On the day Luke and I learned I was "with child," one of the first things we did was race over to the computer to determine a due date. We stumbled across babycenter.com, which asked a couple of questions about the first day of my last period and the average length of my cycles and then voila! A December 10th due date.
Three days later, I met with my ob/gyn nurse for the first time, who used that fancy little calendar wheel shaped like a pack of birth control pills to place my date of delivery at November 29th. Since she had collected extensive information on my menstrual history, I shrugged my shoulders and didn't give it much thought. Until today, that is, when the doctor noticed my cycle length and discovered that the nurse hadn't taken my 38-day visits from Aunt Flo into account.
"So that means..."
"Instead of being ten weeks and five days pregnant, you're actually only nine weeks and two days," he said. Which puts me back to a December 9th/10th due date.
In other words, I have to deal with this first-trimester crap for THREE MORE WEEKS. Oh, the horror. Words cannot properly express my sorrow.
It also means I'll change weeks on Monday instead of Friday. This kid is lucky I'm flexible.
Other then that enlightening piece of information, the visit went well. Luke was subjected to an up-close-and-personal view of my first prenatal pelvic exam, through which it was revealed that I have a wide V bone or whatever the hell it is you call it, which will be helpful when it's time to push this darling miracle out of my special place, and the internal exam showed that my uterus is a bit larger than what's considered typical for nine weeks, so basically we have to wait for the first ultrasound to see when this baby might want to come out. The doctor asked about my weight loss and reassured me that I can skip vitamins altogether right now if I can't keep them down, since the most important thing I can do is increase my fluid and caloric intake, in that order. He recommended lots of milkshakes, and really, who am I to refuse doctor's orders?
We also got to hear the baby's heartbeat, though we were warned that nine weeks is sometimes too early to pick up anything on the monitor. He squirted some jelly on my lower stomach and pressed. We all waited. I kept my eyes on the ceiling, already consoling myself with the knowledge that we could try again in a couple of weeks at my next appointment, scheduled specifically to see if I was making any progress in the weight gain area.
Finally, after a couple of minutes, it was there.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh. Like my uterus was busy washing a load of whites on its lunch hour. Only it wasn't a load of whites, it was my little baby. A hundred and seventy beats per minute, the doctor said. Luke and I locked eyes and smiled.
Pretty effing cool.
Well that's not the greatest news about the extended first trimester, but it's great news about the heartbeat!
Posted by: Nichole | May 08, 2007 at 10:01 PM
All that counting of days makes my head spin. Heart beat ... wonderful. For real.
Posted by: daddy d | May 08, 2007 at 10:14 PM
They can't just take that week away from you! Doesn't seem fair!
Posted by: Art Nerd | May 08, 2007 at 10:40 PM
Milkshakes are good pregnancy food - when my mom was pregnant with me, it was all she could keep down for a few months, too. Tasty, and good for you and the baby!
Posted by: Dawn | May 09, 2007 at 12:33 AM
Congrats on the heartbeat! That has got to be one of the most amazing sounds in the world!
Posted by: Audrey | May 09, 2007 at 12:44 AM
Even though you know you are pregnant,hearing that sound for the first time is like nothing else in this world. I am so excited for you. Time may be moving slow right now but it will speed up soon. Then in your last 6 weeks or so it will drag out for what feels like another 3 months. Yippy!
Posted by: debi | May 09, 2007 at 02:42 AM
I have always wondered how they can pinpoint dates of coneception that precisely -- don't babies grow at different rates? I get that there are milestones, but nailing it down to the day seems impossible to me. which is why I always thought it was wierd when people would say "Oh, little Emma was conceived on such and such date" -- how do you know that? Do you have to keep a calendar and only have sex on Mondays?
Due dates also just seem like guesswork... do they just take the DOC and add nine months? Does anyone have their baby on their actual due date?
Of course, I have no kids so I have no idea what I am talking about here. Man, I have a lot to learn.
Posted by: Pink Herring | May 09, 2007 at 09:16 AM
VERY effing cool. That's great that you got to hear the heartbeat. Also great: a doctor-recommended milkshake diet.
Posted by: Fraulein N | May 09, 2007 at 09:26 AM
Boo for three more weeks but yay for milkshakes and heartbeats. I'm actually surprised that no one has been all 170! 170! It's a girl, it's a girl! on you yet.
You are so funny, as always, with the whole "This kid is lucky I'm flexible."
Posted by: Silly Hily | May 09, 2007 at 11:14 AM
Has the doc suggested adding anything like a protein powder to your milkshakes? Cause if he has, the soy powders are much better for mixing in than the whey. Just saying.
But the heartbeat...ohhh. It is so great Luke was able to be there with you for that.
Posted by: VirginiaGal | May 09, 2007 at 11:20 AM
This is so awesome - YOU ARE CREATING A LITTLE PERSON.
