12 week check up

It's been a pukey first trimester.

We had our 12 week visit yesterday. I was a little anxious about the visit because I'd experienced some very painful cramping on Sunday night, and I was eager to hear the baby's heartbeat. Funny thing is, on Wednesday night, I swore I felt those first distinct kicks, so was somewhat reassured.

At our doctor's visit, the nurse was unable to find the baby. "This is not unusual for 12 weeks," she reassured. I nervously told her that I felt like I needed to hear that heartbeat. Those cramps had me worried.

It was back to the ultrasound machine. They must think I'm going for a photo collection of our little peanut. There was baby. And strong (fast 170 bpm) heartbeat. Doctor saw a fully developed spine, skull and arms and legs. No word on gender.

We talked about the standard blood tests that I need to get before next time. The Alpha Protein came up again. The screen for Down's and trisomy 18, and a couple of other things. When I was pregnant with Ana, we discussed this at length, before concluding that the test results would not change anything for us, and might just make us anxious. We opted out. With Elliot, it was easy to dismiss. This time, it was easy to dismiss too. This little peanut is ours. The fear that I felt that night with my cramps showed me how quickly I'd connected with him/her. And the tears I felt when I saw the heartbeat let me know that we are in this for the long haul.

I can't wait to meet the little one.