Today was my 2nd schedule prenatal dr. appt. Besides waiting in the room for about a half an hour and it was pouring rain outside, the appt went pleasantly smooth. I am 16 weeks 4 days today. The nurse asked if I wanted to have an Alpha-Fetoprotein (AFP) blood test. AFP is a substance made in the liver of an unborn baby (fetus). The amount of AFP in the blood of a pregnant woman can help see whether the baby may have such problems as spina bifida and anencephaly. Which I did end up doing across the street at the lab. Won't know results till the next appt in 5 weeks.
I had my weight checked and gained 2.5 lbs since my last month's appointment. That's good. I'm definitely on the right path and not gaining too much or too little weight. My blood pressure is good too. My Dr. (Dr. Andersen) came in and used the fetal doppler to listen to the baby's heartbeat. That was my first time to hear it and it was nice and strong! I was surprised at how quickly the Dr. stopped. In my past pregnancies they would listen for a while and at least track the heart rate. Which I've heard you can use to see if you are having a girl or boy. Over 140 beats per min is a girl and under 140 is a boy. I couldn't tell this time. BUT, exciting news. My Dr. gave me a referral form to have my ultrasound test done sometime in the next 4 weeks! So I called after my appointment and scheduled it for March 6, 2009 - 2 days before my birthday! Hey, if it's a boy that would be a really COOL birthday present for me!! But overall I'm just hoping for a perfectly formed healthy baby! So that's pretty much all that happened today. Oh I did go by In-N-Out and have some lunch, thanks to my Cousin Ferdie for the Christmas gift card!! Hamburger, fries and chocolate shake. Dang, I hope not to weigh too much at my next appt. haha.