The following morning you woke up before Niall and headed downstairs. You made yourself a cup of tea as you sat down on one of the stools pulled up to the kitchen island. You decided that you should probably make an appointment with your doctor as soon as possible to make sure you get the proper care and treatment during your pregnancy.
You walked over to the fridge and looked for your doctor's number on the list of numbers you had hanging there. You found the number and dialed it and waited as it rang a few times before anyone answered.
"Thank you for calling London Family Health Clinic (not sure if this is an actual place-- I just came up with a random name), how can I help you?" A woman answered.
"I would like to make an appointment with Dr. Y/doctor/N." You said.
"Okay and can I get your name?" She asked.
"Y/n Horan." You said.
"Okay and what will Dr. Y/doctor/N be seeing you for today?" She asked.
"I think I am pregnant." You said.
"Okay, and when would you like to come in?" She asked.
"Preferably as soon as possible." You said.
"Okay it looks like she just had a slot open up for this morning. Would you be able to come in today at 10:30?" She asked.
You looked at the clock and saw that it was 9:00.
"Wow. That's really soon! Yeah I can do that!" You said.
"Great we will see you then." She said.
You hung up the phone and then hurried down the hallway to your master suite. You walked over to the bed where Niall was sprawled out, his lips slightly parted as soft snores came out. Conor was curled up on your side of the bed next to Niall. Apparently he had moved from the bottom of your bed to your spot once you got out of bed.
You hated to wake Niall up because you knew this was his last chance to sleep in for a while, but you also knew that you wanted him to be there with you at your appointment.
"Niall! Baby wake up!" You said as you gently shook his arms.
"Hmm." He hummed barely awake.
"I need you to get up babe." You said.
"Five more minutes." He mumbled in his thick, raspy morning voice.
"Niall it's important." You said.
"Baby, five more minutes. I'll get up. Promise." He mumbled before rolling over so that his back was to you.
"Niall...it's about the baby." You said, knowing that would wake him up.
His eyes popped open and he sat up. He turned to you and looked up at you and then his eyes glanced down at your stomach.
"Are you okay? Is everything okay?" He asked.
"Yes, everything is okay. But I called the hospital." You said.
"And?" He said.
"We have an appointment in an hour and a half." You said.
"Really?" He said excitedly.
"Yes, really! So I need you to get up and get ready." You said.
"Okay. I can't believe you got an appointment that fast!" He said.
"I can't either!" You said.
An hour later you and Niall were pulling out of the garage headed to the hospital where your appointment was.
You had an established MD who had seen you a few times since you moved to London to live with Niall. It was a doctor that Lou had recommended to you. This doctor had done many pregnancies and deliveries, and so you decided to go to her rather than an OB-GYN. You wanted a physician who knew you and who you were comfortable with. You really didn't want a total stranger to be taking care of you. You also liked that she could do your baby's regular check ups after they are born vs having to find a pediatrician since and OBGYN only cares for you up until delivery.
Niall parked the Range Rover in the hospital's parking lot, and then the two of you headed inside walking hand in hand. You walked over to the appointment desk and signed in and then took a seat in the waiting area as you waited for the nurse to come out and call you back.
After sitting in the waiting room with Niall for about ten minutes the nurse came out and smiled at you.
"Y/n, come on back." She said.
You stood up and walked over to her, followed by Niall who placed a hand on your lower back. You had noticed that since he found out you were pregnant he was being much more careful and protective of you. He had held you all night long, which was a little unusual. Usually you fell asleep in his arms but sometime during the night he would let go of you and roll away from you. Not last night though. And he had held your hand in his as he drove on the way to the hospital. And you noticed he drove a little slower than normal and he was more careful as he drove to the hospital than he usually is driving.
The nurse closed the door once the three of you had entered the room.
"Okay we'll start by getting a few vitals from you. First we will get your weight." She said.
You stepped on the scale as the nurse weighed you, then she took your temperature and blood pressure.
"Okay, your vitals look good. I'm just going to go over a few of the basics with you and ask you a few questions and then the doctor will be in with you guys." She said.
She began asking you different questions about your health and your family history. She asked a few questions about your menstrual cycle and when your last period was, which would help determine your due date. She also asked about any gynecological problems you have had in the past like STDs. She then asked you about your medical history: whether you took any daily medications, any drug allergies you had, any psychiatric problems, and also any past surgeries or hospitalizations. Next she asked about any habits that could affect your pregnancy like smoking, drinking or drug use, which of course you didn't do any of those except a casual drink or two if you went out with Niall or friends. Her next question caught you off guard.
"Have you ever been or are you currently a victim of abuse? Or have you been in or are you currently in an abusive relationship. Or are there any problems that could affect your safety or emotional well-being during your pregnancy?" She asked.
You felt Niall tense up next to you. Of course you knew that Niall wouldn't dream of ever hurting you or putting a hand on you, but you also understood that the nurse was just doing her job and it was a question she had to ask everyone.
"I have never been, and I'm not currently in an abusive relationship." You said as you reached over and took Niall's hand in yours. You gave it a gentle squeeze and he gave you a small smile.
"Okay and now I just need to ask you a few questions about both of your family's medical history." She said.
She asked you and Niall about any chronic diseases your family and Niall's family had, since many healthy problems are at least partly hereditary. She also asked if yours or Niall's family had anyone with a chromosomal or genetic disorder.
"Okay I think that's everything. Dr. Y/doctor/N will be in with you guys in just a few minutes." The nurse said before leaving.
The doctor came into the room and smiled at you.
"Y/n! Congratulations!" She said as she extended her hand to you.
"Thank you," you said.
