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13 October 2008

The Good Doctor

WARNING: 7th grade boys or people with that mentality may find that there is TMI in this blog. Read it anyway.

Dave and I have had three doctors appointments since finding out we were pregnant. Let me preface this story by saying that the week of each appointment sends me into a whirlwind of paranoia. Did the turkey sandwich I ate before I knew I was pregnant do some harm? Should I have held the laptop on my stomach last night? When I was driving and using my hands-free adapter, the phone was on my lap...did I do some damage? Dave does everything in his power to calm me down and not show his annoyance, and I do my best to keep most of my worries between me and God. At the first appointment, our doctor did a transvaginal ultrasound because we were having some difficulty pinpointing exactly how far along we were. Although the images we saw on the screen were very basic and not so HD, it was really cool for Dave and me to see the little baby inside the uterus and see the flicker of the heartbeat. We were also able to establish that at that point, we were about 7 1/2 weeks pregnant.

Dave was up in Stanford during my second appointment and I honestly believed he wouldn't be missing anything since we had an ultrasound scheduled for a week and a half later. I was a nervous wreck at this appointment and had to wait about 25 minutes for the doctor to arrive. When she came in, she had the doppler in her hand so I could listen to the heartbeat. I am sure most people take the first few seconds of hearing their baby's heartbeat and ponder the joys of carrying something so small and precious inside of them. I, however, took that opportunity to thank God and the doctor profusely for letting me know that the baby was just fine. I'm sure she thought I was a total nutjob and all I wanted to do was warn her that there was more of that to come!

Our last appointment was with a different doctor who does the regular (pelvic) ultrasounds. We were there for a nuchal translucency screening which factors in your age, some blood tests, and the amount of clear space in the back of the baby's developing neck to let you know your risk for having a baby with Down Syndrome. We don't have the results from that test back yet, but the doctor said that the clear space looked normal. Seeing the images on that ultrasound was just absolutely incredible. The baby was moving all around and punching and kicking. It was just amazing to think that all that was going on inside me. It was wonderful for Dave to see too, because it helped him to have more of a connection to the baby.



So, today is the start of our 14th week of pregnancy. We are due around the middle of April. We aren't sure if the little peanut is a boy or a girl, but we definitely are too impatient to wait until April to find out. I will not tell you how much weight I have gained, now or ever, but I will let you know there is a little pooch starting to show. I have been very fortunate to not have had any morning sickness, just lots of days of extreme fatigue. I'm hoping that as we start into our second trimester, that tiredness will go away. My baby guru, Jenny McCarthy, says it will for a couple months. In the meantime, I'm off for a quick nap before the gym!

5 comments:

Marissa said...

YAAAAAAAYYYYY! I'm so excited you are doing a blog now! Can't wait for all the funny stories and cravings, etc. Being pregnant isn't always fun, but it's definitely entertaining. There's always something new to read up on, funny stories to tell, and crazy-lady-hormone-induced ones to tell too. Have I mentioned how thrilled I am for you two?! Yay, a cousin for Mister and Pumpkin!

Amanda said...

Haha. I think the crazy-lady story will be coming up soon. Poor David!

Irma said...

I am so looking forward to watching you and David grow through this exciting journey...in girth, mind, spirit and soul!

Anonymous said...

I can't wait to read about all the "antics" of my future grandbaby!!! Your Dad and I are so happy for you and Dave. Love to all three of you. Mom

Jillian said...

That is a really good picture, it actually looks like a baby. Mine looked like an alien/pterodactyl so it was a little freaky.
And Amanda, I say this with the greatest reverence for the powers of womanhood, YOU are due in April. When he pushes a baby out of his vajayjay he can be due in April too.
I'm SO EXCITED for you guys! Go out as many times as you can before the baby is born. Get crazy...as crazy as you can while being pregnant of course.