Week 10: The last first appointment

By Published On: December 2nd, 2016

Monday’s OB appointment felt so much like my last one, […]

butler-ginny-2016-11-12-29Monday’s OB appointment felt so much like my last one, almost a year ago. Both appointments were for a first ultrasound and initial pregnancy exam. Both times, I knew I was well into the first trimester. Both times, I’d experienced some spotting early on. But during that visit a year ago, I was nothing but excited to see my fourth and final child; I didn’t carry with me the trepidation I felt this time around.
This time, as the doctor jellied my belly and brought up the image on the ultrasound equipment, I couldn’t help but see the vacuous black that appeared on the screen last year, at least in my mind’s eye. Fortunately, in reality, Monday’s ultrasound revealed a grainy black-and-white Gummi Bear. Just what I had expected to see last year, and what I couldn’t quite let myself believe this time.
Finally, all at once, I can smile about this pregnancy! I can start to get excited. I can talk about baby as a “when” rather than an “if.”
I’ve always wanted four kids. I even developed a plan to space them three years apart—I would deliver at ages 24, 27, 30 and 33. Except that last one ended in a D&C rather than a baby. So we’re a year off schedule but totally OK with it. And I will appreciate this last pregnancy more, knowing better now how precious a successful pregnancy really is.
What may very well be my last first prenatal appointment went swimmingly once I saw my little guppy and watched his/her heart fluttering on the screen. We talked about prenatal vitamins and diet, hospital options and my strict intention not to be induced. My OB (a new one since my insurance has recently changed) is the sweetest older man, so experienced yet humble and open to patient involvement. “I’m going to treat you like family,” he says before adding an apology. “Sorry, that’s just how I do it.”
Right now, I’m measuring just over 10 weeks with a tentative due date of June 25. (Thank you, doctor, for saying “tentative!” I don’t love it when they pretend to be sure about things they couldn’t be sure about.) So we’re a quarter of the way through already! Looking forward to 30 more weeks of growing and sharing with you readers, as well as sharing with my three little loves at home. At ages 9, 6 and 3, my juniors are already on board the baby train. They got a kick out of baby’s “tail” in the ultrasound, and my daughter is already planning a gender reveal party (it will involve Krispy Kreme donuts, she says). It’s bound to be a bumpy and exhausting ride with plenty of sweet moments along the way.