1st Trimester Doctor's Appointments

Mommy Punkin's first prenatal appointment was set for July 19th. I took the positive test on July 9th, but as I mentioned in my earlier post , I wasn't quite sure how far along I was - I could have been very early on, so didn't want to jump on an appointment so quick because typically they do not want to see you until your 7th week or so.
But, when I called to make the appointment, according to my last period I was 6 weeks pregnant so I set the appointment for about 10 days just to be safe in case I was not 6 weeks along.
When we went in for the ultrasound, I explained that I might not actually be over 6 weeks along because of my odd cycle, but the tech said they'd be able to determine from the ultrasounds measurements.
She first attempted the ultrasound from the outside but saw nothing, other than the sac to confirm that I was indeed pregnant! So I had to have an internal ultrasound, like I did with Silly Baby,but unlike Silly Baby, I did not see Baby Punkin immediately. In Punkin's defense I was only 6 weeks along versus with Silly Baby I was already 10 weeks! The tech had to point Baby Punkin out to us and the only thing I could really make out was the flicker of the heartbeat. Definitely a different experience than with Silly Baby which was more like "BAM, Here's a baby!!" Baby Punkin was so tiny and early on it seemed like it would be forever until I was *really pregnant. But I think having that mentality right away has served me well to not rush through the pregnancy, or have it feel like it's dragging on. It also helps that I know each step of the way what's going to happen next and this time around there is much less to prepare for to create any extra stress.
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ince I was so early along, the Dr wanted me to come back again in a week so they could get a better look at Baby Punkin. So one week later I got to see Baby Punkin again...they were still pretty little - basically just a little bit bigger of a dot than the first ultrasound.
The next appointment a few weeks later was the big blood work one. With Silly Baby, I fainted after all this blood was drawn, so this time I was prepared. I told the nurses right away that in the past I've fainted, so they took me into an exam room and had me lay down. Two nurses came in with me and one just chit-chatted with me the whole time. I felt sorta silly requesting special treatment, but it worked! I wasn't even light headed or nauseous like in times past.

The next appointment was at 12 weeks, I had more blood work done because a few tests were missed the first time around (ugh).
I got to see Baby Punkin again for a very quick ultrasound to measure the neck, etc. By then, Punkin was definitely a little peanut baby - much better than the little dot! The Dr went over my blood tests and found that my thyroid was a teensy bit high so they needed to test the other components (I don't know exactly, it was a lot of medical speak!) So - more blood work for me. BUT again I did just fine, so maybe my phobia is weakening! The end result of the further testing was just fine, thankfully!

So that's a recap of my first trimester doctor's appointments. Nothing too exciting - the second and third trimester appointments are much more entertaining!

I'm gradually catching up here...Next post, I'll dive into the 2nd trimester!