unlocked title# metatags# lock#stylesheet# lock#custom# background#userurlpinkcheckbackgrd.gif&&White&&&&&& links#Blue&&Purple&&Red&&&&&&&& text#Thursday, August 22, 2002 ££ ££11w0d. I’ll get to the best of my OB visit first- another ultrasound!!! Dr. Gallagher said the baby measured at exactly 11w0d! Its heartbeat was still 160 bpm too. I didn’t ask the length but she said it was right on target, which would be approximately 2 inches now. The bottom photo was taken first. The baby is lying head down with feet going off to the right. The doctor took the second (top) picture just as the baby was ROLLING OVER. How cool is that?! It is facing forward with arms and legs coming straight forward. The umbilical cord is coming from between the legs to the top of the uterus. The thick Vish shape all across the top half is the placenta. Darrell and I are just amazed that we saw it move so much. It just decided it was uncomfortable and flopped right over!! Oh yeah, this was a “quickie” informal ultrasound- so the Dr. didn’t even bother to change the name. It is not a fake!! LOL.&& break# break# align#center&& graphic#userurlAug22Ultrasound.jpg&&&&4&&&&&&&&&& break# align#left&& break# text#My appointment started off with some insurance paperwork. Then I weighed myself. Yikes! Even lower than my home scale! Since my last appointment with this Dr. in January, I have lost 15 pounds! But since finding out I am pg, my weight loss has hovered around 5 to 7 pounds total this week. I don’t like the weight loss but I am not looking forward to a net gain either. Funny enough, Dr. Gallagher NEVER mentioned my weight or told me how much to try to gain. ££ ££After that, the nurse (Gayle) took me into her office and did MORE paperwork. She asked me typical questions on my background. I told her we conceived with IUI & Donor Semen, etc. She started to figure out my due date, which I promptly told her. Then she wrote my name on a HUGE calendar on my due date. It had ALL her pregnant patients on it! I am utterly amazed at the sheer number of pg patients my doctor sees! Several days had 5 separate patients written down! I also answered several other questions that SHE was supposed to tell me (LOL) like how I had already done the bloodwork with my last doctor, and she actually got annoyed with me. She told me that she wanted to tell me something I didn’t already know!! Later, she started asking me Darrell’s background (he is still in waiting room at this point). I told her it didn’t matter. She looked at me funny and tried to ask me again. I finally told her bluntly, “He is not the father.” (Whoops- “biological”- sorry, honey.) She really gave me a horrified/awkward look (LOL) then and it finally dawned on her that we used a donor. That ended those questions. At the end of this session (what, no blood pressure check?!), I asked her if she needed a urine sample and she said no. No?! I was flabbergasted because everyone gets their urine checked at these appointments. I asked once more and then hurried to the restroom to pee off the 20 oz. grapefruit juice I chugged just before the visit. I am notorious for not being able to pee on demand! So much for being prepared! ££ ££So I go grab Darrell and get sent to an examination room. We wait (and wait) and I am sweating all over the place. How embarrassing! Finally the door opens but it is not the Dr. It is the nurse wheeling in an ultrasound machine. WooHoo!!! I practically kissed her!! My excitement level went sky high then!! The doctor comes in with my chart and the page of questions I had brought with me. She congratulated us (everyone did- it was great!) and sat right down and went over them all. Here they are: ££ ££***** ££Q: Due to the fact that we have very little information on the donor, do you recommend that we have any extra testing done, i.e. CVS, amniocentesis? We are kind of worried about this, since our info is totally this person’s word. What we know is attached. ££A: Not needed. Extensive testing is done on the donor and sample- my odds are not any different, unless I REALLY just want it done. Nope, no thanks! Just checking! LOL. ££ ££Q: Darrell’s parents have planned a trip for the end of September which involves casinos. Is a day or two in a smoky atmosphere harmful enough to not go? We always go to their house for Christmas, which is a 7 to 8 hour drive. Is 29-30 weeks along too advanced to go? ££A: One or two days in a smoky atmosphere should not be harmful. She advised breaks out in clean air though. Travel at Christmas is fine- restricted at 34 weeks and after. ££ ££Q: My job involves taking care of a 40 lb. 2 year old. Are there any limitations regarding picking him up, etc.? We go to a little kid’s gym and the routine there involves a lot of activities like holding them up high, jumping and swinging them around. How long can I do this type of stuff? ££A: Can pick him up as long as everything is going well, just be extra careful. Play the gym classes by ear and do what I think is comfortable and okay- again, as long as I don’t develop problems. ££ ££Q: I have been instructed by my RE to take Glucophage XR 1500 mg through my 14th week. The reason was because it reduced the chance of miscarriage. Are there any benefits/risks to staying on it or stopping it? I need a rx for 3 more weeks of it to make it through 14 weeks. ££A: Had no problem with the rx. No research or reason to continue after that time. ££Q: I am worried that once off of it I will gain a bunch of weight rapidly. I don’t want to gain all the weight I lost (about 31 lbs!) back. Will this happen? ££A: (Looks away) Well… (smiles) you are going to gain weight anyway. (Big groan from me). ££ ££Q: Prior to getting pregnant, I had a blood test that indicated I have never had CMV. What are my odds of getting it now? What will happen if I do get it? ££A: Highly unlikely I will get it now- don’t worry about it. ££ ££Q: This past week, I have had aches and pains from my ovary areas- even multiple times per day. Is this normal? ££A: Completely normal. “You are growing now!” ££***** ££ ££After the question session was done, she did the pap smear/ breast exam. She warned me I might spot (which I did, a tad). Darrell kindly looked away. LOL. Then she rolled the U/S machine closer and we had a bit of fun!! We were very excited and in awe the whole time and I think she was very pleased she had decided to do it. Thank you!!! ££ ££So, I got dressed and we went into Dr. Gallagher’s office. The other nurse gave us a hefty folder with lots of info in it. It was all about when to call, healthy eating, what happens at later appointments, hospital info, childbirth classes, plus more. I will go see her every 4 weeks until my 28th week, every 2 weeks until my 36th week and then weekly until I deliver. She also gave us a nifty card that all our vital info will be recorded into. Test results, weight, ultrasounds, complications, allergies… all kinds of stuff. We are to bring it to every appointment and to the hospital. It is great, cuz if I am ever in an accident, it is my OB records at a glance. And an easy way to keep track of my weight gain!! We also got the hospital pre-admit forms and were told to complete them by the end of the first trimester!! Wow! That’s fast! ££ ££Afterwards, Dr. Gallagher came back and sat down with us. This was brief because we had our questions answered already. But she mentioned getting our bloodwork done and the nurse called in the door- “she’s already done it!” Well, to keep the story short, I got to go do it again! I wasn’t happy. My insurance better pay for it!! We were to go upstairs to the lab room to do this immediately after this appointment. More papers. ££ ££So we were taken to the payments desk, paid, and scheduled our next appointment- Thursday, September 19 at 10:20. I will be 15w0d then!! ££ ££Our last task- on to the lab room to give blood. We walked in the door, signed in, and were seen immediately. The first thing she asked for? A urine sample. LOL- “You have GOT to be kidding!” It is funny now, but quite annoying then. We had to go find a place to sell us a jug of water and I chugged 24 oz. in 2 minutes. I then wait 20 minutes and create a whole 3 tablespoons. Good enough. But I forgave her, cuz she actually got all the blood she needed from my arm! No hand-sticks this time! Yeah! Maybe huge preggo veins are a good thing!!&& break# break# url#userurlPregIndex.html&&Back to front page&&&&_top