#9 // Itineraries
For me, the word 'itinerary' brings to mind international vacations and educational conferences, not medical appointments. I mean, have you ever received an itinerary of your upcoming doctor appointments?
Well, I guess there's a first time for everything.
#8 // Genetic Counseling
Due to the way that Norah's abnormalities were presenting, we were referred to a genetic counselor.
With Lane and I having already made our decision on prenatal genetic testing, our genetic counseling appointment was unsurprisingly quite brief.
#7 // Olympic Medals
Our consult with a pediatric cardiologist was the day after our initial visit at MNPP. Because of the last minute scheduling, Lane was unable to get off of work for this one, so I was headed to the appointment alone. Thanks to our recent track record of stressful appointments, I was afraid to go alone and Lane was afraid of not being there.
#6 // Back to square one
Even though we were prepared for our first appointment at MNPP thanks to Nurse S, actually going to the appointment was still very nerve-wracking.
The appointment started with an hour-long, highly detailed ultrasound. Norah definitely made the sonographer work for it. (This happens EVERY. TIME. Norah will let you see what she wants you to see, when she wants you to see it.)
#5 // Preparation
After our last appointment with Dr. C, he transferred our care to Minnesota Perinatal Physicians (the high-risk pregnancy clinic located in Abbott). The next day, we received a phone call from Nurse S – our nurse coordinator at MNPP. We had no idea just what a vital role this woman would be playing in our care.
#4 // Cautious optimism
A few weeks after getting the test results back, Dr. C wanted to meet for a follow-up appointment to do another ultrasound and monitor how things were progressing as she grew.
We met with him again right before Thanksgiving. We were back in the same room as before, still afraid, but much more hopeful.