Friday, March 15, 2013

First OB Appointment

Yesterday afternoon was our first OB appointment. They called me back and had my hubby wait in the exam room while a nurse took my blood pressure, pulse, weight, and a list of my medications. She was definitely frazzled with all of my medications, but what can I do? I'm sure it's not everyday that the list includes so many. My blood pressure was, amazingly, really good. My pulse was a bit elevated.

I then waited with W in the exam room. The same nurse came in, frazzled again, and started to talk about labs and cultures and my insurance. She asked me to look something up about my insurance so I started as we waited. Another nurse then came in and explained that we didn't need to worry about anything and that they had it figured out. She asked whether it was our first pregnancy and we told her "sort of." We told her we had 3 previous losses and she was super sympathetic and understanding. She reassured us that if we had any questions or concerns at any time that we should feel free to call.

When Dr. Hi.ll came in she had her laptop and asked about our complete history. We gave her the run-down and joked about how she was writing a novel. It was hard to re-hash it all and I was practically in tears by the time I got to the end of it. It's a long story that contains a lot more downs than ups. It's not too often that I go through the entire history with someone, so it was hard. 

She was so happy and excited for us that things finally worked out. We told her about how we are still working with Dr. Br.averman, and she was more than happy to coordinate care with him. She seemed happy to take a back seat in the decision making until it was her turn. We told her we will meet with him again at 12 weeks and he will make a plan for the rest of the pregnancy. She said with those recommendations we can move forward. She said she could probably learn a thing or two from reading his notes in the files that were sent over. I was so pleased with how open she was to working with him and following his recommendations. It was such a breath of fresh air from working with my local fertility clinic.

She then explained that she would do a pap smear, pelvic exam, and some cultures so left the room while I undressed and got ready. It was weird to have W in the room while a pap smear was done, but we joked about things so he was fine with it. He's been in the room for at lot at this point so he's not easily phased. The doctor warned me that I was going to have quite a bit of bleeding from the pap. Her gloves in the garbage were covered in blood, as was the table when I got up. The nurse gave me a pad and the doctor repeatedly reassured me that the bleeding was from my cervix, not my uterus.

I gave a urine sample and then we headed down to the ultrasound room. I was so happy we were getting an ultrasound, but disappointed when they referred to the machine as a "dinosaur". The machine did not provide crisp images of our little ones, but we saw them and it was great. They measured on target but the machine did not allow us to hear their heartbeats. Dr. H promised that for our next appointment we would get an ultrasound with the better machine.

She asked us about genetic testing and we said we wanted to do the NT scan (mainly for an extra ultrasound). I told her that Dr. B wanted me to be seen weekly and she gladly agreed, saying we had been through so much and was happy to do that. I asked some other questions and she was honest and straightforward with her answers.

By the time we left the office we had been there almost an hour and a half. We were long past the time that the office normally closes, but I was so happy the doctor spent so much time with us and never made us feel rushed. The other office staff did not look as happy as W and I were. We made an appointment for next week for an ultrasound and to meet with the doctor again.

Overall, it was a fantastic appointment. We felt like the doctor was compassionate and bright, as well as open to working with Dr. B, which is very important to us.

In other news, I got my doppler this week and have used it quite a bit. The first 4 or so times I tried it the first day I didn't have any success. Finally, on my 5th attempt I found a heartbeat. It was amazing! The next morning I tried it again and am pretty sure I found 2 different heartbeats. They were in different spots, but it is impossible to know for sure. Since then, I can easily find the first one within seconds of trying. The other one is more difficult, but I can find it with some persistence. The doppler has been amazing and I love listening to the sound of my little babies. It was such a great purchase!

14 comments:

  1. Such great news! Look at your little peanuts!! :)

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  2. I'm glad to hear that the first OB appointment went well! I had my first appointment with the midwives yesterday, and it feels anticlimactic after the stress of TTC. You mean we just... talk about stuff? I didn't get an u/s (probably won't for quite some time now, because I'm not considered high risk -- a good thing, I know!), but we did listen in with the doppler. Even though I've got mine at home, it's still fun to hear that heart beat!

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  3. I loved my doppler. I usually just timed the heart beats to naked sure I was hearing 2 different ones but it was Tyler only thing that kept me partially sane throughout. Glad your appointment went so well!

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  4. What an awesome appointment! I'm so happy for you :) The doppler definitely takes some practice to use, so don't freak out if the babies change position and you can't find them right away.

    Also wanted to let you know that a blood test called "Maternity21" is now taking the place of NT scans--and with MUCH more accurate results/less false positives. One other positive (depending on your view) is that you can find out the babies' gender through this test. But-the best part is that it is more accurate than the NT scan....

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    1. As crazy as it may seem with 2, I don't think we are going to find out the genders. They did offer that test as well.

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  5. That OB sounds awesome!! So glad that she's being so supportive and understanding. YAY for seeing the heartbeats again!

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  6. I mostly lurk but have been rooting you on =) You may want to look into a new test, it's called a MaterniT21 test and it's just a blood draw. It tells you with 99.5% accuracy about all the trisomy defects and also tells you gender too. We elected to do it along with the NT scan but aren't doing the 1st or 2nd trimester blood screening for trimsomy issues. If your doctors office doesn't know anything about it you can call the company directly (http://www.sequenomcmm.com/Home/Patients/MaterniT21PLUS?gclid=CK2avoeDgrYCFelaMgodHHYADw) to find out what they would charge. Our maximum out of pocket was $235 for the test and blood can be taken for it at 10 weeks.

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    1. They did talk about that test. The only real reason I want to do the NT scan is for the ultrasound.

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  7. Sounds like you have an incredible doctor there! So nice that she is willing to work with Dr. B. Knce per week appointments? How awesome is that? Other than the time it takes, but still. It would be so reassuring to follow your pregnancy so closely. I'm so happy for you that things are progressing well.

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    1. Weekly through the first trimester. I wish it was for longer, but I'm sure not complaining.

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  8. Yay for a great appointment! My doppler was such a help for my anxiety.

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  9. AHH! I love reading these baby posts from you! So happy for you guys!

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  10. It sounds like you had a really positive appointment. I am glad you found someone willing to work with you the way you need. It's so important.

    Love the pics of your babes!

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  11. Just found your blog and what an exciting post to find first. I can only imagine how monumental it was to have your first appt with an OB and to have a doctor who listens and appreciates what you've gone through to be where you are. Congrats!!

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