had a conversation with someone at my doctor's office today. it went sort of like this:

me: "hi, my name is lyndsey ward- well actually it's not, but medicaid says it still is so that's how you guys know me. i had an anatomy scan on thursday and it sucked."

her: "anatomy scan? what is that? do you mean a well woman exam? i don't even see you in our system. lyndsey wood, right?"

me: "no. no, my name is not lyndsey wood. ward, w-a-r-d. i am eighteen weeks pregnant and i mean the big mid-pregnancy ultrasound during which my baby's organs and size and whatnot are checked."

her: "uh, hold on, i need a chart or i will have no idea what you're talking about ever."

(five minutes of midi waiting music)

her: "hey, that ultrasound you're talking about? that happens between 18-22 weeks, you haven't had that yet."

me: "that's what i'm saying, but your stupid technician is that one that called it that. i was 17 weeks and three days, they said it was cool. they said i wasn't getting another ultrasound."

her: "they were wrong. see, it even says your next appointment is on a thursday, that's when the ultrasound tech is here."

me: "i asked for a thursday."

her: "no, this proves that we knew what we were doing the whole time! see you in three weeks!"


so, as you can see, it was finally, FINALLY, decided that i would be receiving another ultrasound at my next appointment on the 30th. she said she was putting a note in my chart about it to be sure, and that's good enough for me- charts are law in a doctor's office, right?

in other news, i look exactly the same- if not a smidge smaller- than i did last week. what is this?

18w

yesterday (thursday), as i believe i mentioned previously, was the highly anticipated date of my anatomy ultrasound.

what a letdown.

the sonographer was the same woman who did my NT scan- and i didn't like her much then, either. i think i may have even posted about her. she rushed through the scan like we had somehow done her a personal disservice just by being there. sorry, do i know you? did i kill your cat? you may do this every day but i certainly don't.

an anatomy scan is supposed to be thorough. it is supposed to be comprehensive. according to all that i have read (and the many videos that i watched of anatomy scans, in my excitement) the sonographer is supposed to check blood flow through the heart and the development and placement of the kidneys, bladder, stomach, brain, and spine. they are meant to take quite a few measurements to be sure that gestational age is still on track and check the umbilical cord, amniotic fluid levels, placenta location, and fetal heart rate- not to mention checking for deformities like a cleft palate. overall, it should take 30-45 minutes.

it didn't.

i saw three measurements, andy says he saw maybe four or five; he had a better view of the screen as, initially, she didn't bother turning it towards me. i saw two measurements of the circumference of the skull, and a measurement of what i think was a thigh bone. beyond that, after telling her that yes, we would really, really like to know the sex, she spent a couple of minutes trying to get a decent view before saying that it could maybe-possibly be a boy, but not to take that as fact. and then it was over. the whole thing lasted perhaps fifteen minutes. she gave us three photos that are just as disappointing as the scan itself- one barely discernible between-the-legs shot and two blurry, blobby profile shots.

after that we were ushered out to wait for the midwife, who i actually like, but she merely mentioned in passing that my chart said "incomplete anatomy scan." when we mentioned our disappointment about not getting a more decisive boy-or-girl, she said that she could try to come up with an excuse for another scan ("we could say that we're worried about baby's size, or something?") but that it would take a while to actually get it, perhaps two appointments out. as nice a gesture as that was, that's two months, and we won't be in new port richey in two months. neither she nor the nurse who made my next appointment (dec. 30) mentioned anything about a do-over of the important parts of the anatomy scan.

to wrap up a long story, i'm frustrated and disappointed, least of all because she was leaning toward boy rather than girl. i didn't have a chance today but on monday i intend to call the doctor's office and talk to them about it. if they don't offer another ultrasound i guess we will be shelling out the money to go somewhere else, at least to confirm the sex.

i honestly have a few other things nagging at me that i'd like to vent, but i suppose this is enough for one post.

there is not much going on lately. i have been working (i've got 40 hours this week) and not really doing a whole lot else, i guess.

there still isn't much new with my pregnancy- anatomy ultrasound is in a week- BUT i've started feeling movement really distinctly and it's neat and sort of bizarre.

that's really all!

16w1d

today i relax.

i have had so much going on lately, far too much for me. having a lot to do makes time move slowly. i haven't spent so much time outside of the apartment in a long while.

i was hired at target, hmm, the week before last? which of course meant i had to get a new driver's license (with my new last name), which meant i had to get a new birth certificate... it was a huge headache but my name is officially changed through just about every avenue necessary.

i worked thursday-saturday (yesterday) and wow. i am extremely out of practice when it comes to being on my feet for long periods of time. i've come home each night aching all over. but hey, i've got a job, i shouldn't complain.

as for baby news, there isn't much to tell. my next doctor's appointment isn't till december 2nd, and that's the big anatomy ultrasound. i'm definitely showing now, but based on the amazement i get from everyone when i tell them i'm pregnant, people are still just assuming that i spend a bit too much time in front of the fridge. sigh. where can i find one of those "i'm not fat, i'm pregnant" shirts?

on the other hand, andy and i have been doing a lot of cooking lately, and i just recently made my first batch of from-scratch cookies. but i swear, it's the baby.

doctor's visit went well. the ultrasound was first, and the tech didn't really say much of anything. i don't think she would have given me any photos if i hadn't asked for them, and she explained exactly nothing. i'm glad that i did my own research on the NT scan and could more or less identify what i was seeing. she didn't even tilt the screen all the way towards me; i think andy saw more than i did as he wasn't on his back.

following that was the blood test part of the screening (just a finger prick, which i can handle) and then a visit with the midwife. i liked her a bit more than the actual doctor (who i didn't see at all today), she was more cheerful and warm. she brought in her doppler and found the baby's heartbeat literally IMMEDIATELY. it was awesome, i've heard so much about having to search for a heartbeat but it was just instant, as soon as she pressed it against my belly.

anyway, onto the pictures!


if you can get past the terrifying halloween teeth, you can see that the baby has its hand in its mouth. :3


baby says thumbs down.

i am repurposing this blog. it is now an "i'm pregnant, let's talk about the weird things related to that" blog rather than an "i only post here when i'm alone and having a panic attack" blog. i deleted a few of the older posts, but not all of them because well, that's me.

we have officially announced that i'm pregnant and our friends seem about equal parts excited for us and weirded out. that's okay i guess.

i am 13w3d today and at 11 o'clock i have a doctors appointment. i opted to do the nuchal translucency test, but not because i think my baby is at risk of a chromosomal abnormality; andy had to miss the last ultrasound, and i want him to see the baby. i suppose i should go get dressed and whatnot.

i will leave you with a photo of my barely-there bump, taken at 13w: