Thursday, September 1, 2011

20 Weeks Appointment

I had my 20 weeks appointment today.  It was wonderful.  The doctor I was supposed to see was on call and off delivering a baby so I had a different doctor in the group.  He walks in and says : “Hi Emily, I’m Dr. Y. Sorry, Dr. Z is in delivery so I’ll be seeing you today.”  I loved this because he says my name which shows he looked at my chart before coming into the room.  I want to hug him, especially when he says “You’re 20 weeks so that means you’re halfway there.  Congratulations!” My first halfway done congratulations and he said it like he really meant it.  He tells me specific things that look good and even mentions things from my pregnancy history.  As he is checking the baby’s heartbeat he explains to me about where the baby is positioned now (around my bellybutton, fyi).  When he measures my stomach, he explains all that too and about how much growth I will have throughout the pregnancy.   After that he asks if I have any questions for him.  At this point I’m tempted to say “Can I give you a hug?”  but I restrain myself and say no.  I don’t mention that I’ve called with questions several times since my last visit so that’s why I don’t have any now.  I think they may recognize my voice at the OB reception desk now.  I then checked out and got the earliest possible appointment for my ultrasound:  September 29th at 8:45.   I’m so excited to have an actual date when we will know if it is a guy or gal in there.   Everything about the experience was so positive that I’m still feeling super happy about it.  So today has been a nice escape from the moodiness I’ve been experiencing lately.  I always know that I’m happy; it just gets buried under all the other crazy emotions so it’s nice to have a day when I can actually feel how happy I am. 
The Baby/Mommy Lowdown:
*I’ve gained about 10 pounds so far which the doctor says is really good.  My blood pressure looks good also.  I can remember one of the numbers was 60 but that’s it.
*My tummy is measuring right at 20 weeks.
*The baby’s heartbeat is still going strong.  I just love hearing it!
*I think I’ve started to feel the baby move a little.  I’m not really sure and the more people tell me about how it should feel, the more unsure I become.  I will just say that I feel something which may or may not be the baby.  
*The ultrasound on the 29th is going to not only tell us the sex of the baby but it will check out its health as well.  It is an hour long and I am so excited about seeing our baby wiggling around on the screen for an entire hour!
*I picked up some tips for the sugar test I will take at 28 weeks.  I’m not sure how common these tips are, but I thought I would share them anyway.  Stick to protein and vegetables for the 2 meals before you come in for the test.  Don’t drink juice or eat starches or fruit.  Sugar is obviously a no-no as well.  The best breakfast to eat is eggs.  Since I’ve already had one 1 hour test, I’m really hoping I pass the one at 28 weeks.  That stuff is gross and holding your nose when you drink it doesn’t help. 
*I’m halfway done!  At the beginning that seemed so far away but I feel like it sort of snuck up on me.  I was honestly surprised by it when the doctor said something today.  I hope my due date will do the same! :)

1 comment:

Susannah said...

I totally sympathize with the comment you left me about needing to know the gender. I was so upset to move right before I could have found out from my original midwife, b/c I had to go through a couple new appts. with my new midwife to get it set up! I was so anxious I couldn't sleep or think about anything else. Unfortunately, I felt so sure it was a boy, and was completely blindsided to hear she is a girl. My caution to you is not to get your hopes up or plan on one or the other! But I'm sure you've heard that :) Since I was so surprised that she is a girl, I felt really disconnected from the baby for a few weeks. I immediately asked Ben if we could start thinking of names, because I thought giving her a name would help me connect to her as a person with a personality. We aren't even close to having a name, 7 weeks later, but I am happy to say the connection has been well established by now :) So I know how you feel, and I KNOW it will get better! Hang in there-- sounds like you are doing great!