- 2 Week Later -
[7 Months Into Pregnancy]
I parked my car at Canterlot Hospital’s car park. We were here for another of Adagio’s appointments, specifically her fifth. I got out of the car and opened the door for her.
“Thank you,” she said appreciatively.
I smiled and held it open as she got out slowly. I walked beside my girlfriend, making sure she would be alright. We made our way toward the entrance of the hospital and entered, approaching the reception desk. The reception nurse looked up from her console and smiled.
“Good afternoon, Ms. Dazzle. Are you here for an appointment?” the nurse asked.
“Yes, I have an appointment with Dr. Turner for 2PM,” Adagio replied. The nurse nodded and turned her eyes down at her console screen, scrolling for the list of booked appointments.
“There we are. If you could please make your way to Room 63. Dr. Turner will be expecting you shortly. Have a nice day!”
We thanked the nurse and bade her farewell. We turned and walked down the corridor towards the doctor’s office.
“Ugh, I’m getting tired of walking already,” Adagio muttered. I patted her shoulder gently.
“Don’t worry, Dagi. Just a little more and then you can have the rest of the day off, okay? Besides, we’re going to find out more about our baby. Doesn’t that excite you?” I reminded joyfully. Adagio sighed and chuckled, letting out a weak smile.
“Yeah, you’re right. Let’s get this done and over with.”
After spending a few minutes walking down the corridor at Adagio’s pace, we reached Room 63. I knocked on the door and, as usual, nurse Redheart appeared in the entrance to greet us.
“Well, hello there! Come on in!” the nurse greeted. “You’re getting quite big, Adagio. How far are you in now?”
Adagio smiled and patted her belly. “Seven months into my pregnancy. I can’t wait.” Nurse Redheart chuckled.
“I’m sure you can’t. What parents aren’t excited to see their child?” the two ladies shared a laugh. Nurse Redheart knocked on the door to Dr. Whooves’ office a couple of times.
‘So it’s fine for other women to point out they’re big? Man, I don’t understand women at all sometimes,” I thought. I sighed mentally.
“Come in!” the doctor called out. I broke out of my thoughts as Nurse Redheart opened the door and gestured us inside.
“Clavier, Adagio. Good to see you two. Please come in.” He turned to face the nurse. Thank you, Redheart.” The nurse smiled and waved at us before closing the door.
“Goodness, you look worse for wear, doc,” I stated. Dr. Whooves’ eyes were visibly tired and had black bags under them. The doctor merely responded with an exhausted laugh.
“Eh, just been busy as usual. Don’t worry about me though. Nothing that coffee can’t solve!” The doctor picked up his mug and took a sip.
“Anyway, back to business. Adagio, have you been doing well and how are you feeling lately?”
“I’m doing just fine. Shame I’m feeling more tired lately and it’s hard to walk around without experiencing a bit of back pain,” she replied.
The doctor hummed. “That’s normal for pregnant mothers when expecting a child so there’s no need to worry. I recommend avoid moving around a lot and just rest a lot more, unless you have appointments to attend. I know it’s hard sitting around with nothing to do.”
“Our friends and I have tended to her needs to make sure she’s got company,” I added. The doctor nodded.
“Alright, let’s see how the little one’s doing. Adagio, If you could please lift up your shirt up to your stomach,” he instructed.
Adagio lifted her shirt up to her stomach while Dr. Whooves gently placed some gel on her belly. He picked up the scanner from the ultrasound equipment and rubbed it gently over her stomach. We turned our eyes towards the screen and saw our growing child again. For the first time, I could see it moving, making my heart jump in excitement. Adagio squeezed my hand gently.
“Aww, look, Clavier. Our baby’s sucking her thumb,” Adagio cooed. I smiled and ruffled her hair.
“Yeah. She’s probably having a good dream,” I replied.
“Yes, there we are. The foetus is now at the seven month stage. At this point, its lungs and digestive tract are almost fully developed. The little one will likely be experimenting with her own movements such as opening and closing her eyes, kicking about and so on,” he explained.
“Well, our little girl’s been quite active lately. She seems to like her father’s voice,” Adagio said proudly. I blushed and scratched the back of my head. The doctor let out a laugh.
“That’s great to hear. That’s a sign that it’s in a healthy state. This is known as quickening when the foetus begins to create movements.” The doctor hummed and rubbed his chin. “Ah, yes. I nearly forgot where I left off at. The foetus at this stage may start turning upside-down as it gets ready for birth, although it may be different for some. Now, don’t forget about my reminder alright?”
Adagio nodded in acknowledgement. Every detail of our child brought joy to us as new parents. Unfortunately, It was slightly disappointing that we still had a couple more months to go until the baby was here.
“Is there anything else we should know?” I asked.
“Well, there is but it depends on Adagio’s decision,” he said. Adagio sat up at the mention of her name.
“What’s that?”
“For prenatal tests. It’s entirely optional but it can be helpful to check for any potential problems such as genetic disorders, birth defects, or other problems that could occur. In turn, this can help us try to solve it before the date of birth,” he explained.
Adagio and I looked at one another for a moment. Eventually, we came to a decision and nodded. It was better to be safe than sorry.
"Yes, we’ll go through with it,” Adagio answered.
Going through with the prenatal tests, Adagio came back into the room with a sample of her urine in a small enclosed container. Next, Dr. Whooves took a sample of her blood and placed it into a separate holder.
“Alright, that’s all I’ll need. What I’ll do is I’ll analyse the samples and see what we can do. I’ll get the results to you both on your next appointment.” Adagio and I nodded.
“Thank you for today, doc. You’ve been a big help.” The doctor chuckled.
“It’s nothing my boy. Just doing my job.” He turned to face Adagio. “Might I say, you’re now in your third trimester of your pregnancy. From here on, you’ll be required to attend appointments every two weeks as you close in.” Adagio nodded.
“I see. Well, if it’s for the better, I can’t argue with that,” she mumbled, sighing.
Don’t worry, my dear. Just persevere for a little more okay?” Adagio looked up and nodded. She wrapped her arms around the doctor in a hug. Caught by surprise, Dr. Whooves recovered momentarily and returned the embrace.
“I will. Thank you for everything. We’ll see you again in two weeks.” Dr. Whooves nodded.
“I’ll be here. Now, head home and go get some rest.”
I smirked. “Tell yourself that. You’re barely awake.” We all shared a laugh. We exchanged farewells and left the office.
“I have a feeling things will be just fine,” I assured. Adagio squeezed my hand and smiled.
“Me too.”