Doctor appointment: 20 week ultrasound

 

 

 

 

A big sigh of relief (and a few tears shed by me!): Jeff and I could not feel happier about having an encouraging ultrasound appointment. I was shocked I remembered to load up on 32 ounces of water an hour before my appointment (a full bladder is supposed to push the bowels out of the way so the tech can get a better view), but drink I did and on my way there, my bladder was bursting at its seems. When I pulled into the parking lot outside the office, I was in pain, wondering how I was ever going to make it from my car to the building! I could think of nothing else but how miserable I was, imagining how I was going to make it an hour without going to the bathroom during the ultrasound.

I forced myself out of the car and feeling like I was partially hunched over for my journey to the 5th floor office, I got to the check-in desk. After I gave my name I did not resist saying, "I think my bladder got a little too full for my appointment!" She laughed, but like she cared! Apparently I thought what was at the top of my mind should be at the top of hers. When Jeff and I got into the ultrasound room a few minutes later, before I could climb up to the table I told the tech the same thing. She assured me that she'd get some pictures and I could relieve myself very soon. She had accompanied us on our walk to the room, asking if we were going to try and find out the gender of our baby today. We gave her a confident no and she commended our willpower for not doing so.

I tried to relax once I got on the table, but I felt like I could explode. The warm gel hit my stomach and we were ready to get the show on the road. Within two minutes of checking things out she told me my bladder was even too full for her! Oh no! (And hallelujah! Thank goodness! I could go to the bathroom!) I would end up going three separate times during the ultrasound, per her request - it was unbelievable!

We started by looking at the baby's heart beat. Our baby was moving around more than ever the night before - Jeff got to feel again too - but the reassurance of that tiny heart beating was ultra comforting. We got to actually hear it for the first time. Awesome. The heart rate was normal - 133 for all of you inquiring minds trying to figure out the gender based on the old wive's tale! Jeff and I marveled as we glued our eyes to the screen in front of us. It was miraculous to see the intricacies of our baby's insides, all the way down to seeing him or her swallowing. We shook our heads in amazement seeing our baby's minuscule tongue. Each organ we investigated was astounding; it blew me away knowing I had been and continue making each inside of me.

Unfortunately the baby wouldn't cooperate for us to allow for good photos of his or her heart. We moved on so she could get other measurements and hopefully rule out red flags for complications, both for my pregnancy (baby coming early) and for birth defects. Spina bifita was the first she thought we could take off the table. Whew. There were a handful of other things that were supposed to look a certain way and ours matched those preferred looks, giving us a good chance of ruling out those ailments. The feeling couldn't get much better. She continued to go through a few more, and as she told us the next indicator - for ruling out Down syndrome - was in our favor, I burst into tears. I was filled back with the breath in my lungs that was previously running short.

In that moment, all of my worries felt lessened after the positive reports kept coming. My advanced age - the title I was given - made me extremely weary of these main birth defects that become more prevalent with age. To know the chances of our baby having these had decreased even in the least bit was elating. The reports were affirming and after the multi-stage ultrasound appointment concluded, we met with my doctor. He reiterated that the baby looked good, something we all praised together.

Upon the ultrasound technician's preliminary views of our baby's heart, everything looked fine, but after many attempts, the baby wouldn't oblige us with moving for a better look from the front angle. She had me turn to my left side to try for a successful shift of the baby with no luck. Then I took another potty break and she had me switch to my right, again without luck. So I will begin my next appointment in four weeks (Wednesday, February 20th) with another ultrasound before meeting with my doctor. Hopefully this will provide us with more positive reports of the baby's heart and produce the photo evidence they need.

Nothing serious, but the book ends of my two part appointment were not all that pleasant. I was slightly surprised - though not shocked - at my four pound weight gain during my weigh in, but was told it was normal. My favorite gal there told me a pound and a half a week is what I should gain, so I felt a tad better since it had been four weeks from my last appointment. OK, not so astonishing. (Hey, I better grab another pint of ice cream! What a travesty to leave two pounds on the table. Haha!) The morning at my doctor's office concluded with a flu shot (that I kept forgetting to get) and a whooping cough vaccine. Each was not so bad going in, but my arms were in incredible pain for three full days! It was nuts. I could barely lift them up! Four days later I could still feel soreness, mostly from the whooping cough shot by then. Never have I had a reaction like that with shots, but I am happy they are over with. Not as happy as I am to have this appointment in all its glory behind us! Many thanks to everyone for the prayers. We are hoping for more of the same affirming news in the days ahead.

PS. I had to go to the bathroom two more times after my ultrasound for a grand total of five times before leaving my doctor's office! To my husband who has obviously never been pregnant, this little fact was astonishing. Just as with my tidbit to the gal at the front desk about my way too full bladder upon my arrival at the office, I guess I thought you all needed to know that. ;)