Consultant Appointment

As I said in my last entry, I had an appointment with the consultant today. This was because I have had abnormal smear results in the past, and they needed to let me know if this could affect the pregnancy or birth in any way.

I had to wait about an hour to be seen, even though I had an appointment, but I didn't mind. There were loads of other pregnant ladies there, all far more pregnant than me, and I started chatting to a woman who was 34 weeks. Lots of people were talking about a breastfeeding programme that was on Channel 4 last night, about breastfeeding in public, and a woman who breastfed her 8 year old daughter! It was interesting to eavesdrop on other peoples views on the whole situation!

A midwife came out and addressed us all and told us not to have been put off by the show last night, and handed out leaflets on breastfeeding. I want to breastfeed anyway, so it was useful to get some information on it.

The consultant was very apologetic when I finally did see him. He told me that my abnormal smear would pose no threat to the baby or my pregnancy, and looked through the results of all the tests (from the bloods I had at my booking in appointment), and was pleased with everything. He got me to lie on the bed so he could listen to the baby's heartbeat, which he tried to do, but couldn't detect anything. I wasn't worried because before I had lain on the bed I had felt the baby kicking. He went off to get a scanning machine (yay!), and as soon as he'd left the room, baby started kicking again, as if to reassure me, or let me know that it knew what was going on!

The consultant came back with the scanning machine, and faced the screen at me so I could see everything that was going on. The picture was smaller than the last one (as in the baby looked smaller), and he said "see the heartbeat and the chest?" I told him I couldn't see a thing! So he made his way down the whole of the baby pointing out what everything was, which was lovely. I saw the leg bones, the tummy and chest with heartbeat and ribs, and baby's face and hands - it was sucking it's thumb! Better not let it carry that on too long or it'll get sticky out teeth ;) I had a blood pressure check done too, which was fine, then I was sent on my way.

My next antenatal appointment will be in 4 weeks with the midwife.