I'm terrible at blogging these days, but I figured I should keep some kind of record of this pregnancy. I haven't found a doctor near me, so I went ahead and scheduled my first appointment with my old doctor down in Provo. I seriously love her, so I don't have an issue with going to her...except for the 30 min drive each way and typical 30 min wait before I am seen. I guess we'll see what I end up doing when it comes down to it.
I was anxious for my appointment. It always feels like such a long wait between the last IVF appointment and your first regularly scheduled OB appointment. When you go in on an almost daily basis, four weeks feels like a lifetime. I was also a little weirded out by the fact that I wasn't noticing any major pregnancy symptoms. I know I shouldn't complain about that because most of them are not fun. But of course it just made me paranoid when I was so happy to have been successful with IVF and was worried about losing the baby.
Here are some of the notes I made around 8 weeks of what I was noticing about pregnancy:
- Super emotional (will cry at the slightest things - happy or sad)
- Feeling pretty good. Working out daily. Some days I feel awful, but it usually doesn't start until around/after lunch and goes until bedtime
- Get really hungry and most food sounds good to me, but once I eat it, it doesn't usually sit well
- Feeling bloated already
- Small things make me want to gag (like wiping hair off the floor, mushy food, kids' poop in the toilet, or gross stories)
- Craving eggs! Cooked any way - it all sounds delicious. Also carbs.
So I guess I was having some symptoms, but it all felt pretty mild. I was telling Haley about my concerns and she reminded me that I had a fairly easy pregnancy with Owen. I guess I had completely forgotten about that with all the problems/complaints I had during Elsie's pregnancy. Needless to say, I was still anxious to go in and hear that heartbeat again.
It was so great seeing Dr. Savage again. She is always so warm and welcoming, and really makes you feel like she cares about you and your life. I happened to mention I hadn't found a doctor near me. She said, "I understand it's more convenient for you, but if you don't come back, I'll cry." That made me laugh and feel like she actually wants to see me. (Which of course just makes my decision harder!) After going through questions and regular check-up stuff, she did the sonogram. Unfortunately she was struggling to find a heartbeat. She mentioned before starting that it might be hard because my uterus was tilted back just a little bit and when the baby is so small it can be hard to find. I never felt nervous or worried while she was searching. She made me feel completely at ease. After a few minutes she told me that she wasn't worried about it, but if I wanted we could schedule an ultrasound just to make sure. I of course said yes.
I went in the next day to have my ultrasound. They made me drink 32 oz of water an hour before my appointment. By the time I was taken back my bladder was bursting. And as soon as she pushed down on my abdomen I thought I was going to die. But seeing that adorable, tiny, little baby on the screen made my discomfort less apparent. She quickly found the heartbeat and all was well in my heart. I could see the baby already has tiny arms, legs and little nubby fingers and toes. It was so so adorable. She said the baby had its legs crossed. I'm hoping it will be more cooperative at the gender check! It was so wiggly and squirmy. I loved imagining the baby dancing around inside of me. It made everything feel more real.
I'm kind of glad Dr. Savage couldn't find the heartbeat so I could have this extra little ultrasound. I think I'm in love already.
