Second Appointment

We had our second appointment with the midwife on Thursday. It was very short, but we got to hear the heartbeat, which was wonderful.

It took Joyce, our midwife, a few minutes to find Snapdragon with the doppler because he/she was all the way over to the left. We got to hear my pulse several times as Joyce searched, and I'm sure that that sped up with every passing second. We finally located him/her and heard the heartbeat nice and loud. I was actually surprised by how clear it was. It was a little fast — 180 beats per minute — but Joyce said that that was no cause for concern, especially since Snapdragon was just 11 weeks along. Later on, it should slow down a bit.

We also went over my blood and urine test results, which showed that I am slightly anemic, probably due to my thalassemia. It doesn't really bother me day-to-day and I've never needed a blood transfusion, but I suspect that it is playing a role in my exaggerated exhaustion.

We also found that I have GBS, a systemic strep colonization that is not dangerous for adults, but could cause pneumonia or meningitis in a newborn. It means that I will have to receive intravenous penicillin during labor to clear my body of active strep. I'll have to go in early in labor, rather than laboring at home for any length of time, in order to give the antibiotics time to work. I read up on it and the penicillin therapy is very effective. I was also comforted to learn that c-section does not eliminate the GBS risk, so the strep does not decrease my chances of having a vaginal birth. Also, GBS does not interfere with breastfeeding.

On Friday, I have to go to a larger medical center to get my first-trimester screening, which will include an ultrasound portion. I hope that Snapdragon cooperates and that I can get some good pictures, especially since FB will be on a business trip and won't be able to come with me.