Appointments thread for December

BlondePeanut

It is already December! So here is the new monthly appt discussion thread

BlondePeanut

Dec 14 - bloodwork panel and urine check 
Dec 17 - 2nd prenatal check up
Dec 20 - NT scan at hospital

This is a busy one for me! Although I am thrilled about getting to check on baby twice in one week. DH couldn't make my first appt at 8 weeks so he is super excited to be able to come to our prenatal and NT scan

chrssyms

I only have one regular OB appointment this month on the 20th. I’ll probably have an in-office US to check on baby and that’s about it. I won’t have another appointment until January when I have my anatomy scan. BTW I can’t believe it’s already December!

navyblueladybug

I’ll have My 3rd appointment on Dec 26... they’re doing an early glucose challenge test on me that day 😖 Plus bloodwork for my thyroid

KissMeImScottish

Headed in for my NIPT/NT tomorrow morning. Even though I have no obvious reason to be, I admit I’m nervous. I’m glad my husband was able to get the day off to be with me.

Erin1510

I have my 16w check on 12/19 (I’ll be 16w6d though so almost week 17). Just a routine check. 

My anatomy scan scan is scheduled for January 16th when I’m 21 weeks. I can’t wait! 

sparklingdiamond

NT scan is tomorrow. I'm so anxious about it.  

Then regular OB appt the 19th.

antera23

@Erin1510 how exciting! 
@sparklingdiamond and @KissMeImScottish Im Thinking about you guys and hoping for great appointments tomorrow! 

chrssyms

@KissMeImScottish and @sparklingdiamond good luck with your appointments today!!

chachacharrrmin

@sparklingdiamond @KissMeImScottish FX for good appointments today!

nmbrcrnchr1

@KissMeImScottish @sparklingdiamond thinking of you both today!

my next appt isn’t until Dec 27th and will just be the normal 5 minute (pee in a cup, check BP, listen to Doppler) check up, but they will schedule my AS at that appointment for january

KissMeImScottish

Thanks for all the positive thoughts, ladies. As I mentioned elsewhere, it went beautifully and I’m starting to feel like this is a real thing that is actually happening. It was crazy to see baby bouncing around in there!

@sparklingdiamond, you’ve been on my mind all day. I keep watching the clock for you - I hope everything went well today.

AshleighDB

Ultrasound on Friday and that's it till January! 

carleym93

12/12 Prenatal appointment 
12/20 Just for fun gender ultrasound

I’m actually not excited about the gender ultrasound and I think it’s because I won’t know any information about the health of the baby. So I’m worried my joy will be short lived if something is wrong at the anatomy scan in January. We’re doing it because my grandma’s health is really bad and she is so excited about the baby. I don’t know how much longer we have with her and I want to be able to tell her the sex on Christmas. 

ki1244

Question -- are your SOs going to all your appointments with you? Some? None? I honestly don't know what's typical. So far DH has come to everything with me, but that's been an ER visit, an ultrasound to see Baby for the first time, and an unscheduled nurse visit to check for heart tones (so either hearing Baby for the first time or something being wrong). Today I have my first appointment with my actual OB (since I saw a FP before, and she doesn't do obstetrics) and when I scheduled the appointment, I didn't have DH's schedule so I had to guess on whether they'd have practice. Turns out I guessed wrong, so unless Coach lets him off, I'm solo for this. Is that pretty typical? Or is it more customary for SOs to be there for those? I told him it was fine and he didn't need to try to come, but I think he kinda feels guilty about that now.

dntstpbelieveing

@ki1244 my DH comes to every apt that he can but he has definitely missed some. I get off work later than he does so if it works in my work schedule 90% of the time it works for him. It definitely is not weird if he isn't there though. I would want him there for any major apts, US and such but the pee and measure apts are not vital for him. 

jhems776

@ki244 My H just comes for the first one and then the big ones with ultrasounds, none of the quick check-ups. Logistics for him coming that much are just too hard. 

