Barking Mad

Just One Baby - 11.5 Weeks Along, First Sonogram

Here's our baby! Isn't he/she gorgeous. Well ok, almost alienish is a wierd way. *lol* Thankfully!

Introducing…Peanut…..Or umm….I’m calling him/her ET….kinda looks a bit alien-ish from this view. The top pic is a farther-away shot, then the bottom one is a close up. And thankfully there is only one baby!

Good news all around today. Being that I am a bit further along than my doctor originally predicted, they were able to not only get a great picture of Baby Holden, but do the Nuchal Translucency scan as well and the folds on the back of baby’s neck are within normal ranges!!!!! That’s so nice to hear. Now I just need the result of the multiple-panel blood screen to confirm that and we’ll be set. There is only a two week window to get the Nuchal Trans done, and I’m really pleased that she was able to do it today. And normally this tech is not there on Thursdays but she came in to cover another tech who was out ill, and it’s a good thing too….because you have to be certified in order to perform the Nuchal Translucency scan, and she is. Everything worked out so well. I had a bunch of blood work today as well. There is a a multiple marker blood screen that goes along with the Nuchal scan, plus I had my regular prenatal panel drawn as well! Two needle jabs today! Ouch!

The placenta is in the right place as well, which is GREAT news, as we were pretty concerned, especially after what we went through last fall. From the sonogram tech’s point of view she said everything looks good. But the doc still has to look at the pictures. Heartbeat sounded great, as she was able to get that as well. Galloping right along! And the baby was moving all over the place.

Really cool! HAPPINESS ALL AROUND!

Oh, BTW, Peanut’s due date is January 21, 2006!!!!

First Sonogram Will Be Tomorrow!

Wanted to toss out the latest update regarding “peanut” or “bump” as Gareth likes to call her/him who is yet to arrive.

I met with my doc today. She's lovely and her nurse is a real peach! I think I'm going to like going to Coastal. I've had a lot of friends that have received great prenatal care there and they have two well respected high-risk specialists there. While I'm not technically going to be classified as "high risk" yet, I am however classified as "Advanced Maternal Age"....well so much for feeling great about being 36! *lol*

Up until today, I’ve been expecting my first sonogram to take place on July 15th, and I’ve been expecting to have to undergo amniocentesis at around 16-20 weeks due to my age, and have to undergo a test called Chorionic villus sampling (CVS) which is another invasive and uncomfortable test. Well, not only does my doctor NOT recommend having the amnio, but she said there is no reason for the CVS test either, as both are invasive and carry the risk of miscarriage. Was I ever relieved to hear that!

Rather, I’m going to have something called; Nuchal translucency screening combined with first trimester multiple marker blood tests.

What is Nuchal Translucency screening you ask? This screening test (also called the nuchal fold scan) uses ultrasound to measure the clear ("translucent") space in the tissue at the back of your developing baby's neck. This measurement can help your practitioner give you an assessment of your baby's risk for Down syndrome (DS) and other chromosomal abnormalities. Babies with abnormalities tend to accumulate more fluid at the back of their necks during the first trimester, causing this clear space to be larger. While it won't give you the definite diagnosis you'd get from more invasive tests like CVS and amniocentesis, it can help you decide whether you want to undergo diagnostic testing. And unlike diagnostic tests, it's painless and involves no risk to you or your baby.

So, being that aside from my age, there are no other risk factors that might lead one to assume I’m at a higher risk of having a baby with some sort of abnormality or genetic defect, my doctor (who happens to ROCK!) doesn’t feel it’s necessary for me to undergo anything other than the Nuchal screening combined with the multiple marker blood tests!

I could have danced a jig when she told me that. Since the moment my pregnancy was confirmed, I’ve been worrying almost constantly about amnio and the risks associated. And then when I heard about the CVS test, I have pretty much wanted to cross my legs and not undo them.

Next big news is that because we aren’t sure exactly how far along I am, they are going to do a sonogram TOMORROW at 10:45am and skip the one on the 15th. I’ll still have another one at 20 weeks, plus the Nuchal translucency screen which is done between 11-13 weeks. But as of tomorrow, we’ll know for sure whether or not there is one peanut or a pair as there is some concern about that as well, and be assured that the placenta is in the right place, this time around. (fingers crossed, prayers needed!) And we’ll hopefully get to hear the heartbeat too! Doc thinks there is a good possibility there might be twins because she said my "fundal height is more advanced" and she suspects I am only 6-7 weeks along rather than where I estimate at closer to 10 weeks! I told her that's not possible. Well I didn't say it like that! But tomorrow we'll see for sure!

