The Story
Rita sits anxiously on the bed, thinking that another cigarette would really help calm her nerves rights now. She wrings her hands and sighs. The timer goes off.
Slowly she approaches the bathroom door. Not knowing what she wants to find when she opens the door. On the back of the toilet is a small square disk that hold the answers to the future for Rita and her husband. She looks down: +
Not knowing whether to laugh or cry she starts shaking. A baby! After seven months of trying they are going to have a baby, it seems so unreal. She races to the phone to call her husband, but she is shaking so much she can hardly dial the phone.
"We're going to have a baby!" she screams.
Todd is also very excited and can't believe that it has happened so soon. All that hard work that they have done preparing and planning for pregnancy will pay off.
Rita also calls her practitioner to make an appointment for her first prenatal visit. She likes the sound of those words.
The First Visit
Todd and Rita sit down for the longest part of the first visit the prenatal history. Almost 75% of what could go wrong during the pregnancy and birth will be at least hinted at today.
"Anyone with a history of diabetes in either of your families?"
"Nope, " says Todd.
"Anyone with a history of liver disease?"
Rita thinks and says, "Neither of our families."
"Okay Rita, these next set of question pertain to you and Todd only. Do you now or have you ever taken street drugs?"
Rita is shocked, "No."
"Do either of your drink?"
With a smile, Todd proclaims that they quit when they started trying to get pregnant.
"Do either of your smoke?"
Rita shudders a bit, feeling guilty that she still craves cigarettes. "No we quit that as well," she says, but not so forcefully.
"Great! Sounds like the two of you really have planned what's best for this baby. Smoking is not only bad for mom, but causes preterm birth, low birth weight, and a host of other problems with your baby," smiles the practioner.
Rita smiles outwardly, but inwardly is concerned about her cravings. She tries to remember the warnings on the cigarette packs every time she has a craving.
Five Months
Rita and Todd anxiously await their ultrasound. They are excited about meeting this baby, but have decided that they do not want to know the gender.
It is amazing as the tech puts the transducer on Rita's growing abdomen. They see their baby up on the screen. The tech goes through and explains what they are looking at and measuring. They see the heart beating, all four chambers, the baby is breathing, and even has a full bladder! Now down to the nitty gritty, the tech measures head circumference, abdominal circumference, and even goes over the placenta in detail.
When she is done she beams, "One fine healthy boy or girl in there! Your placenta is great and it's in a super position at the top of your uterus as opposed to near the cervix. I just did a scan on a lady this morning who had a marginal placenta previa, where it's too close to the opening of the cervix, it was thin and had already begun to separate in spots. Sometimes I wish I could tell people not to smoke during pregnancy, now her baby is in big trouble, and it doesn't weigh nearly as much as it should. Aren't you glad that you don't have these problems?"
Rita and Todd are very grateful that they learned all about preconceptional health. They even quit smoking and drinking together. It's nice to see the benefits.
The Birth
"One last push Rita and you'll be holding your baby."
"Come on honey," Todd smiles as he holds her shoulders and helps her push the baby out into the world.
"Waa!"
Rita looks down, "It's a boy!"
She and Todd begin to cry as they hold their son for the first time.
