On Wednesday, we had our 12 week appointment.  We had been told that we can expect to hear the heartbeat, have a ton of blood drawn, but other than that, not much excitement.

We saw my regular doc, Dr. McKeand, who suggested that we go back and forth between the other docs in the clinic and her, since we don’t know who I’ll be delivering with, unless we end up with a planned C-section.  Every time I see her I’m reminded of how much I like her, but I know that she’s right.  I don’t want the first time I’ve met one of the docs to be when she’s elbow deep in me at the hospital.

Before we ever started talking, Dr. M said that we should do the fun stuff first!  She pulled out the microphone that would let us hear the baby’s heartbeat.  She had a hard time finding it – she said we had a hiding baby in there.  Then she decided that she was too impatient to look anymore (my kind of woman) and pulled out the ultrasound  machine (she later mentioned that she’s had to do that more often lately – she wonders if her hearing is going.  Whatever.  I wanted pictures!).

She goo’d me up, and was able to find the baby (and again said that we had a hider).  Our  first look of our little one we could see his/her arms above his/her head, just like cousin Sydney likes to do.  And then we saw the little fluttering of our baby’s heart.  It was so fast, and so wonderful!  We could see his/her face, and then the doc rubbed my belly a bit to make the baby move.  S/he didn’t like that much, and we got the butt view from then on.

Guess we already know who’s in charge here.

Being able to see our baby was  such and unexpected gift.  We weren’t able to get any ultrasound pictures, although I do have some of the doc trying to find the heartbeat that I just remembered I haven’t uploaded yet (coming soon!), but I don’t think I will ever forget the image of that little heart fluttering away.

Like you even have to ask.  Of course I cried.

Then on to the physical exam, where everything came back just peachy.  According to the doc, I pass pregnancy.  (So far!)

Dr. M is a pretty cautious OB, and she’s a bit worried about the HAE during pregnancy.  Not the HAE specifically, but what would happen should I have a major (throat) swell and how that would be treated.  There’s no great option – waiting it out isn’t great for either of us, but the plasma treatment may be harmful to the baby.   Then again, me not breathing is not great for the baby, either.  She suggested that we see a peri-natal doc (high risk OB) to iron out a plan.  She and the immunologist have also been in communication, so after the peri visit early next month, we should all be on the same page.

Then for the blood letting.  I am notoriously hard to get blood out of.  I have tiny, evasive veins, and most of my good ones are shot from having so many IVs placed.   The poor nurse trying to get blood from me had to stick me three times – one in my good hand, which she was able to get half a vial (out of four) from, once in my bad hand, which didn’t go anywhere. and once in my right arm.  I told her that no one had been able to get blood out of my arm for almost ten years, but she thought she could.

She did finally find a vein in there, and got in on the first stick.  She was about halfway through when I remembered the other reason that I don’t like having blood drawn from my arm.  I tend to pass out and/or throw up.

So, I promptly passed out, and then threw up.

The satellite to my regular clinic isn’t very big, and the “lab” area is just a chair in the hallway.  You can fully hear and partially see what happens there from the waiting room.  I’m sure that the half dozen other pregnant women there were delighted to hear someone puking at that time in the morning.  Sorry, girls.

The nurse was really nice – apparently they are used to the passing out and vomiting crowd – and eventually I felt well enough to go home.  And I sure hope that’s the last blood they are going to draw, but I have a terrible feeling it’s not…

But who cares?  I got to see my baby!