Before my appointment today, I started to get a little uncomfortable. Bethany and Phillip are about to see my body in ways that they never wanted to. Frankly, I'd rather show them my vagina than all of my fat, but we are all in this together and I refuse to be weird and hope that I don't make them uncomfortable. I sent them a text while on their way to let them know they will probably see way more than they had signed up for, but that together we would just move on.
Our visit was at VCU out at Stony Point for our first ultrasound and OB appointment with Dr. C. I was so excited, but on the other hand a little nervous if everything wasn't on track. Bethany and Phillip are on vacation and made the drive from their destination to be present. It's only Monday and I didn't want to run the rest of their vacation.
I am happy to report that there is a healthy little fetus in my belly with a strong heartbeat! Watching the baby on the screen was cool, but watching Bethany and Phillip's reactions was beyond joyful. Seeing them so happy and excited was way better than any of my own ultrasounds. The little one was kicking and wiggling all around. It was just beautiful to watch them watch the baby.
There was a lull in between the two appointments so we caught up and talked. They were excited to text family the good news, but the WIFI in the building wasn't very conducive for that. When we were called back by the nurse, I probably embarrassed Bethany and Phillip. I was told at that time that only one person could go back with me. I was adamant that I spoke with the nurse and was told that anyone could attend as long as they had masks on. I was pissed. I cleared this with the nurse that I spoke to twice when scheduling. Dr. C's nurse went and got the clinical supervisor on staff and she held to her guns - only two people in the room - the one presenting pregnant and one guest. Even after explaining the situation, they still said no. All in all, I was so mad and embarrassed myself a little, but this is a big deal to me and while they may not stand their ground, I want to stand it for them.
When we got back to the room, the nurse, who was just lovely seemed to be walking on eggshells. I apologized to her for my mood and she said she understood, but I still felt bad - it is not her fault - she is just upholding the rules of the facility. (I am not sure why there was no issue with the ultrasound, but I just have to be thankful for that.) The nurse went over several things with us and it was nice that when she mentioned pediatricians, she looked directly at Bethany. This, my friends, is how it is supposed to be. Even though I am the one carrying the baby, the providers typically talk to me and that is not how it should be. Bethany thanked her and I feel like that helped create a really good atmosphere, too. I think that when I go into appointments now, I am going to ask that Bethany is addressed first for any baby questions. Unless only pregnancy related, she should be consulted first at all times.
Dr. C confirmed that everything looks great and asked us about chromosomal testing. While I have always gotten the one at 16 weeks, there is a more accurate one that can be done now that can give indication of the 13/18/21 chromosome defects that may need to guide any future decisions. I need to call insurance, first, though, because this test (NIPT) is much more expensive than the typical 16 week one (NT).
I had three specific questions for Dr. C:
1 - how can I help the constipation? Dr. C said that I can take Colace up to three times a day - woohoo!!
2 - is there anything I can take to get a full night's sleep? Unisom is the answer here.
3 - can I get my COVID vaccine? Dr. C said absolutely very quickly. Apparently she has seen the devastation COVID has caused during pregnancy and strongly believes that the protection can be a huge help down the road.
As we scheduled our next visits, I was going to head to the lab to get bloodwork. However, the lab was closed for lunch and I would have to wait until 1pm or go tomorrow to get the labs drawn. I opted to go back tomorrow since we were on a time crunch and Jacob was meeting us for lunch. Together, the four of us had a lovely lunch over at Stony Point! It was delicious and the time together was wonderful. I left with such peace and joy in my heart. Bethany and Phillip get to return to vacation and celebrate and we will will march forward in hopes for a healthy little baby to enter our world in October!
No comments:
Post a Comment