On why nurses need better gamefaces.

Disclaimer: this post is going to seem very doomy and gloomy as you read it, but it has a happy ending, I promise.

So we had our 15/16 week appointment today, which was both happy and sad because we knew we would get to hear the heartbeat again, but it was also my last appointment ever with my dear, dear Dr. Long before he takes his new job in the ghetto of Ohio.

Anywho, before the Dr. came in, the nurse did her jibbity-do, which involved blood pressure (perfect score, thank you), weight (nothing gained, thank you) and heart beat.

She couldn't find it.

She pushed and prodded and moved that little machine all over my belly as the look on her face grew more and more worried.

I'd seen that look before.

Twice, actually.

I nearly threw up.

She set the machine gently on the table and said she was going to get the Dr. for him to give it a go, and if not we'd go right in for an ultrasound.

As I promised in the opening line, this has a very happy ending and Dr. Long immediately found the heartbeat and all is well with bV. But those 10 minutes in the middle were just awful. This is why I think all nurses should take a course in Gameface101. I've seen all the looks--from all the nurses--and none have ever even remotely hidden it from me. For the sake of mothers and fathers everywhere whose bad news isn't actually bad news, let's make this a course in nursing school, shall we?

And then we concluded the final appointment I will ever have with one of the greatest Doctors I have ever met. I pushed him for a name as to which other Doc in the practice he would recommend, and as luck would have it I learned at one point or another, ALL the other Docs in the practice were once his very own residents. Which is wonderful, but I still wanted a name. So I asked him point blank, "If it was your daughter and you had to hand the scalpel to another Doctor in this practice, which one would it be?"

I was crying sobbing, so that probably helped me get my answer.

So, we move past today's appointment knowing that I'm in good hands and all is well with bV. June 3 is the next big date on our family calendar...will bV be a boy or a girl? We'll know then!