Early Ultrasounds, Graduating the Fertility Clinic, and Starting with a New OB

After the joy of seeing our positive pregnancy test and watching my HCG levels rise, the next step was getting that first glimpse of our baby. Most women don’t have an initial ultrasound until around 9 or 10 weeks, but because of our risk for an ectopic pregnancy, the clinic wanted to see us right away.

We scheduled our first ultrasound at 7 weeks, 4 days. I knew it would be an internal scan, so I wasn’t surprised. But as soon as the ultrasound started, I closed my eyes and held my breath—waiting, hoping. Then the tech said the words we had been praying for: there’s the heartbeat.

Colin and I were in complete disbelief. It was an overwhelming, beautiful moment that made every struggle worth it. Our ultrasound tech was amazing, explaining everything as she went. She even told us that I had ovulated from both ovaries, but since my right fallopian tube was blocked, the left side was the one that worked. It was wild to think that despite the challenges, my body had still tried so hard to make this happen. The heartbeat was strong, and everything looked perfect.

The best day EVER! Seeing our little one for the first time

The clinic scheduled a follow-up ultrasound for the next week. At 8 weeks, 4 days, they confirmed the heart rate again and officially set our due date. Since we knew the exact day I ovulated, they based the date on that—May 1st. Most OB offices calculate the due date from the first day of your last period, which would have put us at May 3rd, so it wasn’t a big difference.

So little and perfect

After that ultrasound, we met with our doctor and officially graduated from the fertility clinic. They told us we could transition to a regular OB and wouldn’t even be labeled as high-risk! I jokingly told them how grateful we were but hoped never to see them again—they laughed and said they hear that all the time.

We were lucky enough to see our baby twice before the 9-week mark, which made the experience even more surreal. After the second ultrasound, we decided to tell our friends. It was still early, but we couldn’t contain our excitement any longer.

Starting with Our New OB

I called my regular OB and scheduled my first appointment for about two weeks later. This visit was all about education and preparation. We discussed genetic screening tests, prenatal care, and tips for staying healthy and active.

We did the genetic screening blood test that same day. This test looks for certain chromosomal conditions, and it can also reveal the baby’s gender. We were eager for results but decided to wait to find out the gender until baby is here. Thankfully, the results came back in about a week, and everything genetically was normal!

After that appointment, we scheduled our anatomy scan, the big ultrasound where they carefully check the baby’s growth and development. It felt like every step brought us closer to meeting our little one. We are so in love.

What’s Next?

In my next post, I’ll talk about my early pregnancy symptoms—when they started, when they eased up, and what helped me get through them. I’ll also share the prenatal vitamins I use and what my doctor recommended for the first trimester. Then we will dive more into finding out about our baby's cleft lip and palate at the anatomy scan.