11w1day

Had just a little bit of a scare at yesterday's appointment with Dr. Smiley. Last appointment was the U/S, and this time he said we should be able to hear the HB with the external Doppler.

So he gets out his wand with the microphone thing and proceeds to press around on my abdomen. And circled and circled and circled and circled. Nothing. My slow, steady HB would show up periodically, but no quick thundering hoof beats. Just static. Finally after what seemed like an eternity (maybe like 5 minutes), I broke the ice and asked if we should be hearing something by now. He says that it's like finding a needle in a haystack and that we really only had a 75% chance of hearing the HB with the Doppler between 10-12 weeks. Finally he gives up and says, Ok we're going to cheat and send you back for an U/S.

So the nurse walks me back to the U/S office, but alas they were closed for the day as it was already around 5:45 at this point. So back to his office we go. They make some phone calls and verify that they really are closed. Dr.Smiley says, Well we have little old machine here, Let's give that a try.

After struggling for a minute to get the thing to boot up, he gets it to power on. The machine looked positively archaic compared to the fancy-schmancy high-def wide screen machine over in the U/S office. He gets out the wand again, squirted more goo and we just see blurry on this tiny 4 x4 screen. Finally he locates the wee tot and points out the teeny tiny flickering heart beat. Hallelujah. Considering the size of the screen and the size of what it was measuring, I could barely make out anything, but I was relieved to hear that all was well.

Next week I'll finally be into the Second Trimester, and have the go-ahead to let the cat out of the bag. I think I'll wait till 13 weeks to make the big announcement at work; however it is getting harder and harder to hide as my belly is a-poochin' out. Right now am working on how to make the announcement to the in-laws. Our next get-together should be on Father's Day, so may do it then!


From Babycenter:

How your baby's growing:

Your baby, just over 1 1/2 inches long and about the size of a fig, is now almost fully formed. Her hands will soon open and close into fists, tiny tooth buds are beginning to appear under her gums, and some of her bones are beginning to harden.

She's already busy kicking and stretching, and her tiny movements are so effortless they look like water ballet. These movements will become more frequent as her body grows and becomes more developed and functional. You won't feel your baby's acrobatics for another month or two — nor will you notice the hiccupping that may be happening now that her diaphragm is forming.

How your life's changing:

If you're like most women, you're feeling a bit more energetic now and your nausea may be starting to wane. Unfortunately, you may also be suffering from constipation (caused by hormonal changes, which can slow digestion) and heartburn (hormones again, relaxing the valve between your stomach and esophagus). Just remember, all this discomfort is for a good cause.

Don't worry if nausea has made it impossible for you to eat a wide variety of healthy foods or if you haven't put on much weight yet (most women gain just 2 to 5 pounds during the first trimester). Your appetite will likely return soon, and you'll start to gain about a pound a week.

And from Alphamom:


Your Baby:

• Is the size of a small lemon or large lime. With a twist! Yeah, we’re done with the bean and nut comparisons and have moved onto fruit. Next stop, small household appliances!
• Is officially a fetus, and is downright human-baby looking with non-webbed fingers and toes, although s/he needs a lot more cooking and fattening up.
• Is moving and kicking and dancing and even hiccuping, although you won’t be able to feel the acrobatics for a few more weeks (sometime between weeks 16 and 20).

You:

• Please, it’s just all more of the same. The pregnancy books are all yapping about how much better and less sick/exhausted/crabby we should be feeling by now, and I spent a very productive morning hurling several particularly annoying tomes at the wall.

So somewhere between a fig and a lemon?