We love routine appointments! :)

This morning we had our third prenatal appointment at our OB’s office. I am happy to report that it was relatively uneventful, just as we like them! 🙂

The highlights from today include that we got to hear Baby Benson’s heartbeat again on the Doppler and it sounded great and normal! To our surprise we also were told that our OBs decided to officially change our estimated due date (EDD) from September 23, which was based on my last menstrual period (and is Bob and my 9th wedding anniversary). They switched it to September 19, based on our baby’s measurements from our first ultrasound back in January and knowing that I typically ovulate earlier than the “average” cycle day 14 that regular EDDs are based on. It doesn’t really make a big difference in the grand scheme of things with our pregnancy, but it was interesting to find out.

Our OB talked with us about what we learned at our Maternal Fetal Medicine (MFM) consultation and “First Trimester Ultrascreen” two weeks ago and joked about if our MFM had “scared” us. Our MFM has a tendency to be very straightforward about the risks associated with all aspects of pregnancies, especially when you have had problems in the past, and we can appreciate why our OB would say that. That said, we told him that we know our MFM pretty well after our interstitial ectopic pregnancy and of course our journey with Molly and thus nothing he said really came as a surprise to or “scared” us. We understand that though odds are everything will be fine and our baby will be born healthy, that there are no guarantees.

Another interesting thing that came out of our appointment today is that our OB said that it is not too early to schedule our baby’s c-section! At first we thought he was kidding, as he tends to be sarcastic a lot. He was the OB we saw the most during our pregnancy with Sean and by the time he actually delivered our son we had nicknamed him “Dr. Smartass,” which I actually shared with him while I was somewhat drugged up during Sean’s c-section! Anyway, he apparently was not teasing us and literally said, “so, what day would you like your baby to be born?” as he pulled out the calendar!

I resisted the urge to say 9-9-09 (which is actually one of my college friend’s EDD, which I think is so cool) and we asked what he recommended. Dr. Smartass said that assuming my water doesn’t break, I don’t go into labor on my own and/or there are no other problems or issues that arise prior to the date we set, at which point they would deliver our baby earlier, that they like to aim for between 39 and 39 1/2 weeks gestation. He explained that they prefer to err on the side of 39 1/2 weeks because they had changed my EDD and they have had breathing issues at times in the past with babies who are delivered “a little too early.” So he said “how about Tuesday, September 15 or Thursday, September 17?!” I liked the idea of the 17th, as Molly was born on the 17th (though it was April) and I think it would be nice if her baby brother or sister was also born on the 17th.

Dr. Smartass indicated that all things considered he would lean towards the 17th too and so that is what we chose! Talk about a surreal conversation… It also in theory would work out nicely for Bob with his job, as though of course he can and will be there whenever (God willing) our baby is born, the 15th is one of the busier days of the month for him. So we joked after our appointment about him resisting the urge to point that out when we were choosing the date! It is very bizarre to know that the c-section is now scheduled and Baby Benson literally has a tentative birthday already!

Today I also took the 1 hour glucose test to check if I have gestational diabetes at this point in our pregnancy. Since I was diagnosed with it towards the end of my pregnancy with Molly, we understand that it is routine to test earlier with future pregnancies. We should have the results tomorrow (Saturday) or early next week at the latest. They also drew blood today for the routine AFP screen, checking for neural tube defects (Spina Bifida) and won’t have the results for about a week. Our OB reminded us how rare it is these days, since most pregnant women take a daily folic acid supplement.

Bob and I noticed and we were impressed again today by how kindly the nurses, our doctor and phalbotomist treated us and how genuinely excited they all seem for us that this pregnancy continues to seem to be going well!

Next Wednesday, April 1, we will go for our first Fetal Echocardiogram with the same perinatal cardiologist that cared for Molly last year during our pregnancy. This is a huge milestone for us and we are anxious to find out if at this point things look good and normal with our baby’s heart.

Our next prenatal appointment at our OB’s office is scheduled for Tuesday, April 21 at which point we would be about 18 weeks gestation. Our OB said that there is a good chance by then I will have started to feel our baby move. I do think I may have already felt a few flutters here and there, as I recall feeling such sensations around this time with both Sean and Molly.

Please continue to keep the news of our baby to yourselves. Though we are slowly telling more family and friends, we still haven’t told Sean and plan to wait at least until after the Fetal Echocardiogram next week before we would tell him about his new baby brother or sister. We appreciate your patience and understanding. We look forward to allowing our news to be more public in the not too distant future, as I am especially feeling ready to not to have to try to “hide” it anymore.

It is hard for me to believe that we have made it to 15 weeks gestation problem free. I am pleased to share that today I am feeling the happiest about our pregnancy (and the most optimistic) that I have since the day we first found out we were expecting back in January! Though we are still taking this one day, one step and one doctor appointment at a time, with each passing day Bob and I are allowing ourselves to believe more and more that Baby Benson might actually get to come home with us in September! Thank you for your continued support, encouragement, thoughts and prayers. We will keep you posted.