Our third doctor's appointment was this morning at 8 am. So glad that our doctor is only half a mile from the apartment. I must say I did a good job finding her!! She is a great doctor, and I love that her office is that close to home! No ultrasound this week, but we did get to hear the heartbeat. It took awhile - she wasn't finding it at first and I was getting worried. My face must have said it all; she told me it's like finding a needle in a haystack. However, she ended up finding PB off to the left side of my tummy. That was cool, because the other night I thought the left side of me was where he/she was hanging out. Now I don't know if they move that much from left to right at this point and it was just coincidence, or perhaps it was that motherly instinct already kicking in and me knowing where my child was!
I had a whole list of questions for her and I fired away, right after listening to the heartbeat. She had lots of good answers for us. She said it was too early to be thinking about some things like breastfeeding (which I have been thinking about a LOT) and a birth plan (it's nice to know your options, but having a long list of "musts" may result in disappointment). She said we could go to some classes to get educated if we want, but it is still pretty early. I asked about going to a chiropractor who specializes in pregnancy, she said at this point she did not think that was necessary. I expressed my concern of getting gestational diabetes from eating too much fruit. She said she didn't think that would be a problem, but suggested I get the "What to Eat When You're Expecting" book for more information. She also was not too concerned with the fact that I had not gained an ounce since my 12 week appointment! Considering I had a few extra pounds to start with, I am still providing plenty of nourishment for me and the baby! I feel (and look) like I'm gaining weight; I honestly thought the scale was going to be plus 10 today! However, she said it's probably due to the changes in my diet and said it is nothing to worry about. So that easily justified our trip to the donut shop after the appointment, because I had some weight to gain and kolaches to consume!
I asked her about the due date, since at our last appointment they said the due date looked like September 6 based on the baby's size. She thinks that since we did not have an accurate date of my last cycle, that it was could have been off to start with. So she picked a date in the middle of September 6 and September 16 (our original due date) and decided on September 11 as our EDD (estimated date of delivery), which means I'm now 17 weeks pregnant! It's like I jumped a week. :) This also means that is one less week we have to wait to find out the gender of our first born! We got our doctor's orders for the anatomy ultrasound and are supposed to go in 3 1/2 weeks. Michael and I have talked more about how we will find out the gender. I don't want to find out in the exam room of a hospital - I want it to be something fun and pretty. I also would like it documented (someone taking pictures) so we can have those reactions/facial expressions captured and able to look back on years from now. :) Maybe even have our parents there with us... Again, we are still discussing our options. I just can't believe that we'll know the gender in less than a month!!!!
I once again had to give blood, which I am starting to get used to. I have given more blood since January than I have in the past 20+ years of life! Additionally, I really do not care for that laboratory - it grosses me out and the employees don't seem to like their job too much. I was tested today for my thyroid and another form of down syndrome. There was a girl in the waiting room named "Ashley Ashley" - she said she married a guy who just happened to have the same last name as her first name. You can't help who you fall in love with, but that's definitely a conversation starter that has got to get old!
Speaking of names, I have been thinking more and more about baby names and I thought I had my favorite four. After discussing them with Daddy last night, it turns out he doesn't like one of them...and I can live with that, there are plenty of other names for us to choose from. :) So I revisited my list...and I think it grew more!
One of my other coworkers just returned from maternity leave. She had her baby at the end of January. She stopped by my office and we talked for awhile about babies. She was full of good stuff too! She told me to be sure and take as many receiving blankets, diapers, wipes and pads from the hospital as possible! You're paying for it all - might as well! She also told me some of the ugly facts that no one told her about - I will refrain from mentioning that stuff here, for those of you who still want to have children one day! :) She stressed on the quantity of diapers and wipes you will go through, even suggested the possibility of having a diaper/wipe shower! She also gave me a heads up about our insurance, the company's maternity leave and how much I can expect to pay out of pocket once the baby is here and all bills come in - about $4000! That ain't no joke.
I would be lying if I said I was not scared. That being a mother in less 6 months didn't have me thinking non-stop about how my life is going to be forever changed. I always heard that there is never a "perfect time" to have children, that if you wait for the time to be "right", you could be waiting "forever". And the fact of the matter is, that people all over the world have been having children for centuries. We are so much more knowledgeable these days with more educated doctors, medical advances and testing. I consider myself blessed! On a closing note, we both ended up agreeing that if there are 16 year olds out there popping them out, then the two of us grown, responsible, hard-working adults are more than capable of bringing a child into this world without a problem (But really, I'm not sure how some people do it...I'll probably never understand)! God bless all parents...including those of us "to-be"!
No comments:
Post a Comment