First Doctor's Appointment

In a state of mild panic, I decided that the first thing I needed to do (after telling Geekboy) was to get myself in to see a doctor. I was concerned that my nutritional state was probably a big issue (not to mention all of the other things I'd been doing since I didn't know I was pregnant). Also - I really had little idea how to approach the whole concept of lap band pregnancy.

I was in a bit of denial and kept fluctuating between not really believing I could possibly be pregnant and freaking out about what could be happening to the baby if I really was, in fact, pregnant. In my state, I really wasn't ready to share the pregnancy news - which meant I couldn't call anyone to ask where to find a good OB doc. After a bit of thought and research online, I opted to call a top-ranked local hospital to see if they had an OB to recommend. They gave me the contact info for a group of five female OBs with a shared practice. It sounded great so I called.

Me: "Hi, I'm a new patient and I'd like to make an appointment."
Scheduler: Takes my name, address, phone, insurance, etc.
Scheduler: "How about October 19th?" (We were in late April.)
Me (a bit shocked and alarmed): "Ummm...I'm afraid that's not going to work."
Scheduler: "Are you pregnant?"
Me: "Yes, and my situation is a little unusual so I'd like to get in sooner rather than later."
Scheduler (chuckling): "Yes, I suppose October would be a bit late. How about next week?"

I went in for my appointment, still in a fair bit of denial. I had convinced myself that the doc was going to look at me, laugh at the absurd notion that I thought I was pregnant, tell me I had gas, and send me home. That's not what happened.

I joked with the nurse about the fact that I didn't think I could actually be pregnant, but after I had to excuse myself twice to use the restroom before even seeing the doctor, she said, "Honey, better believe it..."

The doc saw me and asked a bunch of questions. Then I got my turn to ask a bunch of questions. Afterward, she fired up the ultrasound machine. There on the screen in plain view was a little bean-shaped blob inside a larger circle and in the middle of the bean, there was a light area that was flicking on and off really fast. The doc pointed at the screen and said, "There's your baby." Tears came to my eyes. That was the moment it became real to me. She said it was a good sign that the heartbeat was so visible and strong at six weeks. I was relieved.

The doctor didn't really seem to have any concerns about the fact that I had a lap band (although she admitted she'd never had a patient with a lap band in the past). And she didn't seem too concerned about all of the other things I had been worrying about. She told me that a baby's nutritional needs are minimal this early in the game and that I should probably see a nutritionist to make sure I was getting enough of everything. She also told me not to worry too much about the other things I'd done when I didn't know I was pregnant - just to do the right things from here on out. She also pointed out that most folks don't figure out that they're pregnant for a month or more so it's pretty common for people to drink, eat the wrong things, be exposed to bad stuff, etc. - and in the great majority of cases, things turn out just fine.

I left the doctor's office feeling relieved and also feeling like I needed to get over my denial lickety split!