Erin1510

My husband came to the first 2 appointments because we'd hear the heartbeat at the first and my NT scan was the second. After this, I only plan on him coming if I'll be having an ultrasound. There's no reason I can think that he needs to be there and it's easier for me to just work around my own schedule instead of trying to work around his too since we work very different schedules (I'm a teacher so standard M-F 8am-4pm kind of job, he's a sheriff's deputy so he works rotating 12 hour shifts and is currently on nights). 

carleym93

My husband only comes to ultrasounds. He works a really demanding job, and taking time off to come to a 15 minute appointment where they weigh me, check my bp, and do a quick doppler check just isn’t logical. 

kjr9519

DH has come to all my appointments so far and he plans on being at my 12 week appointment even though there won’t be an ultrasound (I’m PGAL and this appointment is going to be filled with a lot of anxiety for me). He will also be going to the a/s and possibly one more appointment later on and any others I can manage to schedule while he is off. He would be there for all of them, but he works in a town 40 minutes away, so he has to take quite a bit of sick time for each appointment, and we want to have some saved up still in case I go into labor before the end of the school year. He’s a teacher, so he’d only have to use sick time to be there for the birth in that scenario.

ki1244

Thanks, gals! I reiterated that he didn't need to come to this one (it's more than a pee-in-a-cup, but less than an ultrasound) but since this is when we're meeting the OB, I think he still wanted to go. Turns out me mentioned it to Coach and Coach told him that if he shows up to practice instead of the appointment, he's in trouble. But I'll make sure he knows it isn't necessarily customary for him to show up every time I go in after this. Thanks for the info, everyone!

pigglesworth

I had my first MFM appt today. Met with genetic counselor, diabetes counselor, took my 2 hour glucose test after failing first by 2 points, got my genetic testing blood work done, met my high risk provider., and got to see my little peanut dancing all around, and TW: NT scan that he said looked normal END TW. DH came with me today, and to my 6 week ultrasound when we got to see the heartbeat. He won’t be able to make all of them though, but I knew this would be a big one. 

antera23

My SO has come to every appointment with me so far. I’ve always made my appointments for his day off. When I got pregnant the first time he made it clear to his work that he consistently needs Friday’s off to make it to my appointments. Otherwise they would schedule him for whenever they want. When I have to go in more frequently he probably won’t go to all of them. Or maybe he will! 

srscott3

I was avoiding this thread because I was thinking my next appointments are so far away (being on the 13th and the 18th). And then realized that I just don’t know what day it is and both of those are less than 2 weeks away!
So I have a cardiologist appointment on 12/13 and my 16 week appointment on 12/18 kind of can’t believe I’m in second tri already!

antera23

I had my 12 week appointment on Friday. It went well! She listened for the heartbeat and it took SO long. I was getting more and more stressed. But we heard it!!! I always feel like the major appointments like ultrasounds and hearing the heartbeat go by so fast. 

I had to get an EKG becuase my BP has been higher ever since I got pregnant. So I did that and the tech said unofficially everything looks great. 

emeraldcity603

DH only came to one US appointment with me when I was *TW having a lot of bleeding with my SCH. I didn't want to go into that US alone for obvious reasons. TW*

My elective US is the 19th. We will find out if this is a boy or girl. I'm excited! I honestly don't care either way but DH told me he is hoping for another boy. We are due for a boy because so far we have alternated boy, girl, boy, girl but I can't shake the feeling it's a girl. 

My next OB appointment is the 27th. It will likely just be a quick check of the heartbeat and peeing in a cup. 

canuckbaby

@ki1244 my DH wants to be at all my appt. Today is my first OB one and so far hes been to 2 US and 1 GP appt. I think after today he will only come to 1 US. He may pop into others as he drives a delivery truck but I have a feeling he wont be able to wait with me every time. His boss is a family man and is willing to give him the time *unpaid* as needed

chachacharrrmin

Appointment went really well today! 😀 We had the NT scan, the US tech and doc both said it looked good, but would give me the official results after it gets back from the lab. Baby was measuring about 5 days ahead, but they don't change due dates, so 6/22 it is. I feel a ton of relief, but can't believe I won't be doing another US for almost 2 months! Ah!

mcassiee

My annual routine physical is coming up with the family doctor. Should I be getting a flu shot while pregnant? 

canuckbaby

I got a flu shot @mcassiee

Had my first OB appt today. There was 100% a ghost in the room i was in. Garbage can lid spontaneously started swinging. Scared the bejesus out of me and my husband. Heard HB for first time 145. Little bugger kept moving around. My OB I was actually referred to is on mat leave so i saw a replacement. The one i expected to see is back in march

srscott3

@wearyfuzzball so happy you had a good appointment!

