8 weeks. 8 weeks! I have waited for this day for what feels like forever, but in reality has just been maybe a month. Every single time I hit a new week of being pregnant, it’s exciting (also, new fruit day = baby size of a raspberry). But today I also had my first OB appointment. Last time, I didn’t get to have my first OB appointment. They do things a little bit differently at this hospital, but the basics are the same.
I arrived about 15 minutes early and checked in. I was informed that my Dr is typically great about running on time (which is true in my limited experience), but today he’s about 30 minutes behind schedule. That would put my 10:30 appointment closer to 11:00. It’s fine. It’s an obgyn practice, delays are just kinda part of it. I texted Pete to let him know so he wouldn’t waste his “lunch hour” sitting in the waiting room with me. My main concern was that I kinda needed to pee…but I thought I could wait 45 minutes, probably. Around 10:50, I heard one of the receptionists calling some of the other patients (with the same Dr) up to let them know that the Dr had to leave for a delivery. Again, it’s okay, it’s just part of it. I would absolutely have to wait though b/c I wouldn’t be able to do it at another time. A few women were told they could see his nurse if it was okay with them. They talked to several women, most or all of which got there after I did, which kind of made me go HMMM. I was getting a little worried that I hadn’t been checked in.
Eventually the line went down of women trying to check in, so I went up and said I’d heard her telling the other patients what’s going on, and I just wasn’t sure what it meant for me. Mostly I needed to know if I could go pee or if I should just hold it. They told me I could go ahead and do my urine sample (which I did), but I would need to wait for the doctor. When I came back from the bathroom, I sat back down next to Pete (he got there sometime after I learned about the Dr having to leave, but before I got to talk to the receptionist), and expected to have to wait a while. I even told Pete maybe he should go back to work for a while, but he said it would take him long enough to get somewhere, he’d have to turn back around by the time he got there. And it’s a good thing he didn’t leave because they called me back shortly after that. First the assistant weighed me and took my blood pressure. I actually weighed a little less than I thought. Then we went to the exam room where she took my blood pressure, which was high-ish for me at 122/70.
The nurse came in shortly after. I signed some consent things, and we went over a little bit of information. She confirmed that my due date is, in fact, November 10th based on LMP. She said it would be easy to remember for me because every Monday I’m a new week. Which of course I already knew. 😀 Then I signed a bunch of stuff (I understand they will be doing ____ tests, I understand I should not drink, smoke, or do drugs, I will allow them to deliver the baby). She told me she’d let me know when the Dr gets back so I could undress from the waist down then. I just flipped through some of the literature she gave me. (Thinking back, I’m impressed I didn’t get a lot of stuff from formula companies.) Then she came in to let us know that the Dr was back. I asked to go to the bathroom again (just in case), so I went and came back. Of course I forgot to pay attention to what room I came out of. So the doctor was at his computer station and he pointed to my door just as I passed it (on my way to the nurse’s station to ask where I was supposed to be). Felt kinda dumb. But oh well, won’t be the last time.
So I undressed and quickly put the sheet over my lap. Doctor came in in short order. He congratulated us, told me about the things I can and can’t eat. I was shocked he said I could have beef cooked to medium! I said I’d have it well done anyway. I think his response was, “Yuck.” *lol* Oh well, would rather be safe than sorry. Then he went out to get the ultrasound!!!! I had never even seen a portable one before. I never had an early scan with either of my other pregnancies, either, so it was all new to me.
I was kind of expecting the ultrasound, mostly because I’d asked a friend with the same doctor, and she had one. Also, having a history of miscarriage. And especially getting pregnant on Clomid. I figured they’d want to make sure there was only one (there was, so my parents can officially leave me alone about twins now). Most likely though, this doctor does a scan at 8 weeks to look for a heartbeat anyway. What I wasn’t sure about was if they’d be able to do it through my abdomen or if they’d have to do it transvaginally. I don’t even know if the portable ones will do transvaginally??? But anyway, it WAS possible to do through my abdomen.
I got to see a very cute, very tiny blob. I really wish I’d taken a better mental note of what it looked like (or even better, I wish it had crossed our minds to take a phone picture of the monitor because this one didn’t print out), but I was so fixated on trying to see the heartbeat. The Dr pointed out the “flicker” to us a couple of times. I was pretty certain I could see it. I think Pete at least thinks he saw it. Just a tiny little bright dot. I’d heard of women with early scans being told beats per minute, so I thought that might happen too, but they didn’t do that. (I later found, after talking to some other mamas, it’s not unusual to not get BPM at this point; I’ll just have to wait until we listen on Doppler at my next appointment.)
After the ultrasound, the doctor did a quick pelvic exam (and I mean quick; it was done in like 2 seconds). Then I took a specimen cup to pee in the morning of my next appointment (this is new; before I just peed in the cup when I got there, which they said is okay too if I forget???).
It seems like usually (from what I’ve observed), on your way out, they’ll normally grab you to schedule your next appointment. But no one was there, so I got in line. Scheduled next appointment for April 28. In the afternoon this time since I already have a dentist appointment that morning which was scheduled months ago.
And I went upstairs to have all my blood drawn. All of it.
Other than that, I’ve had a somewhat productive, mostly lazy day. Not that I can afford lazy days. I was kinda concerned that I wasn’t nearly as tired today as I have been, in spite of continued crappy sleep. Feeling mildly crampy this evening, which may be related to having my uterus palpated??? But also my back is hurting, which I think kinda makes everything hurt.
Now that it is getting late though, I am a bit sleepier.
Oh, last time (well, at least last time I got to be this pregnant), I posted cartoon babies of approximately what baby looks like now. Here’s an 8 week lil bean:
8 weeks