Serendipity Strikes

52

Emmaline

At week 12 of my pregnancy, I had a doctor's appointment. My fear of possibly losing the baby lessened with each passing day, though I was eager for confirmation that everything was fine. After being called back by the nurse, I went through the routine I'd become familiar with when I was pregnant with Jax. I gave a urine sample, stepped on the scale, and had my blood pressure checked before the doctor joined us in the small but pretty examination room.

"Hello, Emmaline and Shawn!" Dr. Tran said cheerfully when she walked through the door.

She was a petite woman in her early 40's who I really liked because of her positivity.

"Hi," I said. "I can't believe we're already to the second trimester."

"The first one is always the fastest. How are you feeling?" she asked as she read over my chart on her tablet.

"Good, but I get really tired in the afternoon."

"That's to be expected early in pregnancy. Your energy level might pick up soon, though every woman is unique. You need to make sure you are getting at least 8 hours of sleep at night."

That wasn't an issue. I was probably getting more like 9 or 10. Sleep was literally my best friend.

She measured my bump and recorded the data. "You're right on track, which is good. Let's listen to the heartbeat."

"Are you serious?" Shawn asked. "We can hear it already?"

"Usually around 11 weeks it's strong enough to hear with the Doppler. We have a new machine that records it, so I can send you the file."

She put some gel on my belly before moving the device around until the distinct whooshing sound was heard over the speakers.

"There it is!" she said.

Shawn grabbed my hand and squeezed it as we listened to our baby's heartbeat. "That's amazing."

"Isn't it?" I agreed, and I felt tears form in my eyes as I realized that our baby was doing just fine.

Once the exam was done, Dr. Tran pulled up a stool to talk.

"Have you told Jaxon about the baby yet?"

I nodded. "We told him last month since we knew he'd pick up on us talking about it."

"Very good. In my email with the recording, I'll include some book suggestions that might help him. I know you're very familiar with children's literature, but there are some little known gems out there that are perfect for siblings-to-be."

"Thank you. That would be wonderful," I said, though I'd already purchased a dozen books from Amazon that probably included some from her list.

"I recommend bringing Jaxon to some of your visits. I can walk him through the examination and can explain some things to him that might clear up any questions he has. It's a confusing time for him, which you probably already know."

"The hardest thing right now is getting him to understand how long it's going to take. He asks me daily when the baby is coming," I said.

"Buy him a wall calendar that shows the entire year. Put the due date on it in big letters, and have him cross off or put a sticker on each day that passes so he can see that he's getting closer to the baby coming. He'll also see that there are still plenty of days to go."

"That's brilliant," Shawn said. "We're totally going to do that!"

"Taking a photo of your belly each month so he can compare and see the growth can help, too. It's even better if you include him in the photo," she suggested.