Yesterday was my turn for another normal prenatal check-up. I'd been dreading this one in particular because it was the first one I had to go to alone--except for Patrick of course. That's where the dread came in. The last appointment we had, Patrick was impossible to keep entertained. Thank goodness Matt was with me to take most of the pressure off; it was more his problem that Patrick wouldn't quit crying than mine. But this month, it was entirely my problem if that happened again.
Patrick acted sleepy and fussy yesterday morning and never got a nap before we left (that doesn't mean we didn't try), so I expected the worst. Instead, he gave me his best. I have a feeling seeing Patrick in the waiting room only made those future moms want their babies even more. Never have I seen a more charming and good-natured toddler, especially when I know how active he usually is. Regardless of what the doctor was going to say, I knew the appointment was going to go well just because of Patrick's wonderful behavior.
Still, it was good that the doctor was so encouraging. The baby is still doing fine. I'm measuring at 21 cm on my belly, which at this point should correspond pretty closely to how many weeks along I am. That means I'm right on track*. The baby's heartbeat has moved up just a bit as well, into the 160s now. Oh, and I've finally hit my pre-pregnancy weight again!
I had three things in mind I wanted to talk about with her, all starting with an s (that's how I knew I could remember). The first was that I had been feeling kind of sick over the last week. Of course I was a little worried, mainly that I'd contracted another urinary tract infection, but she consoled me well. None of the symptoms are particularly worrisome alone, and not really all at the same time either. I am most likely just at the point in my pregnancy where certain symptoms are flaring up all of a sudden. To be on the safe side, though, she did have me leave a sample to get tested for a UTI, just in case.
The second s was the shots she had mentioned at my first prenatal check-up to possibly postpone labor to prevent an experience like last time. I vaguely remembered that she'd mentioned they would start at 24 weeks, which is coming up pretty quickly now. It turns out that I don't necessarily have to go into her office to get those shots; we can give them alone at home if either of us feels comfortable giving the shot. That was encouraging to hear because I'd been dreading that daily trek and long wait with an unpredictable toddler every single week. We'll have to see whether Matt thinks he can handle the shots (he's a bit uncomfortable around needles) before we make a final decision about how to get them in me.
The last s was the sonogram (okay, technically it's an ultrasound, but sonogram starts with s). My doctor had the report from whoever analyzes the ultrasounds, and every single aspect was listed as normal. There wasn't a specific note that we didn't get a good shot of the kidneys, but there wasn't a note that they were normal either. When I pointed that out to the doctor, she said that possibly could leave an opening for another ultrasound. It depends on our insurance. Apparently most insurance doesn't help pay for repeat ultrasounds unless something serious is found, which thankfully isn't the case for this baby. She was supportive of the idea that we look into 3D ultrasounds, though.
So guess what we did this morning? We set up an appointment for a 3D ultrasound. I found a place that specializes in them a short distance from my parents' house. They just happened to have one opening left on the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend, when we'd already been planning our next trek up there, so I jumped at the opportunity. That will be so much fun, even if we don't get the best pictures of the baby (they suggest at least 25 weeks for good pictures; I'll be 24). Mom and Dad will get to come with us, and Matt's parents might just be able to make the trip as well. The place is very family-oriented, so they encourage filling that room with as many guests as possible (up to six). We may have a mini-party to find out for sure whether this baby truly does have a "deedle."
*Another interesting discovery from the ultrasound was that my due date isn't perfectly accurate. According to the baby's measurements, I'm anywhere from three to nine days farther along than my due date indicates. My doctor said that since the average is only six days different, it's not significant enough to officially change that due date (which is funny because she moved the due date back six days after the first, obviously inaccurate sonogram, which basically puts us back where we started). Because the due date isn't officially different, I'm leaving the baby ticker on the top the same, but feel free to add a week to how far along it says I am. I'm certainly doing that! It also means that if I have this baby early as well, it will be quite advanced and healthy for a whatever-weeker, since it's technically a whatever-plus-one-weeker. (Make sense? I didn't think so.)
