Doctor's Appointment Update

So we just got back from the doctor's office (after stopping for lunch of course). Man, I thought we would never get out of there. I went through the normal routine (stand on the scale, pee in a cup, go to the designated check-up room), but this was the first time Mike was there with me "behind the scenes." Hopefully he didn't get scared off and he'll agree to come back. 

Once we were in the room, the nurse brought out a little hand-held speaker/radio looking contraption with an attached piece that looked like a mini-microphone. It kind of reminded me of a portable karaoke machine. She held the microphone thingy to my abdomen and pressed around pretty hard. It kind of hurt, but I was too busy worrying that there would be two heartbeats.

She found a whooshing sound right away but said that was the placenta. Who new that would make noise? After poking around a bit more she stopped at the right-hand side and clear as day was a fast little heart just beating away. It was going really fast, around 164, which is apparently a good/normal sign. Just to be sure I asked, "There's just one right?" And she chuckled a bit and said yes, just one. 

Mike and I exchanged glances of joy and relief, then the nurse went on to share an interesting factoid about heart rate. Apparently, elephants hearts only beat around 12 times per minute. You'd think for something so huge the heart would have to beat overtime. A baby's heart rate will settle somewhere between 110 and 164 beats once it's around 15-20 weeks. 

After that it was pretty much a normal exam. The doctor came in and did a pap smear and all the regular "well woman" exams. Mike was brave and decided to stay in the room. I tried to explain everything beforehand so he wouldn't be shocked. As it was all happening, he just stood close to my head and didn't make a sound. The doctor said the baby was riding toward my back so I may feel a lot of back pain and eventually back labor. Bring on the back rubs! 

Most of you may not know that this was the first time I met my OBGYN. I had scheduled an annual check up in January, but was already pregnant by then and had to switch into prenatal mode. During my last visit I only met with the nurse practitioner because it was just to go over routine info. Mike and I both really like our doctor overall. She's thorough in her explanations and patient with whatever questions you ask, plus she has a great sense of humor and even joked about examining Mike next with the scope (eek!). As she was leaving she patted my leg which for some reason really comforted me like she would take care of me. 

So that's the play-by-play of our latest doctor's visit. The next one isn't for another 4 weeks.