No Child Left Behind

Yesterday, we met the midwife. The woman whom we were supposed to meet ended up being unavailable because of a death in the family, so we met a partner in the practice instead. I was referred to the practice by my general internal medicine doctor, not to a specific midwife, so I was content see anyone. Sara, the midwife, was wonderful. She offered lots of information and answered all of our questions. The practice’s philosophy fits mine very well, so far as I have one as a first-time mother. The practice wants to give women whatever kind of delivery they desire, from unmedicated births to epidurals. The midwives don’t see any intervention as bad, but they see don’t see any of them, including an IV or continuous fetal monitoring, as routine, either. They want to make sure that any intervention is really required. They promote moving around during labor and even have telemetry units available so women can still be on CFEM while moving around. A water birth is an even option, which I like.

I had a physical exam and an ultrasound. The first ultrasound that Sara did was on a very old machine was. Wes estimates it was at least fifteen years old and likened it to a Commodore computer. The screen showed a black spot – the yolk sac – but no embryo or heartbeat. Sara looked a little worried, and then we worried. She immediately put us in line to see an ultrasound tech and insisted we not leave until we knew exactly what was what. We waited about 40 minutes for an ultrasound tech to become available. Wes tried to talk to me, and I tried to reconcile myself to not being pregnant anymore. When we went in for the second ultrasound, I couldn’t look at the screen. I just kept telling myself it would all be okay, no matter what happened. But after only a few seconds, the tech and Wes both saw a viable embryo with a nice heartbeat (154). It had been hard to find because it wasn’t as big as it was supposed to be based on the first date of my last menstrual cycle. But I have long periods sometimes, and the tech said I probably ovulated late that month, making me 8 days “less pregnant” than I thought I was. According to Wes, I am a “G1, 7 and 0/7, by first trimester ultrasound.” We got a picture of our “little gray blob,” as Sara described it – and as it looks on the printout we got. It’s on the refrigerator.

I know the chance of miscarriage falls to 3-5% now, but that’s still as high as 1 in 20, so even though I’m allowing myself to get more and more excited, I have to remember that it’s not a sure thing. I’m sure the end of the first trimester – now six weeks away – will help, too. Tonight I made a huge paper chain, something my family does in December to count down to Christmas, but for all 33 weeks remaining in the pregnancy. That’s 231 links until my due date (which I know is an approximation, not a finite end point, but it has to end somewhere).