Ups and Downs

Well, yesterday was an up-and-down day. I took it pretty easy since I was off work and I was having these pains on my lower left side. I was pretty sure I’d probably just pulled something, but I wanted to avoid any heavy activity just in case. I actually did call the doctor’s office to ask them about it. I was hoping to talk to one of the nice nurses and just have her reassure me that everything was fine, but instead, new creepy doctor that I don’t like was the only one there, and he called back himself. He said I could come in and be checked out if I wanted, but they were pretty full so I might have to go to the ER. He also said I could make an appointment for tomorrow (now today).

But the thing is, I didn’t really think anything was wrong, I just wanted someone to tell me so. Plus, I get the feeling this guy is just starving for patients since he’s new to the practice, so no matter what you call about, he’ll always want to see you. Last time I called and got him, when I was just about 6 weeks and having some back pain, he told me to come in and then all he did was a quick vaginal exam (which took me off guard because what was he going to learn from that, and I’d never had a man do one, which was fine, but I wasn’t quite prepared). Then he said since it hurt when I moved and based on the location it was probably just muscular. Well, he could’ve told me that on the phone based on what I told him rather than getting all up in my private parts, couldn’t he?

The day did end on a very positive note. Andy and I exchanged our holiday stockings, a tradition we started the first year we were dating. Since I’m Jewish and he’s Methodist, we chose Dec. 23 (Festivus!) as our gift-giving day. It works out nicely because we can have the day to ourselves – there aren’t usually other family obligations for Chanukah or Christmas. His gifts for me were so cute and sweet. He had a tupperware box labeled “emergency pregnancy car kit” with all kinds of snacks and treats, plus things like kleenex and band-aids. So adorable. There was also a T-shirt he’d ordered from Cafe Press that said I and then a heart and then a picture of a burger. I loved it since I am a burger fiend! It was so hilarious. I’m totally wearing it Friday when we have our friends over.

But the last gift at the very bottom of the stocking was probably the best. I unwrapped it and saw that he’d gotten me my very own fetal Doppler so we could hear the baby’s heartbeat whenever we want throughout the rest of the pregnancy! We rushed upstairs and lubed it up (literally, using K-Y). It took awhile, and I thought at first that we weren’t going to be able to find it. First we found mine, which we could tell wasn’t the baby’s since it was so much slower. But then, very low on the right side, there it was! Boom-boom-boom-boom-boom-boom! We sat and listened for awhile; we were so pleased with ourselves! What a great way to end our Festivus celebration.

We Got the Beat

So the doctor’s appointment was glorious this morning! It was short and sweet, but we got what we came for: the heartbeat.

I was getting more and more nervous as we drove the short distance to the medical building at the hospital where my doctor’s OB office is and made our way to their suite. We were the first ones there and waited for a few minutes leafing through baby and pregnancy magazines. They had multiple copies of each one, too, all nicely fanned out so that even if there were 7 moms-to-be waiting there, they could all get their dose of Baby Talk.

Anyway, first up was my weight (I asked if I could take my boots off – every ounce counts!), and I was very happy with the gain – 3 pounds, just about right. They say 2-4 pounds is normal for the first trimester, so I can even gain one more in the next week or two and stay on track (not that the world will end if I gain 2 or 3 … I’m just glad all my eating hasn’t already driven me beyond the normal range). Next was blood pressure, which she said was excellent, and then she brought out the Doppler.

At first I’d mistaken it for the kind of thermometer that they stick into your ear and then see the reading on the attached display. But she rubbed a bit of lubricant or some sort of smooth, cool liquid on my lower abdomen and then started moving the sensor part of the machine over me. I was nervous because a) we didn’t hear anything at first and b) the nurse was fairly cavalier as we got started, telling us that it’s common not to hear the heartbeat this early, which made me think I’d have a slim shot at an ultrasound to confirm the heartbeat if we didn’t get it through the Doppler.

But all of a sudden it rang out loud and clear–thwump! thuwmp! thwump! thwump!

It sounded so fast, like the baby was all hopped up on caffeine or had just finished a run (hah – unlikely for any child of mine). But of course it’s normal for a baby at this stage to have such a fast heartbeat. It was 176 beats per minute, up quite a bit from our first appointment, where I think it was 136. Andy and I smiled these huge grins and listened some more, and then I started laughing because I was so happy and amazed, and we couldn’t hear the baby anymore since my stomach was shaking so much.

As we walked back to our cars, Andy told me that he hadn’t quite processed the heartbeat when it first started, but he was watching me and he said I looked so concerned, and then all of a sudden my face just lit up and he knew what the sound was. He said he’ll never forget what my face looked like – I said I wished I’d seen it!

It was hard to stop smiling the rest of the day. I shared the news, calling my mom and sister, texting Shelly and emailing Laurie and my aunt. I was bursting with excitement, wanting to tell everyone at the office my secret! But I was good and kept it in. I’ve been hoping to hold out til after New Year’s, but now I’m thinking maybe I’ll do it next Friday before I take my holiday week off.

So anyway, it was a great start to the weekend … Now I get to just look forward to telling two of my oldest friends on Sunday. Yay!