Prenatal Check - 18 wks: All is well

I had a prenatal check up today. I met with a second OB in the practice. (There are a total of 3 doctors in the practice. They are on rotation and I will see all of them at some point and depending who is on call when I go into labor will be the one to deliver Baby Bear). I like the OB I met last month, she was great. The OB I met with today was great, too. I am so used to having female doctors, but he made me feel really comfortable. He spent time listening to my concerns and questions and answered them with explanations. I really like that in a doctor. He was very personable. My father-in-law, Grandpa Bear, actually knows him (so that might have helped, because I mentioned him). Grandpa Bear speaks highly of him and he was right about him.

All in all, everything is good. My blood pressure is good (111/64), I've gained about 5 more pound since my last prenatal check, and Baby Bear's heart rate was very strong (around 155). I love hearing Baby Bear's heart beat, that is the highlight of my appointment! The OB said everything looked really good.

I talked to the OB about my exercise routine and he was very pleased that I was exercising. He emphasized the important of exercise and how much better my pregnancy and delivery will be because I am exercising. I really liked that since fitness is very important to me and I have been doing my best to keep up my workout schedule. I told him that I was still doing much of my workout routine but I had reduced the intensity of my workouts and he even said that I didn't really need to do that at all, I could run and I could continue to do abdominal work. In fact, abdominal work and yoga would help keep me from experiencing too much back pain. I was very happy to hear that. I told you I really like this OB.

My next prenatal check up is with the 3rd doctor in the practice. I hope that I like him as much as I have enjoyed the 1st two OBs. I feel pretty good about my prenatal care. Whew, it is hard to know when you have no clue (it helps that I have had friends who have gone to this same office).

I also went in to get my AFP screening test today. Hopefully all is well and healthy with Baby Bear. The AFP screening test is a blood test to determine the chance of birth defects, such as Downs Syndrome. We felt it was best to get the screening test to determine the chances of any special needs. I hear there are a lot of false positives with this test, but if there is a problem then we can have additional tests to determine if there is anything truly wrong.

We scheduled an ultrasound for January 19th to find out Baby Bear's gender. I can't wait!!!