In addition to an appointment for Faith that Piper scheduled with the veterinarian, she scheduled regular appointments for herself with her obstetrician. With each appointment, she grew more excited about her pregnancy and more comfortable with the idea of sharing the news with her friends and family. Once the baby was six weeks old, she knew that she would be hearing its heartbeat so she decided to ask Nick to come with her to that important appointment.
Piper sat up on the doctor’s table with Nick by her side in a chair in one of the rooms of the obstetrician’s office as they waited for the doctor to arrive.
Doctor Patel walked in, wearing her white scrubs, and said, “Let’s see if we can hear a heartbeat.”
She placed a stethoscope on Piper’s belly and moved it around, listening intently for the heartbeat of a baby.
“I can hear it, Piper. I can hear the heartbeat. You’re going to be a mother!” She connected the stethoscope to an amplifier, allowing Nick and Piper to hear the heartbeat as well.
“Thump. Thump. Thump.”
Piper smiled at the doctor and then at Nick as he rose from his chair to be by her side. He grabbed her hand and squeezed it, smiling from ear to ear.
“You’ll want to make an appointment for an ultrasound. The nurse at the front desk will give you the referral. Congratulations Mom and Dad!” She said. “Next time you come in, we can do a blood test to tell the baby’s gender, if you’re interested.”
“We are,” Nick blurted. “Very interested.”
“We’ll add that to the schedule,” the doctor said. She took a few more notes and completed items on her chart, before exiting the room.
Piper hopped off of the table and gave Nick a hug. “So happy. I think I’ll call my sister later today to let her know. And I’m going to ask her to send us the rocking chair. I’ll call my dad too. He’s going to be thrilled!”