Ultrasound #3

This morning was my big appointment with the perinatal specialist at the hospital where I'll be delivering my baby. The first part of the appointment was genetic counseling, because I'm old. That was really fun, having to explain my mother's crazy family and their medical history as I know it. They also had my test results that I didn't get last week. When all was said and done, they gave me 1 in 5000 chance of having a baby with Downs Syndrome, which is much lower than my 1 in 330 chance based on my age.

Next up was the level 2 ultrasound. I was really excited about it, especially after finding out that my baby is most likely healthy. The ultrasound took a really long time because they check and measure every little thing on the baby. A little more than half-way through the ultrasound, my entire world was rocked. There was a penis on the screen, and I just wasn't prepared for it. I'll admit I cried. A lot.


Eventually, the ultrasound was finished, and the doctor came in to go over the results. He was really nice. He asked me how old I was, because he said I didn't look like I could possibly be over 29. He basically told us that my baby looks perfect, and that because they could find no signs of any chromosomal abnormalities, I could go ahead and cut my chances in half, to 1 in 10,000. He recommended against the amniocentesis because the chances of losing the pregnancy from that is much higher (1 in 300) than my baby having any issues.

The doc also mentioned that their ultrasound measurements gave them an EDD for me, so I asked him what they had gotten, since I had an idea that I might be a bit further along than the 17 weeks 6 days my current EDD (9/8) made me. According to my previous ultrasound results that my OB sent them, I was due 9/3, and according to the ultrasound this morning, I am now due 08/31. So, the fact that I got pregnant in the first place, and am having a boy, makes a lot more sense now, knowing that I ovulated a lot earlier than I should have.

So, now we are faced with the daunting task of coming up with a name for this little guy. You'd think that it would be a lot easier than picking a girl's name, since we have already used so many, but really, it's not. I already had a girl's name picked out. And I am completely clueless about boys' names. I can't seem to locate my baby names book, either.

Doctor Visit #4

Yesterday was my fourth OB appointment. It was really no big deal, just your standard pee-in-a-cup, have blood pressure and weight checked, and listen to baby's heart beat appointment.

As expected, my test results from last Tuesday were not in yet, so I didn't get any answers on that front. The OB said that they won't call me if the news wasn't bad, so to call on Friday if I haven't heard anything just to make sure the results are in before my appointment on Monday with the high-risk specialist.

I got all of my other questions answered, too.

Q: Will the ultrasound on Monday be my last, or will they give me the standard 20 weeker at the regular OB office?
A: If the high-risk specialist wants to do more ultrasounds, they'll schedule them there. If they don't want anymore and I want the standard 20 weeker, I can request it at the regular OB office and have it done there.

Q: What about the amnio? Will I have my test results back in time to have that done if I need to?
A: They can do the amnio up to 20 weeks, so I should definitely have my test results back in plenty of time to do it if I need it.

So, while I still don't have my test results, I do feel a lot better about having my other questions all answered.

Oh, and by the way, according to the OB's scales, I am still down four pounds from my pre-pregnancy weight. Not that I want to gain a bunch of weight with this baby, but it would be nice to gain a little something. The doctors haven't said anything to me about it yet, but I'm sure if I don't start gaining soon, they will.

Ultrasound

I had my second OB visit this morning. Because I have been having some mild spotting, the doctor decided to do an ultrasound to check everything out. So, I got to see my baby this morning. The baby is right on schedule as far as size and development goes, so my due date will not be changed at this point. The ultrasound did show that I do have a small subchorionic bleed, so my doctor put me on pelvic rest and wants me to take it easy for a while. We're hoping that it will be reabsorbed into the placenta by the time I have my next ultrasound on the 20th of this month.

I did get a pic of the baby from the ultrasound, but until Phil gets all of my programs back on my computer, I can't scan it to upload it. I will make sure to post it as soon as I can.

First OB Visit

I had my first OB visit this afternoon. I know it may seem a little soon since I'm supposedly only five weeks along, but I have been freaking out about all sorts of things since finding out I am pregnant, so I really needed to get in right away.

One of the main things I have been worrying about is how far along I really am. Because if you go by my LMP*, I'm exactly five weeks today. But, I also should not have been ovulating early enough for me to have gotten pregnant in the first place, so who knows when I ovulated? When I talked to my OB about it today, she said that since I had just come off of the birth control pill, I could have ovulated just about anytime.

When she did my pelvic exam, she also checked the size of my uterus to see if I was about where I should be based on my current due date, and she said that I felt more like six to seven weeks instead of five weeks. Oy! She said it was possible that I ovulated earlier than I thought or that I had a fibroid. Either, or both, are possible. I was "bigger" than I should have been with Sarah, and it turned out that I was about six days further along AND I had a fibroid. I'm just glad she didn't mention the "T" word!

So, now I've got more stuff to worry about. If I ovulated earlier than I thought, my chances of having a boy increase. I am really hoping that this baby is not a boy. Sure, I would love a boy just as much as I love my girls, but logistically, a boy would be much more difficult for us. We are currently planning to have this child share Katie's room with her, and pretty much everything in there is pink. The crib bedding I have is pink. Most of Katie's toys are pink. And of course, hand-me-downs from Katie are a LOT less expensive than brand new boy clothes.

So, please say a little prayer for me and my baby, if you're the praying type. Pray that no matter what, this little one is healthy. Pray that I can get through this pregnancy without any complications like I've had in the past. And please pray that this baby is a girl. Please.


*last menstrual period