8 Weeks - First OB Appointment!

I had my first OB appointment this morning! It was pretty uneventful since Chesapeake Women's Center doesn't have an ultrasound machine at their Gambrills office, which doesn't make much sense to me because of all doctors, shouldn't all OBs have ultrasound machines in their offices? Anyway, the nurse practioner (NP) that I saw wrote me a referral to see a specialist at the Center for Maternal Fetal Medicine in Annapolis because of my age, so I will get a "viability" ultrasound on Wednesday and then the full-blown first trimester screening and ultrasound at 11 weeks.

Otherwise, they had me pee in a cup (not for a pregnancy test to my dismay, though, but for some other type of testing), took five vials of blood to test for a variety of things (TSH, blood-type, etc.) and did a vaginal culture for some STD stuff that's supposedly required by Maryland law. I luckily didn't have to have a pap test done since the past few have been normal and if that's the case, you just have to have them done every three years. However, the STD culture testing was just as uncomfortable as a pap test and resulted in some concerning ongoing spotting and pain. Apparently, the spotting is normal and can last up to a few days. Otherwise, the appointment was a breeze and the nurse practioner just reviewed my medical history and went over some basic pregnancy no-nos (mostly just no drinking or smoking). She told me that this first appointment would be the longest appointment and the only one for which I would even need to undress! The subseuent appointments will be with the various doctors in the practice, who will simply listen to my heart and have my weight and blood pressure checked, as well as order any testing that needs to be done at the appropriate time.