Doctors Office Nightmare

Today I was scheduled for a routine OB check. It was to be my 21 week check and since no other tests go along with this appointment I figured it would be a good one for the girls to go to . A chance for them to see the Doctor and Nurse again, hear the baby's hearbeat, and just feel a part of the whole experience.

My appointment was at 10 am so I got the girls up a little early, got everyone fed, bathed and ready to go. We got there a little early and the girls enjoyed playing in the toy room they have available in the waiting room. They were really on their best behaviour and even the baby got down to walk around and play. We got called back, I weighed (gained 3 lbs), gave a urine sample, and we all waited in the exam room.

The girls were in awe of the room and kept pointing to things and wanting me to tell them all about what they were and what they were used for. We played this game for a bit and what seemed like a pretty short wait the Doctor came in. He measured my belly and showed the girls with a piece of string about how long our baby is. Then he got out the fetal doppler and asked the girls if they wanted to hear our baby's heartbeat. They nodded eagerly and surrounded the exam table to listen. He put the goo on and we all waited....and waited.....and waited.....

It seemed like forever but it was probably only five minutes or less. He tried every angle, high low, you name it. I could feel my heart racing and wondered what was going on. I racked my brain trying to remember the exact moment I last felt movement. Did I feel normal? Finally the Doctor gave up, told me to relax we could do an ultrasound. I immediately said that I wanted to call my Mom to come pick up the girls. The King was working on the other side of town and couldn't have gotten there quickly.

The Doctor said to hold off and got the nurse to be with the girls who surprisingly were still behaving even though my nerves were shot and every syllable they uttered made the hair on my neck stand up. It took a bit for the ultrasound machine to warm up, but finally it flashed ready. The lights were turned off and the screen was turned so that I could view as well. The baby was obviously sleeping, there was no movement. My heart sank and I was literally trembling. Within seconds he zoomed in on the heart and it was beating!

I felt somewhat like I was in shock. I was ecstatic to see the heart beating and the baby well, but the whole thing just seemed so surreal. The nurse brought the girls over to look. I had trouble finding any enjoyment in the ultrasound due to the state of my nerves at that point. I felt a combination of happy and freaked out at the same time.

We wrapped the appointment up, I loaded the girls, and we left. I shook the whole way home. I still feel a little shaken up. I am confident that everything is fine, I saw the heartbeat myself. I guess it was just a reality check I didn't want. The thought of the girls being there was emotional for me too. I think this is the last appointment they will come to. They left happy, unaware of the scare we had just gotten.