Wednesday, June 17, 2009

7 weeks...and an ultrasound!

We had our first doctor's visit yesterday. As soon as we saw that little peanut on the screen and heard that heartbeat, a massive weight was lifted off my shoulders. I forgot what a magical sound that heartbeat is! It was just such a relief to know that everything was okay. We go back for our next visit at 12 weeks, July 27th.

Based on the size, the due date has been recalculated to be Feb 1st, 2010. That's the day after Roy's birthday, and the day before Sue's! But since Alex was late, I'm guessing this little one will be late as well :)

Overall, I'm feeling pretty good. The fatigue is subsiding (just a little bit!), as is the nausea. Of course, I still need to eat several times a day to keep the nausea at bay.

I haven't really had any exciting or interesting cravings. I did feel the need for pot roast a couple of days ago (I tried to get some, but got the wrong thing so it just didn't work out!), and I've been craving fresh tortilla chips...not the kind from the store, the kind you get at a Mexican restaurant :) And I've been plenty thirsty as well. Most foods are still unappealing, but granola bars are always a great stand by. I remember eating lots of granola bars with Alex as well - they're enough to tide you over and get the queasiness out of the way!

The doctor had some very reassuring things to say - based on the heartbeat, the chance of miscarriage has dropped to .5%. So of course it can still happen, but it's much less likely. Hitting the 12 week point will be a great relief, as will once the baby starts moving! But for now, we're taking it one day at a time.

Dr. Morton is the same doctor who delivered Alex, but she has since moved to a different practice, and subsequently, a different hospital. This baby will be delivered at Lexington Medical Center, as opposed to Palmetto Baptist downtown. We don't have to deal with downtown, which is a definite bonus, and, from the sounds of it, Lexington is a lot more progressive and open minded when it comes to birth. They have birthing balls, and offer doulas free of charge (Baptist charges up to $800 for one!), which is definitely something that will be worth looking into. A doula is basically a labor coach - they don't do anything medical, but help ease labor through techniques such as breathing and shifting positions. Doula-assisted births tend to have a reduction in the duration of labor, less use of pain relief medications, and in many studies a reduction in caesarian deliveries. Now, I'm not saying I'm against drugs (because that epidural was a wonderful thing!) but I do like the idea of doing things a bit more naturally this time around - like trying the other natural pain relief techniques before going for the drugs. But there's still at least 7 months before those decisions have to be made!

Now, on to more exciting things....here is Peanut's first photo shoot!



Measuring baby...Peanut is about 10.6 cm long, crown to rump.



Baby's heartbeat...a healthy 140 beats per minute!



Baby belly at 7 weeks, 2 days



And just for fun...this is what the baby looks like about now. Amazing how that'll turn into a real person! (picture from Wikipedia)

No comments:

Post a Comment