We had our first official pre-natal appointment, which included our first scan. Since the appointment was set to take more than two hours, we both took the morning off work. I am really glad Ross was able to be there to share the surreal experience with me.
Apart from the crazy fact that we are going to become parents (not sure this has totally sunk in yet!), the whole health system here still really unfamiliar and always makes me feel incredibly foreign. As a generally healthy person, I haven't really spent much of the past few years using NHS services, so I am still unsure what to expect a lot of the time.
Thankfully, we are able to access the midwife clinic just around the corner from our flat and across the street from the train station I use to get to work. (The maternity hospital is a bit farther away and a lot less convenient- I'll have to give birth there, but at least I don't have to have all my appointments there.)
At reception, I was handed a book, which contains all my pregnancy medical information and told to fill out the first like 10 pages with my personal details and family medical history. (I am responsible for carrying this book with me to all appointments- basically they can't be bothered to file your records and circulate them between hospitals and clinics, so you have to keep your own and bring them for the midwives/doctors to update at each appointment.)
Just as I settled into the waiting room chair to start filling in the paperwork, I was interrupted by a lady who handed me a toothbrush and toothpaste, explained that caring for your teeth is important, and informed me of my right to free dental care for up to a year after my baby is born. She also noted that I can have a health visitor come to my house after the baby is born to show me how to care for my child's teeth. Apparently this is all part of a government intervention programme called 'Childsmile', which is all about promoting oral health for children in Scotland.
Two pages into my medical information, we were called in for our scan. We got to see the tiny one from all angles. The scan technician noted how quiet we were- I guess a lot of people cry when they see their babies on the screen for the first time. To be honest, I think my emotions in that moment could be summarized by 'relief'. After weeks of my imagination going wild with thoughts of miscarriage and worry about what to expect for pre-natal care, I was relieved to see a heart beat, relieved to see the tiny one squirm and kick and stick out his/her tongue, and relieved but also slightly weirded out that we could see it's little brain. Ross was especially relieved to see that there is only one tiny one in there.
I could go on about my first impressions of pre-natal care in Scotland, but by the time I open this post, most of you will already have heard the story. Instead I'll end with this crazy thought:
Sometime in May we are actually going to meet this little person: 
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