Midwife Appointment at 13 Weeks

 I went on a VERY short walk today and tried to take more pictures.  I've been very bad about that this year.  This is from someone's front yard.  Appropriate since I'm receiving care from Blue Heron Naturopathic Care.

    This was actually not my first meeting with my midwife.  I did a free consult with her where she explained what she does and how the process would be with her and we get to sort of know each other.  I had prepared a list of questions for her, but she did such a wonderful job going through everything she does and all of her info, she basically answered everything on my list.  That gave me a lot of confidence that we would be on the same page.  Then Ty and I both met with her at about 9 weeks so we could get the ball rolling and so Ty could meet her as well.  Also, I had such a bad cold and needed to find some kind of relief.  Being that she is a naturopath she was able to give me a herbal remedy for my clogged sinuses.  Hooray!  She gave me a packet full of information on pregnancy and the different things that come with it with a holistic view.  We went on a little tour (I haven't asked yet, but next time I'll see if I can get pictures) of the office and the room where she will do the exams and the bathroom and what I need to do for the dipping the stick for the urine samples each visits.  If something doesn't look right I tell her.

    Dr. Virginia "Ginger" Frazer, of Blue Heron Naturopathic Care, actually encourages the spouse to be present at as many appointments as possible so she can get to know them as well and understand our dynamic as a couple so when the time comes for the birth she knows her boundaries.  Luckily, Ty has a job that will provide us with the opportunity for him to accompany me and his presence is really reassuring and plus I just really like having around.  :)  This appointment started with her asking a couple of follow-up questions about my cold and future maternity and parenting choices.  I forgot to fill out the form she had given to me the last time we were there so that cut down on the questions.  I got up on the exam table and she did an exam of my upper body and then she moved on to checking my uterus.

    Then for the moment that I really had been waiting for.  The doppler reading of my baby's heartbeat.  A doppler is a small handheld device that detects the fetal heartbeat.  We won't be getting an ultrasound until about Week 20 when we find out what we are having.  I had been sort of freaking out because after my miscarriage I have a lot of trust issues with my own body and had been concerned that maybe we wouldn't be hearing anything and I would be leaving extremely disappointed.  However, that was not the case.  I was extremely relieved when I first heard the swift pitter-pattering of the major organ of the little person who is living inside of me.  Ty got up from his seat and stood next to me holding my hand.  What a wonderful experience to have together!  It took her a little while to find it, but she said that that was normal this early since they are still so small.  I had hoped to get a video or something, but I wasn't prepared.  Even still, remembering it makes me happy.

    After I got down from the table she told me that I did have mild anemia and that was probably causing a slight murmur, but it wasn't a concern and can happen during pregnancy.  I just have to make sure I'm getting my nutrients and not overdoing it too much.  Since neither party had any more questions or concerns that concluded the visit and I'm scheduled to go back in another month.  Nothing weird or strange or crazy.  :)  We'll see if it's any different at the next appointment when I'll have the questionnaire that I should have done this time.  My self-appointed homework is to drink more water, get more protein, and fill out that form.

    This week I've been able to keep from throwing up, still moments of nausea, especially in the morning when there's nothing in my stomach, but improvement is improvement and I need to take advantage of it.  I've been really bad about my choices of what to eat and have totally fallen off the wagon.  I'd really like to get back to making a meal plan and counting calories to make sure I'm getting enough of the good stuff not just junk.  Plus, I think it's good to set limitations and not just eat things with the excuse that I'm pregnant and have "cravings".  (I believe that cravings are really your body telling you that you are needing certain nutrients, but isn't getting them.)  I don't want to have the baby and be super overweight from overindulging.  Weight gain is inevitable and there's no reason to think that it won't, but I also want to be healthy.  So there you have it.