We are so thankful to have already had a few sneak peeks at this little one. Since a reproductive endocrinologist followed me for the first 8 weeks, he gave us a few peeks to make sure baby was developing as he/she should. Our first ultrasound was at what we thought was about 6 weeks, but baby appeared to be less developed, and we could not see a visible heartbeat yet. That had me a little worried as we waited a couple more weeks for another look. We did see the gestational and yolk sacs at that visit, and they were where they were supposed to be. At the next ultrasound on July 30th, we got the confirmation we needed with a great heartbeat in the 160s and a cute first look at baby's cute little face. The measurements were still a little behind at 7 weeks 5 days. After this appointment, I had my initial OB appointment two days later. We have switched to a different OB/Gyn office and are hopeful it will be for the best. We have already enjoyed our two visits much more. This office has several midwives who seem to give a more personal examination. Our first visit was with a fairly new midwife, and she couldn't give us the full assurance we needed to hear about the end stage of pregnancy, but the second visit with a more experienced midwife gave us that assurance that we would be monitored very closely and not be made to go as far past our due date. We also had an ultrasound at this visit, and baby was measuring right on track at 13 weeks 4 days.
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| At 7 weeks, 5 days, we actually got a decent front shot where you can actually see a little of baby's cute face. |
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| The weird alien looking shot at 13 weeks 4 days. |
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| A better side profile. |
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| And what appears to be long legs stretched out. Baby better enjoy a few more weeks of stretching those legs because I am sure those days are numbered. |
I'm so glad that you feel you have put together a good medical team to support and guide you. It will make such a huge difference in how you feel moving forward. So much is out of your control (as I'm sure you know), but there is something to be said about having control over who you pick to be there with you for the journey.
ReplyDeleteBaby's first pictures are very cute!
Your right, some things are out of our control. However, I also feel that sometimes doctors these days treat stillbirth as an "acceptable" and normal risk. It happens about 26,000 times a year in the U.S. and many times could be prevented if there were better standards of care. I mean, if doctors can give better care once a person has suffered such a risk that can reduce the risks, why don't they give that level of care to all pregnant women and reduce the risk even more? It is just a very frustrating thing. And most people treat stillbirth and pregnancy loss as unlikely to happen and don't realize how likely it actually is until it does happen. People just don't feel they can talk about it because it is not a subject most people want to hear about. I think more awareness is definitely key to getting better standards of care for everyone!
DeleteYour baby is absolutely beautiful! I'm so glad you are feeling confident with your medical team. :). Give baby a sweet pat from me! Xoxo
ReplyDeleteThank you, Marci! I will do that although I think you need to make a visit soon to do it in person. ;-)
DeleteHow exciting! I am so glad that you found an OB/GYN that you like better. It will make a huge difference. I wish we didn't live so far apart. I would love to be able to be close to celebrate such special news.
ReplyDeleteOh yes, after what we experienced, I was determined I wasn't settling for mediocre. I went to my last appointment with a list of demands prepared to tell them I was looking elsewhere if promises weren't made. :-)
DeleteBaby R is so cute already! And I'm so glad that you are comfortable with your care providers. You are right in your response to Natalie above -- why can't everyone receive such good care?
ReplyDeleteWe didn't have a stillbirth but I told my midwife I was concerned about cord accidents because I knew two people who had had them. And she said it was very rare and I know three people who have had them since. It doesn't seem all that rare to me now.
I'm praying everyday for your peace of mind and for you to have a healthy baby in March. Love you friend.
Statistics say there are about 26,000 stillbirths a year in the U.S. alone so I don't think these "accidents" are that rare either and I think most could be prevented with more adequate monitoring and care. Sigh.
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