First doc visit updates

cmoon3

Updates go here!

cmoon3

Had my first visit today. Got an exam and ultrasound, followed by bloodwork and 1 hour glucose test.
Baby's hb was 130!  And there is only one!
Got meds for nausea and I can't wait to start.

birdiejo

@cmoon3 all fantastic news except ahhhh no! glucose already?! 

goldensunshine19

Awesome news @cmoon3! 

cmoon3

@birdiejo  Had to do that with my second pregnancy too.  I didn't know I was getting it, so that toast and juice I had for breakfast are going to bite me in the butt.  I fully expect to be put on the gestation diabetes diet, but it should help control my weight gain, so I'm not sure it will be such a bad thing.

moguippy

@cmoon3 I have to do the 3 hour glucose test on 7/11 (the first day I can do it since this Saturday is a holiday) I’ve never done it before but my finger sticks have been questionable already. 

szwill86

Had my first visit today- US and swab just to check for infection. Measuring one day ahead at 8+2, but I know the smallest measurement movement can change the EDD so I’m not concerned. HB of 171. I’ll be going for my NIPT bloodwork in a week and a half. I already told my OB that I DON’T want the sex reported. I stated this last time, but it still was reported loud and proud at the top of my results when I got them via e-mail 😒 

WildMagelet

@szwill86 - Fx they keep it a secret this time!  We had requested that during our last PG too.  Not only did they tell us, they told us incorrectly at first (along with a few other things). It was a huge cluster.

szwill86

@WildMagelet OMG incorrectly?! How did that happen?

WildMagelet

@szwill86 - No idea.  We were told the wrong sex AND the wrong diagnosis from our chromosomal analysis.  It was a mess.  My old OB (who sadly stopped doing pre-natal care) said when I saw her again a year and a half later that was the roughest day she's ever had.  She went total mama bear and chewed the "specialty" office we were sent to that gave me the results up one side and down the other.

babymamadimo

I just had my first ob appointment today. I’ll be 10 weeks tomorrow. We picked up the heart rate on the Doppler in the 170s. She said with a heart rate that strong at 10 weeks the risk of miscarriage now is extremely low. I finally feel like I can breathe!

kkfishy9

I had my first appointment last thursday, and everything looked great! Baby's heartbeat was 155, and I was measuring at 7 weeks 1 day. I was SO nervous going into the appointment, I couldn't even read these boards or consider posting. I'll be honest, I'm still nervous, but feeling much better after seeing that little hearbeat! 

goldensunshine19

Glad to hear your awesome news, @kkfishy9!! This is my first pregnancy so I'm glad to hear that I'm not the only one who's a nervous wreck heading into an appointment. That's a very strong heartbeat, right? 

kkfishy9

@goldensunshine19 yes! They said everything looked textbook!

babymamadimo

@goldensunshine19 the ultrasound tech said anything between 100-200 is a good heart rate and I can definitely relate to the nerves. This isn’t my first pregnancy but I still felt like I was going to throw up during the drive there this morning!

birdiejo

I had my first official appointment yesterday. Heartbeat was 171 at 8 weeks. Measuring 8 weeks 3 days. The first appointment is kind of silly for me like when the nurse tells you you can have the queso at the Mexican restaurant and that’s not what they mean by soft cheeses. 🤣

They sent in a prescription for diclegis but she said it was essentially taking unisom and b6... I don’t think I want the unisom. I don’t want to be more sleepy than I am already! Might head to the store to grab the b6 though because I’m on the struggle bus. 

mdfarmchick

@birdiejo the diclegis is time released so I find it doesn’t make me as sleepy as mixing the B6 and unisom over the counter. 

WildMagelet

Had my first appointment yesterday.  It was a much bigger ordeal than I was expecting based on my last experience, but that's okay!  I was there about 2 hours in total.

U/S was first.  Got to see the HB fluttering on the screen the tech said everything looked great and that 170 bpm was "perfect" for my gestational age.  

The nurse that did my pre-screening had transferred over from my old OB/Gyn's office when they downsized and stopped doing pre-natal, so that was cool.  She had obviously read my file and pre-filled out my panorama paperwork for me because she'd knew I'd want to do the screening right away.  She was sensitive when asking about my previous loss and asked thoughtful questions, and validated my concerns about them wanting to send me to the "high risk specialist" an hour away. (That was the office that gave us the incorrect lab results from our last chromosome test). She talked to the CNM on my behalf.

I was super hesitant about the midwife, because she was my only point of face-to-face contact when they first discovered issues via U/S during my last pregnancy and I thought both her and the Dr. who I was assigned could have both handled the situation better. But, everyone I know just loves her as their midwife, so I figured I'd give her another shot and see what happened. She remembered me from 3 years ago and was super supportive. She and the nurse had obviously communicated at length. She addressed all of my questions and concerns. They're going to call me as soon as the panorama results come in (website says 5-7 days). After that's all said and done I can finally relax and maybe just enjoy being pregnant. (and work on how we're going to tell the fam!)

And then I got to go to the lab.  11(?) samples in total and scheduled for a routine visit on 8/3.  (I was kinda disappointed they didn't schedule another U/S, I got spoiled with all the ones I had last pregnancy).