RIGHT NOW.
Crazy. And awesome. Congrats.
Posted by: Michelle | May 09, 2007 at 11:58 AM
That is awesome!!!!! I'm so glad that you both got hear it!!!!
Hearing the heartbeat is what made pregnancy "real" for me! You will never ever get tired of hearing that sound!
Congrats!
Posted by: Rachel | May 09, 2007 at 12:10 PM
How SAD that they set you back!! So what's your new due date?
I'm so happy for you and Luke that you got to hear the heartbeat. Really solidifies things. Congratulations. You really DO have to find a way to get this kid out of you at some point. Haha.
Posted by: Molly | May 09, 2007 at 12:22 PM
Molly: Whoops, I forgot to mention that, didn't I? Looks like it's December 9th/10th once again!
Posted by: Frema | May 09, 2007 at 12:30 PM
Um, Frema? Your body and Freke will decide how long you have to deal with all this "first trimester" stuff, and I'm afraid there is nothing you can do about it.
It might last 10 weeks or it might last 20, or you might get really unlucky and feel lousy all the way through to 41 or 42. Sorry, friend. Take a deep breath and try to let go of the control. ;-)
Pink Herring, the whole calculus of due dates is pretty crazy.
The count normally begins on the first day of your last period, but if you have a crazy long cycle, that would be "wrong" because you can only get pregnant around the time you ovulate. And *that* is pretty reliably *around* 10 days from the end of your cycle. (Or in the case of Mrs Frema, 10 days from when your cycle would probably have ended, if you weren't pregnant.)
Where it gets really insane? People who use assisted reproductive technology, like IVF and AI. I know that I either got pregnant on May 12 or May 13, 2005, because I did insems on those 2 days. But the minute the doctor knew I was pregnant, I was "5 weeks" pregnant, even though only 3 weeks had passed. They counted from April 27. So it is pretty much impossible to be medically "1 week" pregnant. Weird!
Posted by: Liza | May 09, 2007 at 02:20 PM
Liza: I didn't realize the desire to stop being sick equals "control freak" behavior!
Posted by: Frema | May 09, 2007 at 02:32 PM
Cool enough to bring tears to a grandma's eyes. Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh
Posted by: mjd | May 09, 2007 at 05:37 PM
Congratulations. Hope you stop feeling yucky soon!
Posted by: kimszym | May 09, 2007 at 05:42 PM
Hearing the heartbeat never gets old. Never ever ever.
Happy days...
Posted by: Isabel | May 09, 2007 at 06:17 PM
THey are certainly not as good as a Steak and Shake milkshake or anything, but you may want to try the Ensure supplemental drinks. A couple people I know love them and they do taste like a shake, but with all the added nutrients, calories and protein.
Posted by: jenabeeb | May 10, 2007 at 10:17 AM
Just tagged you. I hear doing memes is good for the baby.
Posted by: Fraulein N | May 10, 2007 at 10:48 AM
Liza,
Ovulation occurring 10 days from the end of the cycle is really very close to the MINIMUM length needed for implantation. The "textbook" answer is that ovulation/conception occurs *14* days from the end of the cycle, not 10. My luteal phase (from ovulation to end of cycle) was very short because I was nursing, less than 10 days actually, but that's not normal for a non-breastfeeding woman.
Frema - back when you said they changed your date I was going to raise red warning flags and give all kinds of unwanted advice, but I managed to keep my mouth shut (until now). I didn't want you to be induced because the doctors were thinking you were a week late when really you were still early!
And since I'm already on the unwanted-advice kick, I'll say this - the wheels or calculations that doctors use assume a gestation of 280 days. Modern studies have found that in first-time mothers, the AVERAGE length of gestation is 288 days! So you and your doctor are going to think that you are 8 days "late", when you're barely reaching "average" length of gestation. This is why my due date is "mid to late August" and I tell people "the end of August" ;-) It drove me INSANE during my first pregnancy when people at school started freaking out that I was still there the DAY AFTER my due date.
http://www.midwiferytoday.com/enews/enews0347.asp
(scroll down to the heading "Due Date")
Posted by: Katie | May 10, 2007 at 11:02 AM
Katie: Since my due date is now a week and a half later, I don't think there's a chance of inducing me prematurely. My doctor was very go-with-the-flow about everything and said the baby will come when the baby wants to come and to not worry about nailing his/her arrival to an actual date. Which I was very happy with. I don't want to be induced any more than YOU want me to be induced!
Posted by: Frema | May 10, 2007 at 11:31 AM
Oh my gosh, I am so flipping excited for you!! Well, I mean, I'm not excited that your date keeps flopping all over the place, but so excited that your baby went whoosh whoosh whoosh!
Posted by: Angela | May 10, 2007 at 02:12 PM