Prenatal Visit #1

I just want to say a few words about prenatal visit number 1 (I'm back dating the post, so bear with me). First of all, we were nervous and excited to go. There are a few reasons that it feels funny to be on the other side of the examining table. George and I, as practitioners, are used to using our own stethoscopes, examining vital signs, educating patients, etc. It truly feels strange to be under examination yourself. The other reason it feels a little odd is that we are aware of what can go wrong during a "healthy, normal pregnancy" -- we've studied it in class, and even seen a few cases in our clinical practice.

So while we approached the visit as a "check up" we were caught a little off guard by all of the questions about screening tools to detect Down's syndrome, cystic fibrosis, and other congenital conditions. We chose to forgo these tests as it won't change the outcome of the pregnancy, and would probably just cause more worry than its worth. Not that we wouldn't want to be as prepared as possible for a special needs child, but I guess we figured its more of a "we'll cross that bridge as we come to it" situation.

The highlight of this visit was seeing the sketchy little "quick and easy" ultrasound at this visit. Being only about 11 weeks, the uterus was not out of the pelvis enough to capture the heartbeat with the doppler. So the doctor visualized the little flicking heartbeat with a crude ultrasound machine, which was cool for us to see.

Red Sox in Detroit

Here we are, dressed and ready for the big game. The fans in Detroit offered a little
heckling -- considering the score of the game, I don't blame them! The Red Sox fell behind early on. Nevertheless, it was a nice night at the ball park; warm, no humidity, and a slight breeze.