The tl;dr is that everyone was wonderful and a complete 360 from my last experience.  It makes me really optimistic about our care.

cmoon3

@birdiejo The diclegis has been a lifesaver. It took my nausea from an 8 to a 2. I can still feel it but it's manageable and I can function.  Within a few days I adjusted to the Unisom and I'm not overly tired during the day but sleeping pretty soundly at night. 

manditchka24

Thank you all for sharing your first visit experiences! I’ve enjoyed reading them as I impatiently wait for my first visits (virtual on Friday and in person on Monday).

mdfarmchick

@WildMagelet I am so happy to read that things went well for you. I was really hoping it would be a visit that put you at ease. ♥️ 

WildMagelet

@mdfarmchick - Thank you! It really was. I'm trying to just get through the next week or so and not hyper-focus on the NIPT results and then when (not if - we're only thinking positive thoughts, here!) our results come back clear, DH and I can move on to the fun part of planning to tell the fam, enjoy being pregnant, and start planning for baby.

Yiggle09

Had my phone nurse conversation today and am scheduled to see the doc august 10th. I was like really that's pretty far away but that's when itll be

WildMagelet

My 1 hr glucose test came back high so I have to go in for a 3 hr next week =( 

moguippy

@WildMagelet I have to do the 3 hour on Saturday and I’m 100% sure I’m going to puke and it’s not gonna count. 

manditchka24

Finally had a nurse phone call on Friday and OB visit on Monday. I didn’t expect an ultrasound, but I told the OB that I was very anxious about making sure there weren’t twins and she didn’t hesitate to pull out a bedside ultrasound. We spotted only one (woohoo) healthy embryo! HR around 160. She said everything looks good. She’s sending me for an echocardiogram due to some cardiac history and will have me see Maternal Fetal Medicine for my next prenatal visit due to a medical condition I have, but otherwise expects I’ll be able to have regular monthly visits and won’t need any extra monitoring!

cmoon3

Congrats on the great visit @manditchka24

hannahbananas11

Did anyone else’s ob not check the actual heartrate of the baby? Mine did an US, saw the heart beating, checked everything else (yolk sac, gestational sac borders, etc) and declared that it looked textbook to her. But she didn’t get an actual heartrate number. I wonder if she saw that it was fast enough to be in the range of normal so didn’t go further than that?

WildMagelet

@moguippy - That sugary crap they make you drink has legit had me nauseous all day. Luckily I made it through all 4 draws with vomiting, so I don't have to do a repeat. I'm guessing they'll call me with the results tomorrow, since that was the turnaround with the 1-hour.

babymamadimo

@hannahbananas11 they measured the heart rate at my ultrasound but I didn’t get to hear it

WildMagelet

3 hr Glucose from this morning showed up on my online chart today as "Standard"! What a relief!

mdfarmchick

@hannahbananas11 I’m seeing the MFM this time and he and his ultrasound tech told me they don’t like to hear or measure the heartbeat before the beginning of the second trimester because it’s not safe to bombard the baby with extra sound waves when they are still so small. This is not my first time but it was my first time hearing that, and I’ve noticed both my other friends who are pregnant now have been told that by their high risk doctors as well. I don’t know if this is new guidance or if it’s an extra precaution because I’m high risk and we are doing everything to stay pregnant. 

@WildMagelet yay! Best day ever!

manditchka24

@hannahbananas11 my OB did a bedside ultrasound (not transvaginal) so the resolution wasn’t great. We were able to see (not hear) the heartbeat and she said it was pretty early (8 weeks), but she would “try” to measure it. She basically measured the waveform. She checked several areas and got anywhere from 158 to 166, so we assume somewhere in that range, but it sounded like it was still early to get a super accurate reading on a low resolution us.

I would guess a skilled OB who has seen plenty of ultrasounds can eyeball that the waveform looks appropriate without actually measuring.

jumpy57

@hannahbananas11 we saw the heart beating on the US but the tech did not mention the HR and it was not included on the report. 

moguippy

I had my second “official” appt today. They drew blood for the NIPT test, checked vitals and found the heartbeat with the Doppler (huge relief). I have an appt in a week and a half with the MFM for the nuchal then another OB appt in 4 weeks. At some point I’ll have to go to the lab and do the 3 hr glucose test but I still have to schedule that. 

WildMagelet

WildMagelet said:

3 hr Glucose from this morning showed up on my online chart today as "Standard"! What a relief!

Well apparently their portal "lied" because according to the nurse that called me today I failed and have to go in for a consult tomorrow.  But according to Mayo (and the other clinics that list their results online) my result was fine? I guess I'll get answers tomorrow. I'm a little annoyed to say the least.

tamalahoops

I just got back from my 10 week visit, it was indeed 2 hours! I think they tried to cram a lot in because they're seeing patients less due to covid. It was pretty basic and expected; we did a veryyyy thorough history, full physical exam, pap and ultrasound. Everything looked really great, I'm 10+6 and baby is measuring 11+3 hb 172. Our doctor was so good about  spending extra time letting me get a good look, we saw perfect little hands and feet and legs and arms. 

TW Loss:
This appt was a huge milestone for us, our only other pregnancy we found out at this same appt that baby had no heartbeat. I was so overjoyed when the ultrasound image came up that I cried through the whole thing. 

szwill86

@tamalahoops aww I’m so glad that it went so positively for you guys!

mdfarmchick

@tamalahoops I completely understand that feeling. I’m so glad it was a positive appointment. 

WildMagelet

@tamalahoops I'm so glad it went well! I'm starting to get nervous about some of our milestone appointments and can totally relate.

WildMagelet

Glucose update: My 3rd hour was fine, but my 1 and 2 were high, so now I get to start checking my blood sugar 4 times a day.  Joy.