First Doctor's Appointment
amyjpage
Posts: 97 Member
So I had my first doctor's appointment today (7w3d) and it was actually a major disapointment.
I did a urine test and she gave me some forms for blood work and ultrasound. That is all. She won't do an exam without having that info first. Argh. How frustrating.
I asked if she could at least listen for a heartbeat and she bluntly said, no, not until 9 weeks, it's too early.
My husband asked how many calories I should be aiming to consume in this first trimester and she didn't really answer, and said not to worry about it and that given that I am currently about 40 pounds overweight I should aim to only gain about 20 pounds during this pregnancy, at the rate of about 1-2lbs per week in the second and third trimesters (which my calculations is 26-52 pounds). So really, I am more confused than before.
I was so disapointed. We did not learn anything new today other than I dislike this doctor (she is a new doctor for me, my former, amazing wonderful doctor moved back to Australia).
In more exciting news, we were able to book our ultrasound appoinment for Friday November 1 - YAY!
My next visit with the doctor is November 12 for my first actual pre-natal appointment/exam, after which she can refer me to the maternity clinic in my area and I should be able to transfer my care to the maternity clinic in early December (thankfully!)
I did a urine test and she gave me some forms for blood work and ultrasound. That is all. She won't do an exam without having that info first. Argh. How frustrating.
I asked if she could at least listen for a heartbeat and she bluntly said, no, not until 9 weeks, it's too early.
My husband asked how many calories I should be aiming to consume in this first trimester and she didn't really answer, and said not to worry about it and that given that I am currently about 40 pounds overweight I should aim to only gain about 20 pounds during this pregnancy, at the rate of about 1-2lbs per week in the second and third trimesters (which my calculations is 26-52 pounds). So really, I am more confused than before.
I was so disapointed. We did not learn anything new today other than I dislike this doctor (she is a new doctor for me, my former, amazing wonderful doctor moved back to Australia).
In more exciting news, we were able to book our ultrasound appoinment for Friday November 1 - YAY!
My next visit with the doctor is November 12 for my first actual pre-natal appointment/exam, after which she can refer me to the maternity clinic in my area and I should be able to transfer my care to the maternity clinic in early December (thankfully!)
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Oh no what a bummer! I'm also going to a new doctor this time around. When I called them to tell them I'm pregnant, they booked me for a pregnancy class first on November 5th. The class is supposed to explain how their office works and get us acquainted with the doctors and midwives. Then on November 11th, when I'm 9 weeks, I will have my official appt with the doctor + ultrasound.
Definitely a good thing you'll be transferring care soon. Nothing worse than having a doctor you don't care for being involved in your health care for the next 9 months. I think it is important to find someone that respects your birth plan and takes the time to answer all your questions thoroughly. Hope you find an amazing doctor at the maternal clinic!0 -
Oh no! That is disappointing.
And super annoying that you have to figure out a lot of things on your own as far as calories go. Will you be switching to a midwife?
That is super exciting that you've got an ultrasound booked for this coming week though! Yay!
My first appointment is this coming Monday with the midwife. I will be 7w5d by then... good to know that it's not super exciting on the first visit. Although that is disappointing. I didn't bother going to my doctor first because I'm actually trying to switch doctors right now anyway. 0 -
Bummer! I have my first appointment on Tuesday. I think they told me over the phone that I would be getting an ultrasound. I want baby daddy to come with, but I'm worried they will have to do a bunch of other stuff to me that he'll have to wait around through. I just want him to see the little bean!0
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I have emailed the midwife clinics in my area and received an automated response from all of them that I will only be contacted if space becomes available
My sister-in-law has been to the maternity care clinic in our area twice and said the care she received was incredible, so I am not too worried, however I still have to deal with this doctor at least once, probably twice before my care is transfered to the maternity clinic.0 -
My first appointment is on Tuesday, I'm soo excited but I have not idea what they are gonna do to me. This is my second baby but I already forgot a lot of stuff about pregnancy. Hopefully everything is gonna be ok0
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I just had my first appointment! Pretty boring. It was pretty much just figuring out my medical history and explaining what's going to happen next et cetera. Then they sent me for blood work which I pretty much just got done as soon as I could so I wouldn't have to take another day off of work. Now I'm just waiting to hear when my first ultrasound will be (probably within the next week or two) and I'll be headed back for another appointment in 4 weeks.
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You'd think that doctors and their staff would figure out how to handle eager patients without offending us in the process.
My appointment started with a sit-down with one of the office's billing clerks. The purpose was to talk about how much the birth would cost. Money is a difficult topic for my husband and I--so this introduced an element of stress to an appointment for which we were already nervous and excited.
Then, the nurse, with no introduction, just blurted out "What was the first day of your last period?" I paused and said, "Hello. My name is India. What's your name?"
