lab. SO, I had to go upstairs to the hospital lab to have my blood drawn. When we got to the lab, there was this huge sign telling pregnant women to STOP! Because of the flu, all pregnant women have to wear a mask to enter the lab. Here I am in all my glory (snapped w/ C's Blackberry). Sexy, huh?

Thursday, October 8, 2009

10 Weeks and 1st OB Appointment

Today was our first OB appointment and I was so nervous. It's been 2 weeks since our last u/s, and I wanted to make sure that everything was still going alright in there! After a long meeting with the nurse where she asked me everything from my family history to my birthing preferences, we got to see the doctor (incidentally, he was voted the "hottest doctor" in our city!). He said that he'd try to hear the heartbeat with a doppler, but that 10 weeks was really early for a doppler so if we didn't hear it we'd do an ultrasound. As soon as he touched the probe to my abdomen, it was loud and clear! The baby's heart was right there beating away at 177 bpm! He said, "Are you sure you're only 10 weeks? That's a really strong heartbeat!" He couldn't believe we could hear it loud and clear with a doppler so early. It was amazing to hear that tiny heart beating for the first time.

Much to my dismay, our next ultrasound won't be until 20 weeks!!! I can't believe I have to wait over 2 months to see the baby again! He said that I'll have monthly appointments until then. After much moaning and groaning on my part, he agreed that I could come back in 2 weeks instead of 4 to hear the heartbeat again. That will pretty much round out my 1st trimester and maybe I can start to relax. After that, waiting a month between appointments won't be quite so excruciating, I guess. Mr. C. and I are super excited and loving each milestone that we reach!

Here we are (Yes, I admit we're dorks) documenting the first time we heard the hb! You can see the 177 bpm on the monitor.



Here's a video of us listening to the hb. Note how the men are all involved with talking about the camera and I'm in the background oohing and ahhing about the baby!

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Everything is continuing to go well! I've been too exhausted to write anything on my blog lately. All I want to do is sleep. I have never been so exhausted in my entire life! Last week I was actually feeling pretty good. The queasiness and exhaustion abated a bit and I got some relief. No such luck this week. My nurse said it was normal for symptoms to come and go, but I was hoping when they went that they wouldn't be back!

My first OB appointment in on Thursday when I will be 10 weeks. I don't know if I'll have an ultrasound or not. I certainly hope so! The nurse said the dr. will look for the heartbeat with the doppler and if he doesn't find it, he'll do an u/s. I'm thinking that 10 weeks is a bit early for the doppler, so we'll see.

It's so scary to go a couple of weeks without an ultrasound and wonder what is going on in there. I feel confident that everything is going as it should, but I'm still terrified. I wonder if I'll ever be able to relax and enjoy the process. Probably not, but each passing week makes me feel a little better.