First Doctor's Appointment

For all my promises I haven't been very good about updating the blog. I'll try to be better as time goes on.

Last week I had my first doctor appointment. Thankfully I have a wonderful husband who insisted on going with me. I hadn't met the doctor before (we'll call her Dr. B), but she was great. I'm looking forward to getting to know her and having her with us through this process.

The appointment started, as most first appointments with a new doc do, with the medical history questions. Dr. B's nurse Anna is quite the character, but at least she'll keep me laughing. After she finished asking us about our backgrounds and such, Dr. B came in. She went through some of the same questions and we got to know each other a little bit. Because we thought I was at 13 weeks, she said we should be able to hear the heartbeat with a hand-held doppler. So I laid on those fun beds they always have in doctor's offices and got the fun cold goo on my belly. Dr. B went over my belly for 5 to 10 minutes. While it was cool to hear my own heartbeat, she couldn't find the baby's.

This was one of my big worries, that something had happened to the baby in the first three months (since I didn't see a doctor that entire time) and we wouldn't know it. Eric, being Eric, wasn't worried, but since I am the worrier of the two of us, I will say it gave me some restless nights. I think being my first pregnancy, and having heard sad stories from more than one couple who are friends, I was justified in my worry.

Dr. B decided to order an ultrasound since she couldn't find the heartbeat. She didn't seem worried at all. She thought I might have a tilted uterus or be a week behind what we thought, either of which would have made it harder to find the baby's heartbeat. We headed over for the ultrasound (where I once again got my belly exposed to the chilly goo) and the tech had no problem whatsoever finding the baby.

In that moment, it became completely real for both Eric and I. I knew I had this baby growing in me, but it wasn't the same as seeing him/her right there in front of me. (And for those of you taking bets, there is officially only ONE baby. Sorry.)


So without further ado, behold the newest Nies:

We each have a copy at work, plus the original on our fridge. I also believe Eric's mom has a copy on her desk at work. The kid isn't even born yet and already has more pictures out there than me!

Needless to say, the ultrasound was a great relief. While the tech said she had hoped we would see some movement, just knowing our baby is safe and sound was enough for both of us. When I called before the appointment, they did tell me that they usually do ultrasounds at Week 20, and then with Eric's connections at the Care Center, hopefully we will have more pre-birth pictures to share.

The ultrasound tech also said, according to the measurements, she thought I was at Week 12, which would put us a week behind what we thought, also moving my due date to April 20, 2010. (Sorry to those of you looking to have the baby born on your birthday, earlier in the month, though anything is possible.)

The ultrasound was the most exciting part of the appointment. Aside from it and the previously mentioned question portion, there was the always fun "female" (Pap, exam, etc) part, and then the blood draw. Eric and I also got flu shots, and I will be getting the swine flu shot, most likely at my next appointment (which is November 10th).

It was a wonderful first appointment and I am so glad I waited the extra couple months to see Dr. B. She is a great doctor and I think will take good care of all of us. I did ask her about my not gaining any weight, in fact losing a couple pounds in the first trimester, but she said it was nothing to worry about at this point. If I don't start putting on some weight though, we will have to do something about it. I am still not really craving anything, but find myself getting hungrier more often during the day. Luckily I have very understanding bosses who don't mind me snacking on fruit or such at my desk.

According to a few people, I am getting the baby bump, which I think is more obvious at certain times than others. But I'll let you judge for yourselves with some pictures of me. The first two are from two weeks ago (Week 11), then last week (Week 12), and this week (Week 13). (Also, when looking at the older pictures, please note they will be a week behind what I said because of the adjustment.)

Week 11:
Week 12:


Week 13:

*Please ignore my not-so-happy expressions in the pictures. They in no way reflect how I feel about this pregnancy and baby. It is a reflection for the time of night (right before bed) that Eric usually takes these pictures.

A short update on everything else about the pregnancy: I'm still queasy, tired, visiting the bathroom frequently, and breaking out. But I'm hoping the first two on this list will be gone in the next couple weeks as I start the second trimester.