Dr. Appointment

Yesterday we went to our 24-week doctor appointment. It was pretty routine, but still fun. Since the last appointment, I'd gained 8 pounds! So, not exactly the pound a week I'm supposed to be gaining (try TWO pounds a week), but Dr. K said it put me right where I'm supposed to be right now, since I hadn't gained much weight until now. But, that does mean I can't let "being underweight" be my reason for the Wendy's Frosty any more. :) (Just kidding...I've only had one Wendy's Frosty this month!)

My blood pressure is still just fine: 110/70. And Caleb's heartbeat is a strong 146bpm. "Perfect," as Dr. K said. I like to think so! Remember how I said that the Dopplar takes WAY too long to find a heartbeat with? There's just too much tension waiting for that little heartbeat to come through. Well, this time, Caleb's heartbeat was the first thing we heard, loud and clear!

My uterus measures at 26 centimeters. This measurement is taken very precisely...the doctor pokes around on my abdomen until she finds something, then she spreads a tape measure across my belly. The measurement should be about the same as the number of weeks I am, give or take 2 cms. So, I'm 24.5 weeks, and I measure at 26 cm, which is just fine. I asked if that extra was me or the baby, and Dr. K said it could be both, but (and she looked at Jon for this) Caleb's probably going to be a big baby. Haha!

And that was pretty much it. We asked a few questions. One was about my cartilege ring that still hasn't healed completely. I was hoping it was related to pregnancy in some way (since I got it pierced 2 weeks before conceiving), but nope, it's just me, evidently. So, though I like it very much, and have endured the healing (or lack thereof) for 6 months, I think it might be time to pull the plug. We'll see.

We made more appointments for the next couple of months, starting every 2 weeks after this next appointment! I've added them to the sidebar. One exciting bit of information is that I get another sonogram at 36 weeks! I guess they figure the tape measure method isn't exact enough (go figure), so this will let them know what the next steps should be. If he's big, we might induce early or schedule a C-section, and if he's a normal size. we'll just let things happen. (That's me totally guessing why we might have the sono; I really don't know.)

We tried to pre-register at the hospital while we were there, but the lady that does it said it would be much easier for us to do it online. We both thought, "Wow, she's completely negating her job" but we didn't say it. We did find out that without insurance, the hospital costs would be $4,000, unless we stayed extra days (like for a C-section), in which case it would be $6,000. Evidently, when we register, the hospital will give us a more accurate figure based on what our insurance covers. We'll do that pretty soon so we will know what to expect. From our doctor, we found out who the anesthesiologist would be, so we can make sure they're covered under our insurance. (Yeah, things to think about!) People have made having a baby so complicated these days! :)

And that's all for this update! Tune in next time!