My appointment today wasn’t with my OB, but was my first visit with my cardiologist. I was referred to her because my heart is skipping beats and I’m getting winded really easily. She did an EKG, saw the skipped beats, and also discovered a murmur. She said both the skipped beats and murmur are likely due to the pregnancy but she wants to keep monitoring. So for the next 48 hours I have a heart monitor stuck to my chest and an echo scheduled for next Thursday. Hopefully there will be a game plan after results from both. 

meatballs37

@srscott3 I was wondering if you had a follow up. I bet you are half relieved to know it may only be from pregnancy. And hopefully they tell you the results won’t affect you from having more children. Praying for good results for you. 

cricket1688

@mcassiee I got a flu shot and made DH get one too. For that matter I’m the crazy mom to be who made her parents do it as well. If you plan on touching the baby in his first weeks of life you get a flu shot - that’s my rule

dntstpbelieveing

@mcassiee I got a flu shot at my 8 week apt.

@cricket1688 not crazy. I also made everyone update their Tdap before my son. 

KissMeImScottish

@mcassiee, definitely yes on the flu shot - you definitely don’t want to get the flu while pregnant and the flu shot can help prevent that. If it doesn’t prevent it, it has been proven to shorten how long you are sick and lessens the severity. Last year, 80,000 Americans died from the flu. Of those 80,000, 80% who died were unvaccinated. Even with the imperfect vaccine last year, it afforded 67% protection (meaning if 100 people were vaccinated and then exposed directly, 67 people did not get sick). Of those who did get sick but recovered (over 900,000), those with the vaccine experienced shorter, milder illnesses. All three of my kids (aged 2 years and 6 months) tested positive on the same day for Influenza B. They all had 104 degree fevers. Because we all had the vaccine and because I got them on Tamiflu within 24 hours, it only lasted 48 hours and I never got sick. It could have been MUCH worse.

Sorry, none of this is meant to scare, and it doesn’t sound like you need much convincing. This is just something I am passionate about - herd immunity DOES work, but we are vulnerable members of society right now while we are growing humans. We should afford ourselves every protection we can.

Just make sure you inform whoever is giving it that you are pregnant (my OB administered mine at my first appointment), and verify that the vaccine they are giving you is the pregnancy-safe version, meaning it’s the shot (so not a live vaccine like in the nasal mist), and that it’s a small batch (meaning no thimerosal, which is perfectly safe normally and is used as a vaccine preservative, but is removed from small batches specifically for patients like us out of an abundance of caution).

Ok, off my soap box now, I promise.

chachacharrrmin

@srscott3 Thank you! And I'm glad your appt went well, though that's still scary!

@mcassiee Yes, get the flu shot. 

cricket1688

Headed to my NT scan this morning - DH coming with for support. Going in feeling good since we got NIPT and everything was Normal/Negative but still nerve racking.

@dntstpbelieveing oh yes this is going to be me too, my step mom is already giving me hell about it and I just calmly told her it's her choice if she doesn't want to see/hold the baby

chrssyms

@mcassiee, totally agree with @KissMeImScottish. It’s especially important to get a flu shot when pregnant because we are somewhat immuno-compromised when pregnant. So it’s even harder for us to fight off the illness and we are more likely to get sicker than if we weren’t pregnant. It’s important for both your health and to make sure your developing LO stays healthy and strong! 
@dntstpbelieveing suggests a good idea too. I got my Tdap updated before visiting my niece when she was born. 

canuckbaby

I have had my flu shot since october. Knock on wood this is my first time getting shot and i have never had the flu - at least not in my adult life. 

srscott3

Thank you @meatballs37 ❤️
And yes, the cardiologist said that the ER doc was very wrong to scare us into thinking we couldn’t have more kids. She even said there’s still a chance this delivery could be a vaginal one. I’m relieved about those things, but definitely still worried for final results. I really appreciate the thoughts and prayers though!

mcassiee

Thanks y'all for your response. I take the flu shot every year, just wanna make sure it's pregnancy safe. Good to know to avoid the nasal mist type. 

@dntstpbelieveing good point! gotta make sure DH is up to date with his tdap too