Dreams & Nightmares

Nineteen

Downtown Philadelphia

"Milan Harris." The nurse at the OB/GYN office called out causing Milan to slowly stand to her feet. She walked through the waiting room and followed the nurse through the doors that lead to the rooms in the back. Today was her six month check up and the closer she got to her due date, the more anxious and in pain she felt.

"How has everything been with baby boy?" The nurse asked while wrapping the blood pressure cuff around Milan's right arm. She turned on the machine and it gave her arm a squeeze before beeping with the results.

"I've started to feel cramping at the bottom of my stomach and I was spotting a little bit the other day." Milan answered in an anxious tone.

"Light bleeding or spotting during pregnancy doesn't always mean it's a problem, in fact, its completely normal. But, I will definitely let the doctor know and she will check for any complications during the ultrasound." The nurse advised while jotting down the vitals on her chart.

"Okay, thank you."

"No problem. The doctor will be in shorty." The nurse smiled and left out of the room.

Milan sat nervously on the table that was lined with white paper. With each second that passed she grew more and more anxious. Just as her nerves began to get the best of her, Dr. Greene entered the room dressed in light pink scrubs and her white coat.

"Hi mom, how you feeling today?" Dr. Greene asked while washing her hands in the sink. After drying them, she placed on a pair of blue latex gloves.

"Anxious. Nervous. Tired. In pain. All of the above." Milan rattled off every emotion she was feeling.

"I bet. As you near your third trimester, all of those emotions and feelings will definitely increase unfortunately, but the healthy baby you get in exchange will be all worth it!" Dr. Greene assured with a smile as she prepared the ultrasound machine. "Now, I've heard you've experienced some light spotting and cramping?"

"Yes. I noticed the spotting for one day. The cramping is off and on."

"Okay, that's totally normal. Cramping typical occurs because your uterus is expanding which is causing your ligaments and muscles that support it to stretch." She explained. "But to be on the safe side, let's check on baby. Lay back and raise your shirt for me."

Milan obeyed and lifted the white shirt that fit loosely over her protruding belly. The doctor poured the cold blue gel on her stomach and began moving the scope around. Moments later, the baby's heartbeat filled the room.

"Baby boy's heartbeat is strong! 150 beats per minute." Dr. Greene advised while she continued to move the scope around. Milan's eyes began to tear up as she watched the screen intently. Even though her situation wasn't ideal, she was excited to become a new mommy.

"Ready to see how big he is?"

"Yes, please!"

"Say hi to your son." Dr. Greene smiled as she pointed to the baby's head, foot, and arm. She snapped a couple pictures of the ultrasound so she could print them out and give them to Milan at the end of their visit.

"Hi baby." Milan said to the screen as her baby continued to squirm around.

"Well looks like he is healthy and heartbeat is good. You keep eating right, drinking water, and take it easy as you near the end. Any questions for me?" Dr. Greene said as she removed the gel from Milan's stomach with a paper towel and then her gloves.