10 1/2 weeks

I had my second appointment today. It was kind of a boring one so I told Gary he didn't need to come. I didn't realize we would be able to hear the babies heartbeat this early by a doppler. The nurse said it isn't always possible at this point but said she would try. Sure enough it was there beating strong at 160 bpm. She said it was actually very loud and easy to find at 10.5 weeks. It was very exciting and I was wishing Gary was there but he will get plenty of times in the future to hear it. The nurse practitioner also found my heart murmur that I didn't mention yet. She listened to my heart and said, "Wow! You have a pretty significant heart murmur." I just didn't get the chance to tell her before and was curious to see if she would hear it since some docs don't always notice. I have had it my whole life and have always assumed it was benign. She said she didn't feel comfortable with proceeding without an echo and cardiology work up since during pregnancy my heart will be pushed more than normal with bounding blood volume and an increased workload and heart rate. I agreed and have an appointment next Friday for an echocardiogram and then the cardiologist a couple weeks later. I am not worried but would feel more comfortable knowing that my heart is healthy. I don't see the my OB until the middle of August when I will be around 14 weeks.