Week 6: The First Visit

This week has been particularly fun because it's the first time the pregnancy has been acknowledged by outsiders. I had my regular annual physical on Tuesday during which we discussed the pregnancy; and I was supposed to meet with an oral surgeon about getting my upper wisdom teeth out but it was cancelled because they can't do the surgery if I'm pregnant. I asked my doctor about the midwife practice I have been considering and she said they are fantastic and that most of her prenatal patients go to that practice. That endorsement "sealed the deal" and I called to schedule an appointment.

From what I had read online, most obstetrician's and midwives don't see you until the pregnancy is eight to ten weeks along so I anticipated it would be mid to late January before we went in. To my surprise we ended up scheduling a "confirmation of pregnancy" appointment for Friday! Ben was able to come to the appointment with me and it was fairly basic. The midwife did a bit of general health history, confirmed that I am indeed pregnant, and we actually got to do an ultrasound! The baby is still so small that we didn't get to see it yet (she gave us a head's up that we might not see anything). There was a small white spot that she pointed out as being the "yolk sac" which is what nourishes the baby until the placenta develops. Our next appointment is January 23 and they said we will definitely be able to see something at that ultrasound. I can't wait!

If you're interested in taking a look, here is the website with the bios of the midwives: http://www.npobgyn.com/midwives.php  We met with Elizabeth on Friday and our next appointment will be with Breia. Apparently we will see all three midwives throughout the pregnancy so we can all get to know each other (one of the midwives, Linda, no longer does prenatal care or deliveries). This is great because we will have a relationship with whomever is on call when the baby is ready to come into the world.

On to the baby--

According to a weekly email I receive, the baby is the size of a lentil this week! Here is the description from the email:

This week's major developments: The nose, mouth, and ears that you'll spend so much time kissing in eight months are beginning to take shape. If you could see into your uterus, you'd find an oversize head and dark spots where your baby's eyes and nostrils are starting to form. His emerging ears are marked by small depressions on the sides of the head, and his arms and legs by protruding buds. His heart is beating about 100 to 160 times a minute -- almost twice as fast as yours -- and blood is beginning to course through his body. His intestines are developing, and the bud of tissue that will give rise to his lungs has appeared. His pituitary gland is forming, as are the rest of his brain, muscles, and bones. Right now, your baby is a quarter of an inch long, about the size of a lentil bean.


Crazy, right? I can't believe there is a little person forming inside me that already has a heartbeat. I still don't have any pregnancy symptoms (to which most people keep saying, "Count your blessings!") so in some ways it still doesn't feel totally real.


Ben is going to take a picture of me each week so we can document the growth of my belly! My "week" ticks over on Tuesday's, so we'll try to stick to taking the picture that day (though I may not get to post it until the weekend). It's probably going to be a while before there is actually anything to see, but we figured we might as well start from the beginning. Until we start having longer days, the pictures probably won't be that great since we have to take them indoors with artificial light. 


Here is the photo for week six:

Like I said, not much to see. :-)