My Pregnancy Journey: The First Trimester Medical Experience

Being a first-time mom made me so dependent on Google. I'd often find myself searching for pregnancy tips and check-up schedules. One thing I found out is that you have to book an appointment with an OB-GYN as soon as you find out that you're expecting. And here's my first trimester medical experience.

Hello, First Trimester.

The first trimester is said to be the most challenging period of pregnancy.  And this is also known to be the riskiest trimester. 

I booked an appointment with an OB-GYN as soon as I got back to Manila from a Mount Pulag hike. I was surprised that my first appointment didn't even last 10 minutes. My doctor just asked me when my last period was to have an estimated date of delivery (ETD) and wrote down a list of tests I need to take. I was about six weeks pregnant when I had my first appointment. 

For prenatal supplements, my doctor instructed me to folic acid as a prenatal supplement. But I decided to add Vitamin C to boost my immunity. 

With Covid-19 posing as a health threat in March, I decided to book home service for my lab tests. I booked Intercon Diagnostic Laboratory Inc. via SMS 3 days before my desired test date. And I was happy that everything went smoothly. The lab technician arrived on time. Things were already set up by 7:30 a.m. It just took some time as I had a hard time peeing for my urinalysis. (I tried to drink several glasses of water, but I just ended up puking it all out.)

And the best part was that I got my test results that same day! (They email the results and send a hard copy along with the receipt via mail.) Unfortunately, my urinalysis results had some issues. 

Posting here the template of my lab results and deleted sensitive information.

On my second OB-GYN visit, I showed the results of my lab tests, and my doctor recommended that I take a urine culture test to determine if I have a urinary tract infection (UTI). If it turns out positive, she'll prescribe the most suitable antibiotics. (Fret not moms as there are antibiotics we could take and are 100% safe while pregnant.) 

I also had my first ultrasound after my doctor's appointment. Unlike those we see on TV, early pregnancy ultrasounds require a transvaginal scan (TVS) instead of an abdominal one. 

I didn't read up much on TVS as I relied on my OB-GYN a lot. All I know is that it should be safe. And I was too excited to see my baby.

Transvaginal ultrasound (PHP2,615) may be a bit uncomfortable for some as the sonologist will put a probe inside... you got it. Just make sure to pee before having your scan done.

I was relieved to know that my baby was doing well and that there were no complications that would require extra attention. [Note that it is best to schedule your TVS past six weeks as having your scan earlier might not detect any heartbeat yet. Scheduling at a later date avoids having to re-do the scan and trigger unnecessary stress if no heartbeat was detected.]

I headed down to the Ambulatory Department after for my urine culture test and paid PHP2,295 for it. Results should be ready within five to seven days.

That same night after my TVS, I noticed that I had light spotting, something that never happened before. I was so worried and began reading about TVS. And you know how Google always makes things sound a lot worse. I ended up being so paranoid. My OB-GYN prescribed Duphaston to be taken three times a day for two weeks. 

I was so worried that despite taking Duphaston for days, the spotting didn't stop. And there were days when it was darker. And when the lockdown happened, I was even more worried (to the point of crying) as I had difficulty contacting my OB-GYN. 

I let out a big sigh when the spotting finally stopped after one week. Turns out that it's actually normal after taking a transvaginal scan. (But make sure to notify your doctor if the bleeding becomes heavy or accompanied by pain.) 

But another worry was my pending urine culture. I wasn't able to get it until MECQ. I tried calling the Ambulatory Department to get the results back in March to no avail. I had to pull some strings to get my test result. Thankfully, it was negative and that I never needed to take antibiotics.

And I had to miss my April and May check-ups due to ECQ and MECQ. Most moms also opted to forgo their appointments and just self monitor at home. 

I bought a fetal doppler during ECQ to monitor my baby's heartbeat. But I realized that it was hard to use and could cause undue stress when one fails to find the heartbeat. If you still prefer to get one, be mindful of your usage. Using a fetal doppler over 5 minutes at a time may cause some harm. Also, best to use it at most once a week.

Note: I had my scan and urine culture test done at The Medical City last March 11, 2020. There were only a handful of patients at the Women's Health Department when I went. I got to have my TVS with almost zero wait time. I also got my scan result within 5 minutes or less.