Several things happened this month, so I'll try to break it down by each day.
May 7, 2014
Finally, time for my first prenatal appointment! Dr. T gave me a hug and said, "Wow, that was quick!" I asked her to check my breast. She agreed that she could feel something, and referred me for a breast ultrasound. She didn't seem too concerned, which put my mind at ease. However, I did make sure to mention to her that I felt the change before learning I was pregnant. She also scheduled me for the first ultrasound to check on the baby and sent us on our way. Now that the pregnancy was "official," it was time to tell our family :)
May 7, 2014
Finally, time for my first prenatal appointment! Dr. T gave me a hug and said, "Wow, that was quick!" I asked her to check my breast. She agreed that she could feel something, and referred me for a breast ultrasound. She didn't seem too concerned, which put my mind at ease. However, I did make sure to mention to her that I felt the change before learning I was pregnant. She also scheduled me for the first ultrasound to check on the baby and sent us on our way. Now that the pregnancy was "official," it was time to tell our family :)
May 16, 2014
I went to a local imaging center for a breast ultrasound. This involved going into a nice, relaxing room with the lights dimmed and soft music playing. The tech came in and asked me to point out exactly where I felt a lump. I explained that there isn't a specific "lump" but rather referred her to an entire area that felt thicker, on the outer right side and kinda sorta near the armpit. I wish I could have been more specific with her, but I really couldn't explain it any better. So, she moved the wand all around, and noted that there was "dense tissue" not only in the area I pointed out, but elsewhere. I later learned that this is actually very typical for people my age, which is why mammograms and ultrasound imaging might not find things as easily in younger women. The tech leaves the room for a minute and returns with a doctor, who was basically Guy Fieri in a labcoat. He looked at the images and knowing that I was about 8 weeks pregnant, stated that changes in the breast are very common during pregnancy. I vividly remember him saying, "I wouldn't lose any sleep over it." So, I didn't. It actually felt good to have some confirmation that this didn't seem like a big deal. And, for additional reassurance, they suggested a follow-up ultrasound in 3 months to check on it again. So, I called Jeremy at work and went on with my day. At this point, I still hadn't mentioned any of this to my family, because I figured it would worry them for no reason.
I went to a local imaging center for a breast ultrasound. This involved going into a nice, relaxing room with the lights dimmed and soft music playing. The tech came in and asked me to point out exactly where I felt a lump. I explained that there isn't a specific "lump" but rather referred her to an entire area that felt thicker, on the outer right side and kinda sorta near the armpit. I wish I could have been more specific with her, but I really couldn't explain it any better. So, she moved the wand all around, and noted that there was "dense tissue" not only in the area I pointed out, but elsewhere. I later learned that this is actually very typical for people my age, which is why mammograms and ultrasound imaging might not find things as easily in younger women. The tech leaves the room for a minute and returns with a doctor, who was basically Guy Fieri in a labcoat. He looked at the images and knowing that I was about 8 weeks pregnant, stated that changes in the breast are very common during pregnancy. I vividly remember him saying, "I wouldn't lose any sleep over it." So, I didn't. It actually felt good to have some confirmation that this didn't seem like a big deal. And, for additional reassurance, they suggested a follow-up ultrasound in 3 months to check on it again. So, I called Jeremy at work and went on with my day. At this point, I still hadn't mentioned any of this to my family, because I figured it would worry them for no reason.
May 19, 2014
Our first ultrasound to see the baby! At this point, it looked like a fuzzy gummy bear, but we could see him/her moving all around and could hear the heartbeat (163 bpm!). Amazing. My due date was confirmed for December 20, 2014. December babies are the best! I joke with Jeremy that this is going to add to what I call the TRIFECTA. You see, my birthday, wedding anniversary, and Christmas all land within 3 weeks of each other. Needless to say, Jeremy has a lot of planning/shopping to do around that time of year. So adding a baby into the mix bumped things up to a Quadfecta (Fourfecta?). Either way, it's my favorite time of the year, so it made perfect sense that we'd have a December baby on our hands.
Our first ultrasound to see the baby! At this point, it looked like a fuzzy gummy bear, but we could see him/her moving all around and could hear the heartbeat (163 bpm!). Amazing. My due date was confirmed for December 20, 2014. December babies are the best! I joke with Jeremy that this is going to add to what I call the TRIFECTA. You see, my birthday, wedding anniversary, and Christmas all land within 3 weeks of each other. Needless to say, Jeremy has a lot of planning/shopping to do around that time of year. So adding a baby into the mix bumped things up to a Quadfecta (Fourfecta?). Either way, it's my favorite time of the year, so it made perfect sense that we'd have a December baby on our hands.
May 20, 2014
Back to the OB/GYN to meet the nurse midwife who collaborates with Dr. T. I figured that since I'd been having a pretty typical pregnancy so far, I'd be seen by the midwife for most of my prenatal appointments. We discussed my lab results, which were normal, and discussed general do's and dont's of pregnancy. We briefly discussed the outcome of my breast ultrasound from 4 days prior, and she made note that it'd continue to be monitored monthly by Dr. T.
Back to the OB/GYN to meet the nurse midwife who collaborates with Dr. T. I figured that since I'd been having a pretty typical pregnancy so far, I'd be seen by the midwife for most of my prenatal appointments. We discussed my lab results, which were normal, and discussed general do's and dont's of pregnancy. We briefly discussed the outcome of my breast ultrasound from 4 days prior, and she made note that it'd continue to be monitored monthly by Dr. T.
