Down The Rabbit Hole

Yesterday I fell down the rabbit hole. It was my 1st appointment at the OB's office and being in a new waiting room with a new staff and waiting to see a new doctor left me feeling like I had wandered into a strange new, curious world where I didn't understand the customs or traditions. I thought I had prepared myself at least a little by reading up on the first appointment, listening to others accounts and talking to the office staff beforehand, but inevitably it still didn't go exactly as I had expected.

As soon as I checked in I was handed a stack of new patient paperwork to fill out but after all the infertility paperwork I had done in the past it was really a breeze. I was happy to see that all the pregnant women that came in smiled and seemed to enjoy being there. Everyone on the staff that I encountered was very friendly and warm. They called me back fairly quickly and of course first checked my weight and blood pressure- both of which are good. Then Chad and I waited in a very comfortable exam room until Dr. Casual came in. I call him Dr. Casual because he was just that, very laid back and comfortable. He was friendly and happy to answer all of our questions. It felt a lot like making small talk with a new acquaintance, now I just hope he begin to feel like a new friend.

He did a very quick ultrasound which was very weird for us because it was the first one to be done externally! I have had so many dates with wandy now, I wasn't prepared for the cold gel and pressure on my tummy. It was exciting to be far enough along for a peek at our Snow Pea from the outside, but I was disappointed with the quality of the ultrasound and how quickly it was over. He didn't zoom in or spend too much time showing us the details of our baby. Snow Pea just looked like a teeny blurry blob. Luckily, Dr Jedi had already scheduled an appointment with us for this morning and I knew we would get a much better peek in his office. And wow was I right! Baby looked so much bigger and so clear. Today I am 10 weeks 4 days pregnant and the baby is 37.5mm, a little bit larger than a kumquat. Not only has there been lots of growth since last time but lots of movement too! Snow Pea was wiggling and moving all over the place. We could see little legs and arms jiggling and the umbilical cord was bouncing and shaking as the baby moved around. when Chad and I were talking on the way to the appointment, he kept saying that this pregnancy still didn't feel real to him and he just couldn't get really excited yet. That all changed after he saw Snow Pea waving at us. He was absolutely giddy with excitement and couldn't stop smiling, it was cute to see him get so into it.
We get to go back to see Dr Jedi one more time and they are making a DVD of the ultrasound for us during that visit! Snow Pea will be 11 weeks 6 days at that appointment so it should be a good show, I can't wait! Dr. Jedi gave me even more good news and said I could stop all the supplements now. No more shots! No more gross Crinone! Of course I would do shots the whole 9 months if it meant Snow Pea would be safe and healthy but it's still a huge relief to be done with that stuff. I have been on both meds since June!

I am still a bit anxious about leaving Dr. Jedi completely but I am glad I was able to take a peek through the looking glass at the next phase without having to stay there exclusively right away. Hopefully by my next OB appointment next month I will be feeling a little more secure in the transition. Chad and I have also decided to check out a local birthing center just so we know all of our options, especially since it's important to us to avoid a C-section if at all possible. We will be doing that next week in addition to our last RE visit. After that is our nuchal translucency scan and I will officially be down the rabbit hole for good and in the strange new world of pregnancy. I hope that Dr. Casual is a better guide through this weird, wonderful land than the white rabbit was for Alice.