So our lovely daycare decided to close for a week, with not a ton of notice, which meant there weren’t a lot of options for us. All vacation homes within a few hour drive were booked or too expensive or missing something essential. So instead of meeting my parents at the beach somewhere, we decided to just head to Vermont. Honestly the kids probably enjoy Vermont better than the beach anyway. There are tractors and land to run around on, and they can eat all my dad’s peas from his garden.
Anatomy Scan
Small Updates
More Appointments, More Sugar
Since my last update (only a week ago!), I’ve had three more appointments scheduled. Yes, it’s getting ridiculous.
They were all interesting for different reasons. One was for my three hour glucose test - yup as predicted, I failed the one hour test again. So off I went to spend three hours sitting in a waiting room, drinking super sweet orange drink, and getting my blood taken a million times. I’m almost getting good at it! Fasting, chugging the drink, bringing a book to read, and then packing food to eat for after.
GOOD Pregnancy Update
This pregnancy is actually going.. okay?
Which is funny to say because I was SO SICK for such a long time, and I'm sore and in pain a lot, and the heartburn has started to return... but I actually feel like time is passing quickly. I'm not sure if it's because instead of sitting on the couch thinking about being pregnant I'm chasing around a 1 year old.. or if it's the time of year.
Anatomy Scan, Take II
After my original anatomy scan, I got a call from the midwife on staff explaining some possible complications that they had seen, and she let me know that they were sending me to a specialist at Tufts to get another scan. Better machinery and more experienced/specialized doctors would get us some additional information that they needed.
It got me a little nervous, and of course googling all the possible bad outcomes (some of which she'd already told me over the phone), but I was glad for the availability of the specialist. Unfortunately they wanted to see me in the middle of our annual vacation to Maine, and I was told that I really shouldn't wait, especially since if I skipped this one they might not be able to get me in until October. Womp womp.
Whatever You Do, Don't Google
The anatomy scan!
Last time we were super excited to find out the gender and we counted down the days to the scan. This time, I went alone and almost fell asleep in the room. It's not my fault - it's a dark room, with white noise pumped in, and they lie you down on a bed while no one really talks for an hour. Sure there's a screen showing you what's going on, but it's like watching an old black and white movie with no sound on a tv channel you don't really get a good signal on and it's full of static.
Everything's Fine
The Dinosaur Penguin
Alternatively titled, "Anatomy Scan: How I Scared Tom Half to Death"
Ultrasounds - An exciting experience where you get to watch a TV screen showing your baby moving around. Or the time to figure out any and all genetic problems, health issues, and life ending debilitations. One of those is a lot more fun than the other, but the reality is, both are true.
Stop Dancing on my Bladder
So after the last, not so encouraging ultrasound, Tom and I were ready for a do over. That chance came when we were given the option of doing a down syndrome test, which requires an ultrasound. I'll be honest, I just heard ultrasound and said I was in. Especially because it was at a different office where they had the new, high tech ultrasounds. I knew we'd be able to see a lot more, and have a much better chance at hearing a heartbeat. The results of the test meant very little to me compared to that.
Heading into the appointment, I was mostly excited and just a little bit nervous. I knew things were probably okay, but I still really wanted to hear that heartbeat as confirmation. Then I checked the website and looked at the pre-appointment instructions... and that's when I became very nervous.
The First Heartbeat: Sort Of
Alternatively titled, "How I almost gave Tom a heart attack."
So the first appointment I had was with a midwife, and was supposed to be mostly a checkup for me, and gathering a medical history. It was in the middle of the day and Tom had to work, so I went alone. I'd already gotten all the medical information from him, so it wasn't a big deal. At the very end of the appointment, the midwife decided to try and do a quick ultrasound to check and make sure it wasn't an ectopic pregnancy.