Doctors Orders

Yesterday I had my 16 week checkup and it went pretty well. My regular OB/GYN Dr. Fergusen was not available so I was scheduled for a 4:20 appt with Dr. Deeble. He was the only available doc so I reluctantly agreed. Something about a man taking care of my womanly parts just has never seemed right to me. How could they possibly have as much respect for that region as a woman. Call me modest but I really only feel comfortable with two people in that area... Paul and my female OB/GYN :-)

So the doctor comes in and the best way I can think to describe him is a Muppets character. He was a little guy with eyebrows the size of caterpillars. I mean I think I literally could have braided his eyebrows if he let me. And, he had a mustache to match! Friendly guy though and you could tell he had seen it ALL. Probably had been a doctor for 50 years and nothing surprised him anymore. So, we chatted while he measured me, weighed me and listened to the heartbeat. That little heartbeat and the sound of it is like music to your ears. There is no sound like it and I think I will remember it the rest of my life. It gives you that warm fuzzy feeling every time and I always smile and laugh at what a miracle it is.

Next task at hand, a quick ultrasound. Again, an amazing experience. To see the baby just hanging out in your tummy and swimming around is totally mind boggling. Meanwhile, Dr. Muppet is making small talk and casually says, "Don't ever go to one of those 3D Ultrasound facilities. Those places are no good." What? I say. Knowing that 4 days later we were going to that exact 3D Ultrasound place to find out the sex of the baby. I mean I had been counting down the days for the last month and a half. We had told everyone we knew that March 2nd was the day. I had already envisioned buying clothes, ordering bedding and picking out a name. I could hardly wait! And then he gives us this lame news! Who is this guy? I mean he has caterpillars for eyebrows...What does he know? The doctor continues by saying there is just too much they don't know about those strong ultrasounds and their effect on a developing fetus. They are not administered by a doctor and they give off a lot of energy that reflects off the baby to create the images. He goes on to say that he took a class at UC Davis that spent a lengthy amount of time on these 3D ultrasounds and their effects and basically for the health of the baby it is a No! No!

Right then I realized he was correct. I was doing the ultrasound strictly for myself and not for the baby and I could wait 18 more days for the real test to find out if this little munchkin is a girl or boy. No need to go to some back alley place (that only accepts cash by the way) to find out 2 and a half weeks earlier. So, doctors orders! The wait continues until March 18th.