First OB Visit

You got your positive pregnancy test! Congratulations! Now what? The first thing you want to do is share the wonderful news with your spouse/significant other. I took a digital test early in the morning before getting ready for work on 6/11/2012. After I peed on the stick (POS), I set it carefully on the bathroom counter, closed my eyes for 2 minutes and then opened them. PREGNANT! I felt a rush of warmth throughout my body and couldn't wait to tell dear husband (DH). I ran into the bedroom where he was sleeping, woke him up, shoved his glasses on his face (totally missing his ears and stabbing him in the eye), to show him the positive test. Since it was dark I used my iPhone to light up the test so he could see the window of the digital test that read: Pregnant! We hugged, laughed, embraced, giggled and smiled. We wanted to shout from the rooftop that we were finally having a baby, but the waiting game continues...

So, now what? You have the positive pregnancy test result. Call your OB and setup the First Pre-Natal Appointment. The visit is going to be no less than 9 weeks after the positive pregnancy test date. You want that little bean to stick!

Just because you don't see the OB for another 9 weeks, doesn't mean you can't already start pre-natal care. Make sure to read about Pre-Natal Care. A lot is happening right now in your body and you will need to take care of yourself in order to take care of your growing baby.

Upon arriving at the OB you will need to pee in a cup so that they can confirm the pregnancy. Then, your height and weight will be taken. Now for the fun part! It's all about the vagina. Your first ultra sound will consist of a prob covered in lube inserted into...yes...your vagina. It all starts in the vagina and for 2 out of 3 women end in the vagina. If you are modest now, you will start to warm up to the idea of your OB poking around down there for the next 7 months....and a few months afterwards as well! You may lose all your modesty by the time the baby is born, but don't worry you will get it back. Ok, so this prob thingy....
It's not big, but it is slightly uncomfortable. Your doc will turn on the ultrasound machine, lube up the prob and poke around for your little bean, or multiple beans. Below is what you may see and hear:

Once doc finds the embryo, you will see it on the screen and hear the heartbeat. It is the most incredible sound you will ever hear, besides the crying of your newborn on the day he or she is born. When doc found our little bean, she was smiling the entire time. I kept looking at her thinking, "Do you ever not get tired of seeing little embryos on this little machine?". I couldn't stop smiling either. I didn't cry, because I'm not a big crier, even with raging hormones throughout my body. Even though the little embryo was so tiny on the screen, we saw the fluttering of the little heart; it fluttered in time with the sound of it at 151 beats per minute. At this point in the embryo's life it is already advancing into a fetus. At 5 weeks the heart starts to beat, but not in a particular rhythm like you would hear at your 9 week OB visit. By 9 weeks, the heart's beating rhythm is now controlled by the fetus's brain. Your fetus is about 3/4'' in length. You may or may not see your little fetus moving around on the screen. Some women see it fluttering around while others just see the heartbeat. And there are women out there that see multiple little beans! You will also see the placenta that the fetus is attached to that will provide nourishment during the entire pregnancy. It's hard to believe that something so small is a living, developing baby inside of you. Take your sonogram pictures home with you and keep them out of the sunlight, because they will fade over time. I kept mine in a clear protective sheet that you would use in a 3-ring binder. A year later, they still have the same color as they did the day I walked out of the OB office. Scan your sonograms, upload them to your Dropbox and get ready to share the good news with everyone!