Mama Bearable: When Joy and Hope Turns to Anxiety and Panic
May 4th, 2018, the day of my first OB visit with Dr. F. Eric and I had eagerly and nervously anticipated the arrival of this day. Even though we saw the little plus sign, there were still shreds of doubt, was this actually real? Were we pregnant, or was it just another speed bump in the series of disappointments? As we sat in those waiting room chairs, I could feel my heart beating just a little bit faster than it normally does. I'm not the type of person who gets nervous at the doctor, but today there was a dry spot in my throat that no amount of swallowing could relieve. Combined with the anxiety of meeting a doctor we had never met before, I was just trying to keep it together. The door to the exam room area opened, "Tessa" the nurse called, I looked up and made eye contact, slowly pushed myself out of the chair and started the 8 foot journey to the door. Once behind the door the nurse took me to the weighing station, my favorite... then directed me to exam room 12...