My first OB appointment

We had our first check-up with our OB on Thursday and things went well. Because of Tuesday's scare, we were able to get another ultrasound. I can't believe I've had five ultrasounds already! I'm posting some really cute pictures of the baby. It's amazing how quickly she grows! I'm also going to start doing weekly updates on what's going on with the baby's development. I'm not sure which site I'll use, probably some info from a few different sites. But, with this info you'll be able to keep up with how much the baby is growing and developing. I'll be 9 weeks on Tuesday, so I may start doing it then. I'll probably post some info from the previous weeks so that you'll see what has already happened, too.

Oh yeah, I forgot to say earlier that we also talked to the doctor about some plans for delivery time. Because of my history of short, fast labor (for those who don't remember, Michael was born 1 hour and 23 minutes after my first contraction and only 8 minutes after we walked in the L&D door at the hospital - the doctor wasn't even there yet!) she said that we could induce at 39 weeks to make sure that we're at the hospital. I've never been a fan of induction for convenience or just because the mom or doctor said it was time, assuming you're not way overdue. However, I'm not a fan of delivering our child in the car on the way to the hospital, either! That almost happened with Michael, no joke. I know Adam isn't fond of that idea, either, since he would actually be catching the baby!! So, she gave us the option of inducing at 39 weeks. The problem with that is that neither of my last two pregnancies made it to 39 weeks. I know that this is a different pregnancy and times can vary, but most people don't go longer with baby number 4 than they did with number 2 or 3. But, the American College of Obstetrics (something like that) strongly advises against voluntary induction prior to 39 weeks because there is a slight risk that the baby's lungs may not be developed. So, we can choose to do an amniocentesis at 37 weeks to determine lung maturity and then induce after that point, if we want. Of course, we have a few weeks to think about this and research and weigh all our options, so we don't have to decide right now. But, it was discussed. At 37 weeks, an amniocentesis does not pose the risks that it does at 16 weeks when it is used for diagnostic purposes. At that point, there is a risk of miscarriage. At 37 weeks, there's no real threat except that instead of a miscarriage, it can cause labor. You still have the risk that the baby's lungs may not be completely developed, but at 37 weeks most babies are fine to be delivered. I plan to do my own researching on this topic and try to determine what is best for us and the baby. I just wanted to relay this. I did expect to discuss this at some point because my labor did go so fast with Michael, I just didn't expect it to come up at our 8-week check-up!