The First Trimester
I just came back from my second appointment. Today is the last day of my 11th week. It went very well. I've lost 1/2 pound (which is fine by me) and my doctor, who is so great, had several pieces of information to review with me. She talked about my medication (the Tegretol) and explained some of the risks involved and that we would be able to check things out better with the ultrasound (which I should get at my March appointment). She talked about how there is a 7.8% chance for spina bifida, but on the flip side there is a 92.2% chance for none. So - I like to focus on that number instead. She also mentioned another medication (Phenobarbital) that may be slightly better for pregnancy and to talk to my neurologist about possibly switching. Honestly, I prefer to stick to what's working. It can take a while to regulate my medication and I rather not risk it. Tegretol is one of the better medications. I asked her about breastfeeding and she is going to get back to me on that. She also reviewed some information about my Von Wiellebrand's condition (it's a blood-clotting disorder). She gave me the numbers of two hematologists in town to talk to about it but there are some things to take into consideration during delivery - nothing too serious.
Now then, the best part of the whole appointment --- We got to hear the heartbeat!!!!! It was amazing. It made things seem so much more...real. I couldn't believe that there is actually a baby inside of me. The heartbeat sounded good and was beating away at about 180 beats. Brian said that the fast beat means it's a boy - but we're not rushing to buy boy things yet. I'll keep you all posted on how things go.