"And this must be the dad to be!" The doctor said turning to Niall.
"Yes ma'am. I'm Niall, nice to meet you." Niall said as he shook the doctor's hand.
"Same to you, it's a pleasure Mr. Horan." She said. "First we need to get an idea of how far along you are and when your due date is. I show that the nurse documented that your last period was about a month ago." She said.
"That was my last full, normal period. But I had one last week at my normal time, but it was definitely much lighter than any of the periods I've had before." You said.
"That is normal. Some women still get their period the first few months, or get lighter periods. It's not anything we need to be worried about." She said. "Given what you told the nurse I'm guessing you're about six weeks along, but I will do an exam just to make sure."
"Niall, will you be staying in the room for the exam or would you like to step out?" The doctor asked.
"I'll stay if that's okay." Niall said.
"Of course." She said smiling.
You laid back on the examination table as the doctor began the pelvic exam. You felt the slight pressure as se entered the device so she would be able to see better. Niall saw the discomfort on your face. He reached out and took your hand in his.
"Squeeze my hand baby." Niall said.
"Y/n, it looks like you are right at 6 weeks." She said. "And your uterus looks just like it should."
She finished the exam and then left for a moment while you got redressed. She came back in with a small machine.
"Now this is my favorite part of first appointments with expecting mothers." She said smiling. "We're going to try to find your baby's heartbeat."
You looked over at Niall who smiled. You could tell he was excited. You were also excited to hear the baby's heart beat for the first time.
Niall continued to sit in the chair next to you as you laid on the examination table. He held your hand as the doctor got everything ready.
She put the Doppler (the machine that finds the heartbeat) on your stomach and began to move it around as she tried to hear the small beat.
"Now I will warn you it's usually hard to hear the heart beat this early in the pregnancy, and if you do hear it, it will probably be pretty faint." She said.
She moved the Doppler around a few more times and then smiled as she heard a faint "lub-dub, lub-dub" pattern that you knew was a heartbeat. It was very faint, and if you weren't listening for it you would probably miss it. But you heard it. And it caused your lips to curve into a smile.
"Mr. and Mrs. Horan, that's your baby's heartbeat." She said smiling at you and then at Niall.
You listened to the faint heart beat for a few moments and couldn't help but smile. You felt tears form in your eyes. That was when it all started to really sink in. It made everything seem so real. Up until this point you didn't have a lot of proof that there was something growing in there other than a home pregnancy test. But now you could hear the beautiful sound of the heartbeat of your baby.
You looked over at Niall. He was smiling at you and it looked like he had tears of his own in his eyes. He brought your hand to his lips and placed a soft kiss to the back of your hand.
"I love you," he said.
"I love you too." You said smiling at him.
The doctor put the machine away and then took a few minutes to answer any questions the two of you had and go over additional information.
"Do you have any questions for me?" She asked looking between you and Niall.
"Is it safe for me to travel? Niall is leaving for tour today and I was planning on going with him." You said.
"It is safe, there are a few concerns we have. The ideal time to fly during your pregnancy is during your second trimester. Most women experience morning sickness through most of their first trimester, and these symptoms can worse while in the air. So that is something you need to be aware of. Most doctors say that flying isn't recommended in the third trimester which is around the 28 week mark. I know that flying is a common thing, so as long as your pregnancy goes smooth I'm comfortable with you flying up until 33 weeks. But once you hit that 33 week mark, I'm going to recommend that you come home and try not to fly unless you absolutely have to." She said. "If you are going on long flights make sure you get up and stretch your feet. I don't want you to stay sitting for more than five or six hours. So if you are on a long flight to the U.S. or anything like that make sure you get up and stretch and get the blood flowing. And if you are up and walking make sure to have a good grip on something solid nearby like the back of the seat. Because of the possibility of turbulence I don't want you to lose your balance and fall and potentially hurt you or the baby. Flying on major airlines with pressurized cabins is ideal but I know you probably fly on small planes. Please avoid altitudes over 7,000 feet. Anything higher than that, will make me a little bit uneasy just because your vitals might fall slightly which could impact the baby." She said.
She then gave you a folder with information about your first trimester of the pregnancy. It had a list of safe medications to take, what not to eat or drink and what you could eat and drink. It also had some information about breastfeeding.
"Okay so I will want to see you every four weeks until you hit the 25 week mark. Then it will be every two weeks. And then once you hit that 33 week mark, I want to see you every week just because we'll be getting closer to the baby arriving. And we will do your first ultra sound at the next appointment. One last thing try to take it easy. Don't do any heavy lifting and try not to do do any strenuous activity." She said.
"Thank you so much for everything Dr. Y/doctor/N." You said standing up and giving her a hug.
"That's what I'm here for. Congratulations again to both of you. I know you guys are going to be great parents." She said.
Niall took your hand and both of you walked out of the appointment with huge smiles on your faces. You were both so excited to become parents and to know that both you and your baby were healthy.
***AUTHOR'S NOTE ***
Hey guys. So I want to say a few things if that's okay. First - thank you guys for all the support. You guys are the BEST! You've all been so lovely to me and it really does make my day when I see you guys voting and commenting on my books. Second - I know this chapter is pretty detailed. I went to my best friend's first appointment when she was pregnant with my godson, so I kind of used that as an outline for this chapter. I know it's pretty detailed and I'm sorry if all the medical stuff is boring, but I always try to make my chapter as real as possible and I want the readers to be able to picture in their mind what it's like to go through these different things with Niall and I hope I achieved that in this chapter. Anyway thank you guys again for the support through your votes, comments, and reads! I can't thank you enough, you guys are the best. Love you all
xxx Kaley