Gratefully, my doctor is awesome and our conversation with her undid the harm of a bad first impression.
We do a BIG appointment this Friday, which I assume will include an ultrasound. I can not tell a lie: I am excited!0 -
Whoohoo! I hope all goes well with the ultrasound! 0
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First appointment today! So excited!0
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Is it typical to get an ultrasound right away? I didn't get my first ultrasound with my daughter until 5 months along. I am expecting #2 now, have my first appointment this Friday.
Luckily, I have the same doctor as last time and I love him! He'd better at least try to listen for the heartbeat, although, from what I understand I may not hear it??? Is it true you can hear the heartbeat until 9-10 weeks? With my daughter, my first prenatal was at 7 weeks pregnant and I heard the heartbeat.0 -
We had our first appointment today and we got an ultrasound. I found out I am not as far along as I thought. 7 weeks 2 days instead of 7 weeks 6 days. We could see the heartbeat, but we didn't hear it (or try to hear it). It was exciting! I was surprised by how quickly everything went. We barely talked! Just tons of tests! We scheduled our next appointment for next month. I'll be 11 and a half weeks then and they will give me another ultrasound and check for down's syndrome.0
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That's great news Lady_Lamb. My eldest has Down Syndrome. They told us around 20 weeks that there was a possibility. We did several tests like a fetal echocardiogram and level 2 ultraosunds. I declined the amniocentesis because of the risks involved with it. When I was about 7 months, I had a doctor tell me everything was perfectly fine. My daughter was born 3 days past her due date and didn't really show signs of Down Syndrome. Three days later a hospital-assigned pediatrician came to our room and said she wanted to do some tests. My daughter was in the ICU because of jaundice and feeding issues. They confirmed she had Trisomy 21. Although it was difficult to absorb at the time (I was a 22-year-old mother), I wouldn't trade her for any other kid in the world. She truly is a gift from God. Last night while I was throwing up in the toilet, she was rubbing my back and telling me everything was going to be okay.0
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Lady_Lamb that's great! I'm so glad you got to see the heartbeat!! &w2 is only 4 days difference from your calculation ... does that mean it changed your due date slightly too? Our ultrasound is on Friday morning and I really cannot wait!
Indian - thanks for sharing your story about your daughter, I can't imagine hearing that news - especially as a first time mother at 22 years old. She sounds like a little gem and must be very excited about a new little sibling!0 -
Thanks Amy, she is super excited. She absolutely adores babies 0
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Thanks for sharing your story IndianMuslim. I saw my family Dr. earlier this week and had a choice to do a chromosomal test at week 12. Never thought I would have to think about that right now. I'm hoping to use the same OB my sister had since she loved having her for her 2.
Excited to hear the heart beat but that will have to wait till next month for me0 -
Apparently there's a new noninvasive blood test they do at week 12 or 13 that can check for chromosomal abnormalities. I have decided to opt only for that blood test along with the standard ultrasounds. We don't believe in abortion so had I found out earlier about my daughter, I still would have carried her to term. It would be nice to be prepared a little better this time around though.
I am anxiously awaiting my ultrasound on November 11th. Can't wait to hear the heartbeat. I'm actually praying for two little heartbeats so I can have twins and be done....lol. I don't know if I can go through pregnancy again. I forgot how rough my pregnancies are!
Good luck to everyone on their appts :-)0 -
That's so sweet with your daughter rubbing your back. Sometimes kids just know the right things to say, especially kids with downs. I've worked closely with down's kids before, they are all so sweet!
My ultrasound is on Nov 12th! So excited! 0 -
My first appointment is 11/5 and they told me i'll be doing an ultrasound first, and then seeing the OB! I'll be 7+2 so i'm excited!0
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Is it typical to get an ultrasound right away? I didn't get my first ultrasound with my daughter until 5 months along. I am expecting #2 now, have my first appointment this Friday.
Luckily, I have the same doctor as last time and I love him! He'd better at least try to listen for the heartbeat, although, from what I understand I may not hear it??? Is it true you can hear the heartbeat until 9-10 weeks? With my daughter, my first prenatal was at 7 weeks pregnant and I heard the heartbeat.
Hey, I'm getting an ultrasound right away because I never had regular periods and I really could be anywhere from 8 to 9 weeks along right now. It's really just to get a firm due date.
I have heard that you can hear the heartbeat at 10 weeks with a doppler machine. I've heard that the heart starts beating before most women even know they're pregnant so I guess it's possible at any time. 0 -
I went for my first ultrasound today and it was amazing!!!
My calculations had me at 8w3d but the technician dated me at 9 weeks today! It was the coolest thing to be able to see the heart beat and the little arms and legs!
I will be returning for another ultrasound between 11-13 weeks for nuchal translucency ultrasound - but I have to look that up because I don't know yet what it is.
