Earlier this week, I went to my sixteen week appointment. I was scheduled to do an ultrasound first to check out my subchorionic hematoma and meet with the OB shortly thereafter.
As I was showering that morning, I missed a call from the clinic saying that their ultrasound tech was out for the day and if I called back after 8:00 (when their office opened), I could hear what my options were. We were planning on heading out at 7:50 in order to make it to the appointment on time, so we followed through with our departure plans and I called the office once they opened. They gave me the number for central scheduling for the health network so that I could still schedule an ultrasound.
After lots of discussion over several phone calls with a delightful woman, I received an appointment at an imaging center next door to the OB's office. The only problem was that the earliest available appointment was at 1:30. We were going to have lots of down time.
My husband and I decided that if the OB appointment went well, we would cancel the ultrasound and just head home.
Our hopes of getting home early were dashed during the OB appointment.
"You have a lot of blood in your urine!" was the first thing we heard from my doctor after pleasantries were exchanged. After asking a couple of questions that could explain where it had come from, she said I most likely had an infection and she would send off a sample to be examined.
"The next problem is that you are not gaining enough weight." I was more than a little perplexed that there was more than one problem. I've always passed my OB appointments with flying colors. They normally listen for a heartbeat, we chat for a few minutes, and then they send me on my way. "You have only gained two pounds this pregnancy." Let's ignore the fact that I was also in cold weather gear that added a bit of bulk to my outfit that day as well... "I am putting you on a 3000 calorie diet. It's not that hard. Just add a bit more to each meal and maybe a few more snacks." They wanted me to have gained between 4 and 7 pounds by this point.
Leaving the appointment slightly discouraged, we decided that we should keep the ultrasound appointment.
We killed time for three hours by buying my daughter's Christmas present and stopping by Trader Joe's to grab some lunch. We thought we would be home in time for lunch so we hadn't brought anything with us.
The ultrasound appointment was the highlight of the day. I thought it would be a quick five minute ultrasound with the tech measuring the size of the hemorrhage and moving onto the next patient, but we were pleasantly surprised to be there for over twenty minutes. I think we had a scan just as thorough as the anatomy scan that I will receive at my next visit. We got to see all four chambers of her heart, the beautiful structure of her spine and ribs, her curled up legs, and her adorable face. She kept opening and closing her mouth. The hemorrhage is still present, and the tech said we had to wait for the OB to compare the two scans. The tech was wonderful to chat with and I feel she shared things a little more openly than other techs I have worked with. We left with six more pictures of our adorable little baby that my older daughter loves to study.
Ever since the appointment, I have been trying to get my calories up, but it has been a challenge. I cannot eat much for breakfast without feeling sick and on the days I try to eat more for lunch, I am still full at dinnertime. I tracked my calories a few times and realized I am not getting close to 3000 calories. I am not even eating as much as someone in their second trimester should eat. My goal is to eat more snack and keep my meals the same, but now I need to plan ahead and brings snacks with me when I have outings.
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