So today I made a bold move and called my doctor and asked for a heartbeat check. It's been more than two weeks since I've seen them, and it is still two weeks to my next ultrasound. Needless to say, after all the weekly checkups and check-ins, two weeks seems like a long time. I'm on the verge of being 12 weeks along and I just needed to know if my baby was still hanging in there.
Because my doctor is awesome, he not only thought a heartbeat check would be a good idea, he also worked me in TODAY at 4 pm. I got the call at 3, so I scrambled a bit trying to find a place to leave Syd and after thirty minutes with no luck I called the office and asked if it would be ok to bring her with me (John had a previous appointment and couldn't get out of it, but gave me the go-ahead to go in anyway). They of course said it was no problem (because they ARE AWESOME, how many times can I say it!!) and we made it with no probs, even got a decent parking spot which is usually a challenge.
When I got to the office it was empty save all the nurses, techs, and the receptionist. Nurse B met me at the door and said that Dr. G had a patient in labor and had been moving quickly that afternoon (he still worked me in! I LOVE HIM!) so he could get over the hospital. They wasted no time getting me set up on the table. Syd sat SO NICELY in her stroller and read a book and watched a podcast on my iPhone while Dr. G did a doppler test to find the heartbeat ... and couldn't find one. I could feel my insides churning and I tried to be still and keep calm so my heartbeat wouldn't block the baby's if it was there. He couldn't get it and went straight to the ultrasound.
Praise God, he turned that screen and showed me a well-developed, moving, beautiful, healthy baby. "Look! Your baby is waving at you!" he said. Sydney chirped "BABY!" (we have been learning about babies a lot lately ... and she just got a new baby cousin on Monday. "Baby" is the word on the street around here lately). It was such a huge relief. I can't believe how much growth and change you could see just two weeks later. I could see the baby's profile, its fingers, its limbs moving ... such a tremendous relief. It feels like a gift.
I called my husband and he was relieved he started to cry. We decided together to start letting the general public what's up.
So I guess it's finally official. I'm pregnant.
Congratulations!
Posted by: Rachel | Friday, April 02, 2010 at 07:17 PM
This is awesome. Truly, really a wonderful, beautiful post.
I am so very happy for you! And SO excited for this life you're bringing into this world.
Big hugs, girl!
Posted by: barbetti | Friday, April 02, 2010 at 11:04 AM
Fantastic. So very happy for you!
Posted by: Morgan S. | Friday, April 02, 2010 at 09:53 AM
Yay! I'm so, so happy for you! What a blessing! We'll keep right on praying for that little one.
Posted by: Shelby | Friday, April 02, 2010 at 05:59 AM
I got all weepy.
Congratulations, Manda! I don't even know if I have said that until now, but I'm so happy to say it. Prayers still with you. Now you only have a couple of months to wait to find out the gender!!
Posted by: Emily | Friday, April 02, 2010 at 05:56 AM