Isabelle pulls my hand to rest over her belly. “Don’t stress, Grim,” she whispers, and I force myself to take a breath.
I nod, and the doctor smiles, taking her cue to continue. Isabelle looks at the screen, so I do the same. After a few seconds, we watch as a black blob takes up the space. A tiny white bean settled in the bottom, a flickering pulse in the centre.
“You’re measuring eight weeks and three days. Does that sound right to you?”
“Yes, that makes sense,” Isabelle confirms, and her cheeks turn a soft pink. I kiss the back of her hand, then look back at the monitor.
“Does everything look okay?” I ask.
She hits a few buttons, adjusting the picture on the screen. “Everything looks great.”
“You’re sure? The accident didn’t affect the baby?”
Isabelle squeezes my hand, but I keep my eyes trained on the doctor.
“From what I can see, everything looks exactly how we want, but I’ll pop that in your notes to make sure we keep an extra close eye.”
“Okay. And what about work? She works long hours. Is there anything we need to be doing to make sure they’re both healthy?”
“I work a regular amount of hours.” She laughs.
Maybe I’m being a tad overcautious, but I believe in being prepared.
“Your wife is perfectly fine to keep going about her daily habits as normal.” Dr Reeves smiles, but my stomach takes anosedive when she calls Isabelle my wife. I booked our appointment under my name purely because I thought we’d have less trouble getting in quickly, and I didn’t want them saying I couldn’t act on her behalf if we weren’t married. I didn’t realise I would like hearing it so much, though.
My thumb brushes over the back of Isabelle’s hand as the doctor speaks to her directly. . “There’s no need to change your routine. Just listen to your body. It’ll tell you if you need to slow down. And, if there’s anything super concerning that you’re not sure about, you can always give us a call.”
“I have had a drink here and there over the last few weeks, before I found out. Is that something we should be worried about?” Isabelle asks.
“While it’s unlikely an occasional drink in early pregnancy will result in high risk complications, the most important thing we can do now is make sure you’re not consuming any alcohol going forward, be on top of your prenatal vitamins and eating a balanced diet, and making sure you attend all your routine scans so we can monitor the baby’s progress.” Doctor Reeves smiles, trying to reassure Isabelle as her shoulders slump. “Statistics show around fifty per cent of women consume alcohol before they realise they’re pregnant, so you’re not alone. We can only do our best with what we know.”
“Okay,” Isabelle says on an exhale, and I brush my thumb over her knuckles.
“Let’s see if we can hear a clear heartbeat.”
My thoughts are stolen as the room fills with a whooshing thump.
“Nice and strong. That’s good,” Doctor Reeves says.
Isabelle turns her hand over in mine to link our fingers.
“Did you have any more questions for me today?”
I’m almost lost for words after hearing our baby. The emotions that take over me are so unexpected andoverwhelming, in the best way. Taking care of Isabelle and our baby–loving them–it’s going to be the best thing I do.
I spent most of the day researching pregnancy, trying to get myself ready for this appointment, and understanding all the ways to support your partner.
“What about sex?” I ask.
“Henry!”
“What? She said to ask about anything we’re not sure about.” That was the one thing I couldn’t find an answer for that I was satisfied with. I felt reassured that I wouldn’t poke the baby with my dick, and glad I wasn’t the only dad who was concerned about that. To be fair, I have a lot of inches to be concerned about.
The doctor smiles at Isabelle, who’s now hiding her face behind her hands. “As I said, you’re fine to go about your normal routine. After your first trimester, you’ll want to avoid lying on your back for too long, and you may need to adjust positions depending on what feels comfortable as bub grows. But, as long as your pregnancy stays low risk, there’s no need to change anything.”
She reaches over to her desk, picking up some paperwork.
“Here’s a list of which weeks you’ll have regular check-ups. A pamphlet for healthy eating and general wellbeing. Did your GP recommend prenatal vitamins?”
