Today, we had a four-week check-up appointment with my Doctor. As Tim and I sat waiting, the nurse gave us some information on first trimester/second trimester blood testing. For some reason, reading this info and waking up on the wrong side of the bed made me extra emotional today and I started balling right there in the Doctor's office. I think I was a little nervous as I knew this was a moment when we would see where the baby was at and I worried, what if I did not hear a heartbeat.
My Doctor walked in mid-ball and I think she thought we were crazy or something. I really had no real reason to cry - I think I was just tired from not sleeping well - um, getting up every hour for the bathroom takes a lot of energy and time - and I was feeling stressed from work and the unknown of what was going on with the baby.
After a few minutes, I calmed down and we started talking. After going through a few questions/discussion points, my Doctor gave me the run down on what I need to do for the genetic testing I was so confused about. Basically, today I would give blood for the first of two tests that would be taken to monitor for any potential birth defects in the baby. The second step is to go to a specialist who will do an ultrasound to test the length of the baby's neck. At this point, there is a small possibility we may find out the sex. I then have to take a second blood test in my second trimester, which will be combined with these two earlier tests to configure the odds of our child having a genetic disorder. Once we know the odds, then we decide if we do an amniocentesis! Whoooo...this is a lot to take in, but I do feel better knowing what I have to do!
So, on to the fun part. We did not do an ultrasound today, which I was bummed about, but my Doctor did put a machine up to my belly to find the heartbeat (she said the ultrasound was only necessary if they could not hear the hearbeat). It took a minute or so to find it. At first we heard some static (cell phones) and then we heard my heartbeat. Finally, underneath all of that, we heard the baby's heartbeat...it was so fast and quick and continuous. It was amazing! For me, this made it much more real than I have felt before. There it was, this little being growing inside of me! Crazy stuff!
The heartbeat sounds very strong my Doctor told us and she confirmed this was a big milestone to reach - it was a good feeling and just made me want to hear and see more!
Next up, the ultrasound test in a few weeks!
No comments:
Post a Comment