Ok the good news doesn’t stop there. My weight is fabulously better than I thought. I’ve lost almost 40lbs in the last 6 weeks (I attribute a lot of that to my almost total lack of an appetite) And my blood pressure is NOT high! I’ve been stressing with the back pain and the drive to Portsmouth each day for work and that’s contributed to it being slightly elevated at times, but no where near “HIGH”. It was normal when I went in for my check-up this morning. But she does want me to stop the daily commute because she’s not comfortable with me being 60-75 minutes away from Maine Med should anything happen, or should I actually be determined a “high-risk” patient. I’m not too upset about that. The commute was really starting to wear on me.

Doc says the weight loss has to stop now, while it’s not directly harming the baby, as the baby takes everything it needs from me, it’s leeching my body of the things it needs to stay healthy, so the baby won’t be harmed by I will, if I continue to lose weight. She understands that I have no appetite and that my morning sickness has been bad, but she asked me to consider eating between 7-8 small meals a day and that she’s comfortable with me gaining between 30-35lbs through the pregnancy. 7-8 small meals a day sure sounds like a hell of a lot of food to me, especially when my tummy can’t even hold 4 salt-free soda crackers, but I’m going to try. I know in the next month, the morning (noon and evening) sickness should subside some, but I’m going to make an effort to at least not lose any more weight.

So there you have it. This time tomorrow I should have peanut’s first photo and have heard the heartbeat.

Oh yeah, I told my Mom and the rest of the world. I think she's happy but a tad restrained. I told Amanda and Diana too. I really wish my sisters lived closer....*sigh* Selfishly I wish Amanda had never moved back home to Cali from Atlanta. Oh, I understand why she did, but it would have been a quick flight for her, or me, either direction.

Oh now look at me, crying! Bloody hormones! I'd write more but not only do I have to go blow my nose now, say it with me now everyone....I have to pee.

First Doctors Appt.

Well I have succumbed to the pain and am seeing my doctor out at Coastal a few weeks earlier than originally planned. I can't deal with constant pain like this. I wasn't scheduled to go in and visit with the nurse until July 15th and then see the actual OB on AUGUST 5th! WTF? They have reasons for doing it and I'm not going to argue, but oh well, whatever. I think it's an awful long time to wait.

So I go in tomorrow. I am actually looking forward to it. Well not the financial part of it. But thank god we've saved for something like this. I'm hoping Gareth's hears about this job soon. He's had to go back to the UK to tie things up there. That was awful. But I'm trying not to dread it too much, being the emotional rollercoaster I am right now.

Anyhow, 9am tomorrow I am off to Coastal to meet the doctor and see what I can do about my back. Lord, please don't let this be a "back" pregnancy. Oh what am I saying! I don't care, just let me carry this one to term.

Dear God...the Pain!

Managed the drive all the way to Portsmouth this morning but the sciatic nerve thing is awful. Plus my blood pressure is sky high. Well according to that damned home blood pressure thingy I bought. But I'm not too shocked it's so high right now. I am in excruciating pain.

I can't stand this, I think I'm calling it a day and making the awful treck back home.

Happy 4th of July! Approx. 9 Weeks Along

I think it's a most auspicious day to start my pregnancy journal. By my recollection, I am about 9 weeks along now. I'm pretty sure I know the exact day I got pregnant. And you wanna hear something strange....so is Gareth. Although hearing him say it kinda weirds me out for some reason. He's not a vain man by any means, nor is he stuck up (like his wife), but dayum, he's sure of the date that his "soldiers" accomplished their mission as he likes to say. He's rather David Attenborough'ish about it if you ask me...."many have went before them, many have died in the mission, many were lost...brave soldiers they were" *rolling eyes*....I suppose it loses something in the translation and you'd have to hear it for yourself. It's all rather amusing though.

Morning sickness is still a bitch and I have begun planning my day around where all the bathrooms are when I am out and about. Because when mama has to pee, she REALLY has to pee.

On other related fronts, we've bought a few pregnancy books. Well Gareth's books are more along the humorous than anything else. I just realized though, last fall I never let go of my fears enough about the pregnancy to buy any books. This time around I've bought "Your Pregnancy Week by Week" and the Jenny McCarthy book, "Belly Laughs". I am sure more will follow. While I don't want to get my hopes up, there are no statistics to point to a repeat placenta previa.

Well, I've gone and managed to pinch that nerve in my back, that nasty sciatic one. Off to bed and on my side. I'm sure I can take some Tylenol - for all the help that's liable to provide...but I think the best thing is just to get out of the chair. Sitting just wrecks my back.

HAPPY 4th of July!