And Baby Makes Three

Finally! Authorization for Our Ultrasound!

Hurray! I just got a phone call from the nurse that we've finally, at long great last, gotten the insurance authorization for our Level II ultrasound. So next Tuesday we will get our first glimpses of this little one (or two?).

I didn't mention this in my last post, but my uterus measured larger than expected for 16 weeks at my last appointment. There are a bunch of things that could cause this, including extra amniotic fluid, a growth spurt for the baby, uterine fibroids (obviously hoping it's not that), or more than one baby. I don't really think it is the latter, since only one heartbeat has been heard up until now. (Although, no one was looking for two.)

We were supposed to have this appointment on Monday (12/1) but we had to reschedule it because the authorization didn't come through in time. Utterly ridiculous.

3rd Prenatal Appt.

Some health professionals have a more maternal or sisterly manner about them than others. The woman I saw today is one of those people. You just get the idea that they are happy for you and really want everything to go well. I got to hear the baby's heartbeat again -- it was stronger than last time, much easier to distinguish.

Still no official confirmation of our authorization to have the Level II ultrasound next Monday. These insurance people really piss me off. My husband and I need to take time off from work for this appointment, but they don't seem to feel that they need to give us any notice whatsoever as to whether we are authorized to go.

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"There is one area where the carefree me is still duking it out with the mother I'm about to be. The reading piles on my nightstand have narrowed down to two, perfectly mirroring the wrestling match taking place between my past and future lives: fluffy, chick-lit confections in one stack, and earnest, mothering material in the other. I also find myself vacillating between starry-eyed awe at the miracle of life and wide-eyed horror at the indignities of pregnancy and motherhood: the aches and pains, the hemorrhoids, the torn vaginas, the spraying breast milk, the exploding diapers, and, finally, the exhaustion." [From Here to Maternity @ babycenter.com] Amen, sister.

Heartbeat

My husband went with me to my 12 week appt. yesterday and we were able to hear the baby's heartbeat for the first time! I was so happy to hear it, I cried. I'd been looking forward to it -- a confirmation that things are ok in there and something we could both experience.

Magic Pants and First Appointment

Over the weekend I broke down and bought my first pair of maternity pants. They're too big to wear at this point (I thought they'd work, but they're too long without more of a belly in them), but since I no longer enjoy the snug fit of my pre-pregnancy work clothes, they were a necessity. I call them "magic" because of the amazing amount of stretch they have. I'll be curious to see how far into this adventure the magic pants get me.

Yesterday was my first appointment with a nurse-midwife. We discussed all sorts of things, such as the results of my blood tests, when I'd be in my second trimester, whether to schedule a Level II ultrasound, etc. I felt upbeat about the appointment because I was told that the only "risk" factor I have is my age. (I'm somewhere between Kate Hudson and Joan Lunden, ha, ha. My sister sends me her People magazines when she's done with them and I'm marveling at the lack of self-consciousness of Kate Hudson's belly-bearing maternity outfits.)