Baby's 1st photoshoot

So I finally got an ultrasound. Before I post the results I must vent. I called to see if I needed a full bladder since I'm so early I'd likely need a transvaginal (pelvic) ultrasound. She said have a full bladder just in case and drink 32 oz before I came in! So I was dying in discomfort by the time I got there. Filled out paperwork and asked her to get me in quickly. After I laid on the table she tried an abdominal ultrasound and said my bladder was to full, you think? Of course Michael (my husband) laughed and I go to empty my bladder (FYI, I'd only drank like 16 oz of water total before my ultrasound). I came back in for my ultrasound and we saw ONE healthy baby. Measured right at 6w1d and we heard a heartbeat of 108bpm. I am so happy we saw a healthy baby. Now if we can just get through the 6th week I'll breath a little easier.

Doctor and Nausea

Well yesterday I decided to call the other doctor just so I would have 2 to pick from. At first the receptionist said he didn't see patients until 10-12 weeks! I asked her if he made exceptions for high risk pregnancies and she said she'd check and have a nurse call me back. Well a few hours later I got a call from a really sweet nurse, she asked about my history of miscarriages and any tests that had been done. She offered to get me sent for HCG tests (I informed her I've already had 2 done), suggested I take a baby aspirin once a day (I have been since January) asked if I was on progesterone suppositories (which I am) and said the only thing left to do was to schedule an ultrasound next week to check on the baby. I also mentioned to her I was really nauseous and she told me she'd call in a prescription to help with that! I was so thrilled at the care and attention I received from a doctor/nurse I have never even seen before, not to mention they were very knowledgeable about high risk pregnancies and prevention. So I have an ultrasound scheduled for July 20th, I will be 6 weeks and 2 days (baby should measure 6w1d). I will not be meeting with the doctor that day but I will at least be able to get a feel of the office, wait time and staff that work there. I am getting the feeling it will be really hard to pick between these two doctors.

PS. My current doctor didn't even call me yesterday to inform me that one of my labs was higher than normal or that my HCG came back fine... so disappointing. But on the other hand, the office of the other doctor I'm considering called me yesterday to let me know my HCG levels looked within the normal range... I really appreciated them taking the time to do that.


NAUSEA!!!! Okay, now a quick side note about my pregnancy. I think my nausea is getting worse. Trying to go to sleep last night was terrible! I rolled around for 2 1/2 hours because every time I'd get close to falling asleep I'd get nauseous and have to snack on a cracker or sip some water. I took some nausea medication but that didn't seem to help either. I keep telling myself it's good to be sick because it means the baby is okay. I can't wait for my second trimester when all these awful symptoms go away.

Progesterone Suppositories and HCG

Well yesterday was a pretty good day. When the nurse of my hopefully new doctor called she was really sweet. She said the doctor wanted to take me off the prometrium (progesterone pills) and put me on suppositories because they work better. I took my first one last night and so far so good, no mess. However, I woke up REALLY tired and a little sick; not sure if it's the suppositories or just the pregnancy. Overall I'm just glad to not have to take those pills in the morning; the side effects were pretty awful. Note: my insurance didn't cover the suppositories but they're less than $40 for a month.

The nurse also said the doctor didn't see a need to do another HCG test unless I was threatening a miscarriage again but if it made me feel better they would order one... hallelujah! I am so glad to finally have a doctor that understands that sometimes it’s best to just make sure your patients are happy and stress-free.

So I called last night to get the results for my second HCG test and they were 3075 at 18 dpo, that's a 166% increase in 48 hours (to my understanding the norm is doubling in 48-72 hours), I'm ecstatic to say the least especially since they were already more than double the average limit for how far along I am (I was 1156 on 16 dpo). I suspect maybe twins but that's probably more wishful thinking than anything because HCG levels are really hard to use for diagnosis of twins.

Looking for a new OB

So I've had some concerns with my OB from the time I first started seeing him last December. Since I am on prometrium and high risk I expected him to monitor me more than normal. Well I do not feel he is taking my history of miscarriages seriously and I feel more like a burden to him than anything. I decided I needed to not only feel fully comfortable with my doctor but also confident in his care, therefore I am in search of a new OB. I have had a couple of referrals and when I looked up they doctors they had mixed reviews. There are 2 I'm really interested in but the downside is that they're both really busy (I guess that's a good sign). I have an appointment set up for 7+5 with one of them. His receptionist was so sweet! She told me that even though he couldn't get me in for 3 weeks they could order HCG and progesterone tests for me. She also noted that if I thought I was miscarrying they'd squeeze me in to get a quick ultrasound. This was so comforting compared to my current doctor who just blows off all my concerns. I'm still waiting to talk to his nurses but I feel pretty good about this doctor so far. I'll probably try 2 doctors to see which one I like more.

First OB Appointment

Today I'm 4+3 (4 weeks 3 days) and we had our first OB appointment. Nothing exciting, just examined me, ordered some labs and filled my prescription. I'll call in the morning to see what my HCG levels are. My next appointment isn't until my 9th week but we'll do an Ultrasound then.

Funny thing, my Dr. said he'd give me 6 more weeks of prometrium but we all know how well doctors can count... anyways, he only gave me 4 weeks. Luckily I'll see him before I run out.