[PnC p2.] I am Pregnant, now what?

My adventure all started with a pregnancy test. I’m partial to using ‘Clear Blue Easy’ because it clearly displays ‘Pregnant’ or ‘Non Pregnant’. Of course after a few other fearful tests over the toilet bowl, this time the test came out positive! I was excited, and the boyfriend was not! He was filled with fear, but for me the anxiety came a little later. My first hurdle was figuring out what to do next. Although this working girl is four years out of college, I had no experience in the world of medical insurance and hospital visits. What can I say, most of my ailments only required some Vicks Vapor Rub and aspirin; this was going to be my first checkup in years! Luckily I had an OBGYN, so one of the first things I did was schedule an appointment with her. This being my first appointment, I had to practically beg to see her sooner than later.

Lesson #1
Doctors have very busy schedules and you being pregnant is only a priority for you, so you have to advocate for yourself and find a space that is comfortable.

While I waited for two weeks to pass before my actual appointment, a friend suggested I take a trip down to my local Planned Parenthood. The wait was long and all I did was take another pregnancy test to confirm what I already knew. It wasn’t much help for me, especially because I already had a Doctor to go to. However:

Lesson #2
If you think you are pregnant and you’re not sure what to do, going to your local Planned Parenthood center is a good place to start: Planned Parenthood Federation of America
When I arrived at my first appointment I was so nervous. I made sure I brought my insurance card, and my co-pay fee of $15.

Lesson #3
Depending on your Insurance plan, you sometimes have to pay a small fee for Doctor’s visits. I didn’t know this until the nurse over the phone reminded me to make sure I had exact change for my co-pay.

After my first visit to my OBGYN, I found out I was seven and a half weeks pregnant, with an expected due date of December 9th, 2006. I got a prescription for prenatal vitamins; this would be my first time going to a local pharmacy to fill out a prescription. I also setup my next appointment.

Lesson #4
During your pregnancy, you will visit with your Doctor every couple of weeks to make sure everything is going all right with you and the baby. You’ll get your weight checked, give urine samples, do blood tests, and sonograms as well as get answers to any questions or concerns that you might have.