Our next doctor's appointment, which is actually our first pre-natal appointment (the last one didn't count hahah!) is November 12.
Today is the best day ever! I am so relieved to have seen that little heart beat!!
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Awww I am soo happy for you Amy!! How exciting for you and your husband. I believe the nuchal translucency ultrasound is where they measure the thickness of the baby's neck to test for Down Syndrome.
Did they give you any pictures of the baby? I am counting the days until my first ultrasound - 10 more left!
Have a great weekend!!0 -
So exciting!!! You're making me jealous Amy!!! 0
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Saadia - they gave us a disc with the images on it, I can't wait to look through them again. I'm working OT tonight, so I'm in the office until 9pm - it's going to feel like forever until I can get home to see them!! At 9 weeks there really isn't a lot to see, but we could still see the little arms and legs!!
Suzanne - your appointment will be here before you know it! Hang in there!!!
I am most happy to learn that we are a few days in advance of our calculations, which means this first trimester is going to be over a few days sooner! LOL!!
I googled nuchal tranlucency and this is what I learned on wikipedia:
A nuchal scan is a sonographic prenatal screening scan (ultrasound) to help identify higher chances for chromosomal conditions including Down syndrome in a fetus, particularly for older women who have higher risks of such pregnancies. Increased thickness measurements are also associated with congenital heart defect.The scan is carried out at 11–13+6 weeks pregnancy and assesses the quantity of fluid collecting within the nape of the fetal neck. There are two distinct measurements -- the nuchal translucency, which is measured earlier in pregnancy at the end of the first trimester, and for which there is a lower threshold for increased diameter, and the nuchal fold, which is measured towards the end of the second trimester. Fetuses with Down syndrome tend to have an increased amount of fluid around the neck. The scan may also help confirm both the accuracy of the pregnancy dates and the fetal viability. Its high definition imaging may also detect other less common chromosomal abnormalities.0 -
Completed my first appointment today.
No heartbeat: ( and no ultrasound
I did, however, get an Rx for Zofran, that is going to help a ton!
Next appointment is not for 6 more weeks!!0 -
I'm sorry you didn't get to see or hear your little one, tiggerhammon.
I found out this morning I've been accepted into the care of the midwifery practice I wanted! First appointment will be Nov 22!!0 -
I really want a midwife but since I had a Csection with my last, my doctor highly advised against it. Then my obgyn told me that my chances of ending up in a Csection again are pretty high! Dagnammit! I wish I had more control over this!
I am looking forward to December when I get to hear my baby.0 -
tiggerhammon, all hope may not be lost. I know the midwife practice I'll be with provides care to moms who are looking for a VBAC if certain criteria are met. It might be worth looking into. 0
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Well ladies I had my first scan/appointment this morning!!!!!
When I first got there and checked in the woman said "you probably aren't going to be able to do the sono today" I immediatlely got *****y without meaning too. I said "Uh..what?" Something about my BlueChoice insurance. I said "My husband who commutes took off today to be here." and she said "let me talk to the supervisor" So she comes back and says they will do it, but if for some reason my insurance doesn't cover it, they will send me a bill. Great. That's probably $900.
So after I sit back down the nurse pokes her head out and said it's because my pregnancy hadn't been "confirmed" yet, so the Sono wasn't considered a "OB" thing (not sure of her exact wording) but she said "you should be fine!" *CONFUSING!* So I may or may not end up with an extremely expensive bill for this sono.
They did an internal. My doctors office has a huge flat screen TV mounted in front of the chair you are in. I saw the baby right away. She was measuring and moving around. Then she said "There's the heart beat!" and i'm trying hard to see it on the screen and then it played out loud. 154 beats per minute. I choked up big time. It's finally real.
So all is well. I'm measuring a day ahead at 7+3 and my due date is still 6/22. We talked to the doc for awhile and then they did a pelvic.
Because it was discovered when I was in highschool that I had Mirtral Valve Prolapse, they are sending me to a Cardiologist to make sure all is well with that. Great.
So.. Next scan is December 10th! I think they may be doing the NT Scan then.
I'm so happy!!!! (and relieved)0 -
Thats such good news! So pleased for you bberg!
I have my "booking in" appointment with the Midwife on Thursday morning. Can't wait! We won't get a scan until mid-December though.0 -
BBurg - I have a huge smile on my face for you right now! What a great experience!!
LuluA - I bet Thursday can't come soon enough!! Don't worry, it's already Tuesday!!
Tigger - Hang in there, I agree with other posts re: look into it a bit further, just because the doctor "advised against" doesn't mean there isn't a midwife out there who won't consider your case. *hugs*
DoingMe - YAY for being accepted to the midwife you wanted!! November 22 will be here before you know it!!0
