It appears as though convincing Amanda that she's really pregnant is going to be an ongoing effort throughout the 9 months. There are two things playing a role in this which I've mentioned before, 1) Our previous miscarriage and 2) An overall lack of symptoms for Amanda. Her conviction is peaked after each doctor visit and gradually begins to wane as the weeks wear on. Needless to say, by the morning of the 12 week appointment Amanda was wondering if her belly was empty.
Not sure if I have mentioned it or not, but our doctor's office has four doctors that we'll be working with, any of whom may be the one that will ultimately deliver our baby. Our first visit was with Dr. Karen King. She was great and we epxected nothing less for our 12 week visit. Oddly enough, we met with Mrs. Doubtfire that morning. Okay, maybe not really, but she was very British and had the most soft spoken voice ever. She was just as nice and attentive as Dr. King and once more reassured us that we chose the right place to help us through our first pregnancy.
During our 8 week visit, a swab of Amanda's baby shoot was taken to test for various things. The sample was compromised and could not be tested, so another swab was to be taken during this visit. Normally, I would excuse myself but for whatever reason Mrs. Doubtfire was able to convince me that if I simply stayed at Amanda's head I would be just fine. That wasn't entirely true.
Perhaps it's just me, but I really don't think there is a situation that could be any more awkward than looking at a woman looking at your wife's vagina. Especially when it's Mrs. Doubtfire (or at least Mrs. Doubtfire's skinnier sister). I suppose as a woman, when another woman sits down between your spread legs, looks at your Mommy button and says, "Hmmm, lovely" that's good. For me, it's just another moment that I'll chalk up as uncomfortable. Funny now, though.
The obvious crucial element to this visit was to check on the heartbeat. Mrs. Doubtfire pulled out a nifty piece of equipment I would simply call a Little Heartbeat Checker Thing. Fits in the palm of her hand and allows all standersby to hear the heart. Needless to say, this is something that needs to be sold at Best Buy for the purposes of calming a nervous mother to be between doctor visits. It was coated with goo and pressed firmly against Amanda's stomach. And now we wait...
As the husband of a nervous wreck mother-to-be, I only wanted one thing; to hear the heartbeat and to hear it instantaneously without delay. It's amazing how quickly the mind can race and wander in a matter of ten seconds, after which time we still didn't hear anything. As the doctor poked and pressed my eyes stayed fixed on Amanda, who I could tell was growing more and more nervous with each passing nanosecond. Within my own mind, I couldn't think about anything other than hearing a heartbeat. There are no calming methods or consolation techniques which can be applied to an expecting mother after an unsuccessful search for a heartbeat.
After what seemed like an eternity, but was more like 45 seconds, a heartbeat. And a strong one. It truly is a sound I can listen to all day long. Instant relief for us both. Mrs. Doubtfire called it quite strong (168), and once again Amanda can perch atop her mountain of confidence that everything is going smooth. The two of us were left to collect our things and before exiting the room we embraced in relief and joy.
12 weeks in and I can't say that I have ever experienced such a wide range of emotions in such a relatively short period of time. As we enter the second trimester I'm sure we'll face even more. Names, nursery decor, and answers to millions of questions we haven't a clue about are sure to ensue. Stay posted.
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