Pregnancy, the Shattered Illusion and Saving Grace

With some help from my husband I have been catapulted on a journey I thought I was prepared for, growing our first child. Why did I think I was prepared? Well, I have a degree in Human and Family Development. I have read, discussed, and watched every stage of development you can think of. This should make me prepared for my own expanding family, right? Wrong! The knowledge I had helped in very basic ways. I understood when my baby lost its tail and started sprouting limbs. I also understood I needed to eat well, stay active and take a prenatal vitamin to give our child the best start. As an outsider, it all seemed so easy to understand. It wasn’t until I joined the “growing humans” club I finally got it. There is no being completely prepared! This whole experience is terrifying, exciting, and the most amazing thing I will ever do.

Get a doctor you trust. This was my first official pregnant lady task. Easy as pie! WRONG AGAIN! I must have called 17 different OB/GYN’s in the Redlands area. Not a single one could give me an appointment in a reasonable time frame. I was making these calls in February 2018, they wanted to see me in June 2018…. Umm, what? How could this be? I have insurance, really great insurance! I was scared, stressed and overwhelmed. All these people kept asking me if I had a blood test confirming my pregnancy, and my response every time was “don’t I need to see a doctor for that?” After days of frustration, I spoke to an angel of a nurse. I may have started crying and perhaps begged her for some kind of direction. The woman ordered me a blood test and arranged the soonest appointment anyone could give me. This gave me hope and I was finally feeling relieved. Unfortunately, that feeling did not last long. It was at this time I realized the medical industry, specifically OB, had changed significantly in the last decade. I found myself in a very different reality than many women before me.

We did not get to see our doctor at our first appointment (or second), but instead saw a nurse practitioner who made me feel incompetent. It wasn’t until the end of April we finally saw our doctor. Though he is extremely nice and experienced, it was frustrating being constantly rescheduled to different nurse practitioners. We saw a different human being at every single appointment. I was asked the same questions, like every appointment was my first. After each exam I would ask my husband “what’s the point of this?” They never told me anything practical.

Our doctor nor any of the nurse practitioners had given us an ultrasound and for our gender reveal we wanted to show off a 4D image of our little nugget. Knowing we could not go to our OB for this service we took to AboutRedlands.com! Unique Ultrasound was the first business to come up and it was exactly what we were looking for. We set up an appointment and eagerly waited.

When the day came Ross and I were so excited we could hardly stand ourselves! We walked through the doors of Unique Ultrasound to be warmly greeted by the staff. Definitely off to a good start. We were taken into a dimly lit ultrasound room with comfortable arm chairs for guests and a huge screen for the images to be projected onto. Our hero for the day was Erika, the ultrasound technician and reigning fetal expert (in my opinion). You could tell Erika loved what she did. She excitedly ran that microphone looking wand over my stomach to show us the heart beat and what our daughter looked like. Yes, I said daughter! We are having a girl! Ross and I could not be happier.

Our experience was so incredible we had to show our parents. We set up another appointment for everyone to attend. Our parents settled into the comfy arm chairs and watched the screen as our stubborn girl folded her hands and feet in front of her face, completely avoiding our paparazzi antics. This of course made me proud, as I also do not like pictures. Definitely my daughter! Being the experienced expert, Erika was able to outsmart our girl and everyone was amazed by the detail you could see. She has Ross’ lips and my eye shape!

We did not feel like our OB had reassured us of our baby’s heath adequately, so we went a step further and got an anatomy scan at Unique Ultrasound. Good news, her eyes were appropriately spaced, she had all her limbs, all 4 chambers of her heart, two kidneys and her brain was connecting in all the right places. We were beyond grateful Unique Ultrasound was able to ease our concerns as first time parents.

 Pregnancy is both amazing and terrifying. As a first timer I was nervous I was doing everything wrong. It is bizarre knowing you are growing a human, but you cannot see or measure the progress you have made. Was I eating enough? Is she growing? Do I in fact need to eat for two? How will I get the unreasonably high servings of fruit and vegetables in every day? If I accidentally roll onto my stomach at night will I bruise her or squish her? I went to Erika and Robin at Unique Ultrasound with all these questions. They were able to give me honest knowledgeable advice and direction.

My OB is a good doctor, but I did not get the individualized care I had hoped for. So, get a doctor you trust, and seek supplemental support. New mamas, there is your real first pregnant lady task. Unique Ultrasound has made me feel secure in my ability to grow and protect our baby girl, whereas, my OB has made sure my sugar and protein levels are in healthy ranges. Both serve their purpose, and every persons needs are different. I needed Unique Ultrasound.

Ross and I have been so impressed with the loving staff at Unique Ultrasound we will without a doubt be back for each of our teeny masterpieces.