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Wednesday 9 February 2011

16w1d: Up to speed

I had a great check-up yesterday. The doctor kindly explained that they couldn't do a routine 16 week ultrasound for everyone, but she would do a uterus palpatation, fundal height measurement, and a doppler check. If any of those looked off, then she would send me for a scan.

She said that she could feel my uterus sitting just underneath my belly button, and showed me how to feel it myself. My fundal height was 14 cm (at 16 weeks it should be 16cm +/- 2cm). She had a great deal of difficulty finding the heartbeat, which made me feel better about having trouble with my home doppler. She found the soft wooshing of the ubilical cord pulse quite easily, and some sporadic sloshes of the fetus moving, and finally about 20 seconds of the loud galloping fetal heartbeat at 160 bpm, before the fetus swam away again.

I know that we didn't get an ultrasound, but all in all I felt very reassured. The doctor seemed so calm and confident that I felt like any other pregnant woman in for a routine check-up.

And now only four weeks to go until we reach the half-way point and our big 20 week morphology scan.

7 comments:

  1. That appt couldn't have gone any better!! Well, unless you got an U/S. LOL. I'm so happy things are just as perfect as they should be for you and your little one. I'm really hoping the next four weeks go quickly for you. Will you find out the gender??

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  2. As much as an ultrasound sounds like the reassuring and routine thing for someone who has done IVF, I can see that the doctor not being worried and you being treated like a normal is good! How exciting - and how exciting to be so close to the 20 week scan!!

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  3. That's great news. I think the doppler check alone is very reassuring. The U/S just gives you that fun peak at the little one and all the activity.

    It takes me a long time at home to find the heartbeat. One thing that seems obvious is once I do find it, I make a very exact mental note about where I found it, and just start there the next time. It has helped me. The first time it took probably 20 minutes to find it. It still takes a while sometimes.

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  4. Yay for a good appointment and getting to hear the heartbeat! Hopefully that reasurrance will carry you through the next 4 weeks! And it's nice that you have your own doppler to check on, too! I think I am definitely getting one of those next time (did I just jinx myself?)

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  5. Excellent news! So, please tell me that you beginning to enjoy the pregnancy now?!

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  6. Hurray for a picture perfect appointment! (without the picture)

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  7. That's such great news that the dr. also had some challenges locating the heartbeat. When you keep your spirits up and think positive great things will always come your way. Good luck on your next appointment, seems like it's all going very well :)

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