July 16, 2004
Prenatal visit #2
This morning, Dale and I found the digital recorder I'd bought earlier this year. We were surprised to discover that it had no output port for connecting it to a computer or anything else. So we decided to get a new one to record the baby's heartbeat at today's appointment. We decided to get lunch at Chik-fil-A first, and to our surprise, it took way longer to get there than expected due to construction all around the intersection we needed to get to. And poor Dale had to sit in the hot sun on his bike in full gear the whole time.
By the time we'd finished eating lunch, it was about 2:15. Since my appointment was at 2:45, Dale went to Fry's to shop while I just went to the clinic. I hoped it wouldn't take him long, but I was called back before he arrived. I was first sent in to pee on a small strip of paper. When I came out of the bathroom, Dale was there. I asked about the strip of paper and the nurse told me it's to check blood sugar and proteins, and mine looked fine. My weight and blood pressure were also checked and were deemed fine, even though I'm down a pound from my last visit.
Once a room was available, Michelle the nurse had me pull my pants down low on my hips and lie down. She then tried to pick up the heartbeat with the Doppler. There seemed to be a lot of white noise and an occasional strong heart beat, but it was just mine. During this time, Michelle asked if I've ever been told I have a tilted uterus. Yup, I replied. She said she should have asked that first. Sometimes a tipped uterus can make it harder to get the fetus's heartbeat. After several minutes of trying, she gave up. I had to strip from the waist down and wait for the doctor.
Side note: While I was in the waiting room, I noticed a plaque on the wall that showed the cover of a magazine that proclaimed "Top Obstetricians and Gynecologists in the US" or something similar, and under that was the name "Dr. Linda Litzinger." This made me happy, since she's my ob/gyn.
Dr. Litzinger came in and applied the Doppler again. She didn't have any better luck so she had me "assume the position" and tried to manually shift my uterus from the inside while working the Doppler with the other hand. That didn't work either, so she had me get dressed. Then I checked out, scheduled an appointment for three weeks from now, and then I was sent upstairs for an ultrasound.
I had been kinda hoping for an excuse to get an ultrasound, because Dale and I are very curious as to the sex of our baby. But my next ultrasound wasn't scheduled until my 20 week exam, and the Renaissance Women's Group literature states they only do them for medical diagnosis and not for "entertainment purposes." Still, I didn't like being sent for an ultrasound because we couldn't hear a fetal heartbeat. Dr. Litzinger assured me there was likely nothing wrong, but we needed the ultrasound to check just in case.
The checkout process was mildly amusing. My estimated costs prenatal and deliver costs are about $3200. I knew insurance would cover a lot of that, but the woman handed me a form showing an amount due of $110. The funny part was the form also said that I would be responsible for 95% of the costs. The women behind the counter were baffled but figured that they'd just bill me the $110 and let insurance figure out its own math.
Upstairs, we got to wait around a little while before I was escorted back to an exam room. I was surprised to find out I didn't have to strip from the waist down, because she was doing an abdominal sono. I warned the technician that I didn't have a full bladder, but she said we'd give it a shot. She also told us that the doctor who 'reads' the ultrasounds was gone for the day. I asked if this meant that we would have to wait until Monday to get the results and she said yes. Then she added that she was allowed to tell us what she saw, so we wouldn't be left in the dark. Dale commented that it wasn't so when I went to the emergency room, and she said that those techs aren't typically allowed to discuss ultrasounds with the patients. Diagnoses are left up to the radiologists.
As she started, I had my head craned to the right trying to see the screen. I couldn't make out anything and was about to ask her if she'd turn it a little when Dale tapped me. I looked at him, and he pointed up in front of me. My eyes followed his finger to a monitor mounted just below the ceiling directly in front of my. And there, right in the middle, was an identifiable baby.
Like the drama queen in a soap opera, I gasped, my hand flew to my mouth, and I burst into tears. I couldn't stop crying as I saw that baby moving on the monitor. I think I was squeezing Dale's hand hard too.
It was just so amazing to see. The major parts were easily identifiable. Head, body, arms and legs. And then the probe shifted and we got a beautiful profile view of our baby. Forehead, nose, lips, and chin. I could even make out the ear. I was still crying.
The technician was thrilled. She said she'd gone over my file before we came in and was surprised by the note from Dr. Vaughn describing the ectopic pregnancy, the surgery, and then his surprise at finding this pregnancy in tact. She was also very amused by the baby's legs. The baby seemed to like kicking them out and then bending them back. The baby was so active, but I can't feel any of its movements yet. The tech said that the placenta was at the front of my stomach, so I may not feel any movement as soon as other women do.
She also assured us that everything about the baby looked fine and healthy. She measured the heartbeat with the ultrasound and said the rate was good. She also gave us four pictures from the procedure and told us the doctor would review another on Monday.
As I dressed, we checked out, we took the elevator downstairs, I still kept sniffling. In the lobby, Dale and I hugged and I cried a bit, and we kissed, then we went out opposite entrances. As I was leaving the building, an older man sitting on a bence spoke to me. He smiled and said, "isn't is so nice to be in love?" I said it was, smiled back, and wished him a good day.
I started crying again as I walked to the car. I was sobbing by the time I got in, and I missed the ignition with the key a few times because I couldn't see. Once I had it started, I just sat and cried and sobbed. Anyone walking by would have thought I'd just gotten the worst news of my life, but it was the opposite. For weeks I've been nervous and scared that something was wrong with the baby, or that I wasn't even pregnant any more. Silly fears, but I had them.
Seeing the baby, seeing it move, and knowing it was alive and healthy inside me lifted such a great weight. The relief and love I felt for this tiny creature I can't even feel yet just overwhelmed me. Everything we've been through, all the doctor visits, all the tests, medications, injections, going through retrieval without anesthesia, it was all worth it for the baby that's inside me.
Well, without further ado, here are the ultrasound pictures from today. Click a thumbnail to open the gallery page for the image. (They will open in a new browser window.)
