4:22 p.m. - 2006-03-29
Mommy's First OB Appointment
"...And then the doctor inserted a speculum into Mommy's vagina so he could look into her vagina. Mommy clenched her teeth and stared at the ceiling tiles to avoid thinking about the doctor scraping her cervix cells for the Pap smear."
I don't know about you, but I think this is an excellent future bedtime story for my kid, along with "You Were Made in a Petri Dish."
Yes, Mommy had her first OB appointment today. What a different world. In the past, I had always been rushed in and out of that office -- copayment, pee in a cup, feet in stirrups and slide down, birth control prescription, see ya next year -- but things are different when you're prenatal. I had more forms to fill out, even though I've been a patient there for eight years. They took my weight -- and height! -- and I realized that I'm heavier and shorter than I thought I was this morning. Playboy is *not* going to want me now. I peed in a cup and they took vials and vials of blood. We also did a Pap smear, and this was my first sight of blood (down there, at least) since my last period on January 15. Freaky.
Joe came with me, and Dr. Hill talked to us for a while -- about what to expect at each visit, when certain tests would be perfomed, and all that good stuff. I really like this guy, because he's so normal and has a great common-sense approach -- but he's also really down to earth, and funny, and easy to talk to. I feel completely confident knowing that he'll be be delivering my baby -- which will be at Sibley Memorial in DC, I learned (so much for delivering at Alexandria 5 minutes from my house). I had some breast sonogram done there years ago, and from what I recall, it's fairly chi-chi, so hopefully I get my own private room.
The talk of all that testing, though, didn't sit well with me. Again, Dr. Hill is so good about that kind of stuff -- he didn't make me feel like I'd be a monster if I went either way. And honestly, I don't want to test for genetic defects and Down's syndrome and all that. I mean, what am I supposed to do with that information? Either everything's "normal" and we're relieved, or it's not "normal" and we're panicked. Either way, I'm not terminating this pregnancy, so why have the (unnecessary) testing, is how I feel about it.
I do have another ultrasound next week, though, and I'm really excited. I'll get to see my lime-sized baby, who might be more peach-sized by then, and we might even be able to hear the heartbeat. The "really fun" ultrasound (according to Dr. H) is between 18-20 weeks, when they do the gender screening. It's hard to believe that that's only 7-9 weeks away. And that at that point, I'll be halfway done. Amazing.
I have a headache that is starting to blind me, my cue that it's time to shut down and head home. Time for Mommy to see if her maxi pad needs changing first!