**More fun pictures of Patrick to come. Maybe later this weekend.
Patrick acted sleepy and fussy yesterday morning and never got a nap before we left (that doesn't mean we didn't try), so I expected the worst. Instead, he gave me his best. I have a feeling seeing Patrick in the waiting room only made those future moms want their babies even more. Never have I seen a more charming and good-natured toddler, especially when I know how active he usually is. Regardless of what the doctor was going to say, I knew the appointment was going to go well just because of Patrick's wonderful behavior.
Still, it was good that the doctor was so encouraging. The baby is still doing fine. I'm measuring at 21 cm on my belly, which at this point should correspond pretty closely to how many weeks along I am. That means I'm right on track*. The baby's heartbeat has moved up just a bit as well, into the 160s now. Oh, and I've finally hit my pre-pregnancy weight again!
I had three things in mind I wanted to talk about with her, all starting with an s (that's how I knew I could remember). The first was that I had been feeling kind of sick over the last week. Of course I was a little worried, mainly that I'd contracted another urinary tract infection, but she consoled me well. None of the symptoms are particularly worrisome alone, and not really all at the same time either. I am most likely just at the point in my pregnancy where certain symptoms are flaring up all of a sudden. To be on the safe side, though, she did have me leave a sample to get tested for a UTI, just in case.
The second s was the shots she had mentioned at my first prenatal check-up to possibly postpone labor to prevent an experience like last time. I vaguely remembered that she'd mentioned they would start at 24 weeks, which is coming up pretty quickly now. It turns out that I don't necessarily have to go into her office to get those shots; we can give them alone at home if either of us feels comfortable giving the shot. That was encouraging to hear because I'd been dreading that daily trek and long wait with an unpredictable toddler every single week. We'll have to see whether Matt thinks he can handle the shots (he's a bit uncomfortable around needles) before we make a final decision about how to get them in me.
The last s was the sonogram (okay, technically it's an ultrasound, but sonogram starts with s). My doctor had the report from whoever analyzes the ultrasounds, and every single aspect was listed as normal. There wasn't a specific note that we didn't get a good shot of the kidneys, but there wasn't a note that they were normal either. When I pointed that out to the doctor, she said that possibly could leave an opening for another ultrasound. It depends on our insurance. Apparently most insurance doesn't help pay for repeat ultrasounds unless something serious is found, which thankfully isn't the case for this baby. She was supportive of the idea that we look into 3D ultrasounds, though.
So guess what we did this morning? We set up an appointment for a 3D ultrasound. I found a place that specializes in them a short distance from my parents' house. They just happened to have one opening left on the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend, when we'd already been planning our next trek up there, so I jumped at the opportunity. That will be so much fun, even if we don't get the best pictures of the baby (they suggest at least 25 weeks for good pictures; I'll be 24). Mom and Dad will get to come with us, and Matt's parents might just be able to make the trip as well. The place is very family-oriented, so they encourage filling that room with as many guests as possible (up to six). We may have a mini-party to find out for sure whether this baby truly does have a "deedle."
*Another interesting discovery from the ultrasound was that my due date isn't perfectly accurate. According to the baby's measurements, I'm anywhere from three to nine days farther along than my due date indicates. My doctor said that since the average is only six days different, it's not significant enough to officially change that due date (which is funny because she moved the due date back six days after the first, obviously inaccurate sonogram, which basically puts us back where we started). Because the due date isn't officially different, I'm leaving the baby ticker on the top the same, but feel free to add a week to how far along it says I am. I'm certainly doing that! It also means that if I have this baby early as well, it will be quite advanced and healthy for a whatever-weeker, since it's technically a whatever-plus-one-weeker. (Make sense? I didn't think so.)
**More fun pictures of Patrick to come. Maybe later this weekend.
Labels: New Baby
1 Comments:
I'm glad your appointment went so well both with Patrick's cooperation and the doctor's reports.
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