Our First Appointment

Well we had our first appointment yesterday and it was uneventful to say the least. We were there for an hour and a half and all that really happened is that we sat around a lot. We got asked a ton of questions about our medical history, my cycle, and any symptoms I've had (none yet except for cramping and fatigue), then we got a big binder full of information about what I shouldn't be eating (no deli meat?! Bye bye, Subway :-( ) and shouldn't be doing (no lifts or stunts allowed for me in Annie, luckily I currently haven't been blocked for anything like that). Finally we were sent up to the lab to get four vials of blood drawn and to fill a container with urine. Luckily being pregnant has made me have to pee a lot so that part was a breeze. We setup our next appointment with Dr Duckworth, the OB-GYN we were assigned, for February 11th and we were on our way. No test results, no warnings for anything I might be at risk for, and no ultrasound like they had told us there would be when we setup the appointment. They, in fact, told us that we wouldn't be having an ultrasound until 20 weeks! That's halfway through the pregnancy!

I looked it up and that is the industry standard for your first ultrasound, but for a worrier like me that seems really far away. How do I know that everything is progressing the way it should be before then? We’re also kind of in a dilemma right now on whether we should stay with Diane Duckworth at St. Cloud Medical group or switch to Robin Marushin at Centracare who was recommended to us by a friend. The difficult part of living in a smaller town is that there are not a lot of reviews or information out there on either doctor so I don't know how I should be making my decision. I feel like it's really important to be going with a doctor right away who you mesh well with, as well as has the same view on your birth plan as you do so that you won't feel pressured into making a decision you're not comfortable with. I mean, it's not like I'm just picking a clinic to go to for a strep test or something. I was hoping at this first appointment I'd get to meet the physician I was being assigned to so that I could ask them questions on what they're c-section and induction rates are and other things of that nature so that it would be easier to make a choice. Unfortunately, our next appointment isn't for another 8 weeks so it's kind of up in the air right now where we will end up.

On a more fun note, we went over to my parents' for Christmas with my older sisters and nieces and nephews. Just my luck, deli meat sandwhiches were on the menu, so I picked at some chips and veggies and dip for dinner. After barelly being there half an hour, I ended up breaking down and telling my mom about Baby Legg. When I pulled her aside she started crying before I even told her anything because she already knew what was coming. Seeing her cry made me cry which was refreshing because it was the first time it felt kind of real. We're waiting to tell my dad and sisters on Sunday, Christmas Eve we'll be telling my extended family, and Christmas Day we'll tell Jon's parents and brother. It's really early in the pregnancy to be telling so many people but Christmas just feels like the perfect time and Jon and I are trying to have the outlook right now that nothing is wrong or will go wrong until we know differently. Not being in control is going to be a huge struggle for me, though...