This morning, I had my 12-week check-up. Because we have moved, I decided to start seeing a new doctor. Today was my first appointment with her, and she was great!
The baby is still very tiny, of course, so when she couldn't detect a heartbeat with the Doppler, I had to do an ultrasound. This happened when I was very early on in my last pregnancy, so I was prepared for that possibility. More than anything, I was just excited to do a second ultrasound so early.
This baby is ACTIVE. Whoa, man. He/she was turning flips, twirling and just moving all over the place! The technician said she was just happy to catch a couple still moments to take pictures. I was just happy to see an active, healthy baby. We definitely plan to learn the gender, and I'm hopeful they'll be able to tell at the next check-up. With Macey, they told us she was a girl at 16-weeks, then it was confirmed during the official anatomy ultrasound at 20 weeks.
One thing I was pleasantly surprised to learn is that even though I had a c-section with Macey (breech) last year, I do not have to have one with this baby. Thankfully, because the last c-section was planned and went according to schedule, it is my choice on how to deliver with this one (provided there are no complications, of course.) As of now, I still don't know for sure what I want to do. My doctor suggested that we just play it by ear throughout the pregnancy and see how things progress.
While I absolutely loved the c-section with Macey, because everything was calm, planned, quick, etc., I hated the recovery time. I was never able to follow the rules and was as active as my body would possibly let me as soon as we were home from the hospital. Also, I cannot stand the thought of looking at my sweet baby girl (who will be about 18 months when the baby arrives) and not being able to pick her up or play on the floor.
At this moment in time, I am leaning toward a normal delivery, but I will definitely continue to consider the options, pros, cons and soak up the doctor's advice along the way!