And that means going to visit the in-laws! While this may seem a daunting concept for some, I'm really freaking excited!!! I love spending time with Mom and Dad, as well as my sisters-in-law, brother-in-law and nephew! XMas Eve is usually a good time with the hubs' paternal aunts, uncles and cousins, and then XMas Dinner with his maternal family (after opening presents and all that) is generally a good time. We even got first-class train tickets to get there! HUZZAH! No trying to sleep during the 16-hour overnight trip in cramped seats that don't fully recline!
As for the little one: It will be 15 weeks tomorrow. We have another ultrasound and blood test to complete the chromosomal abnormality screening on January 11th, and a follow-up with the OB on January 14th. LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! This ultrasound will be the one that tells us (as long as the baby isn't overly modest, as my own munchkin was in-utero) what sex the baby will be! I can't wait!
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Ultrasounds and Blood Tests
As of November 9, I was not quite ten weeks pregnant. The hubs, my IF and I went to the big hospital for an ultrasound and our first OB appointment. The baby's shape wasn't yet fully defined, but it had little arm and leg buds and a fairly clearly defined head. It also had little finger and toe nubs and did a little "dance" for us while it was on-screen. It was pretty cute. I think my IF got a kick out of that. He seemed very excited when we got out into the hall.
The doctor ordered a glucose tolerance test for me that day too, which honestly I found kind of insulting. Yes, I'm a bit overweight, but I don't look like what the scale says I am. Anyway, I failed that test, so the doctor ordered a three-hour glucose tolerance test for me, which I was able to do locally. They took a vial of my blood to get a baseline for my sugars, then made me drink ten ounces of yuck (I now fully understand what a diabetic feels like when they try to drink non-diet soda. ICK!). Then they drew my blood three more times: once each hour after I drank the glucose crap. The results came back perfect. Huzzah!
So yesterday, we had another appointment. This one was an ultrasound as well as blood draw, as part of what the doctor called an "integrated test." It's a three-part test to determine chromosomal abnormalities. Yesterday they measured the nuchal fold at the back of the baby's neck to make sure it isn't too thick (both the ultrasound tech and the doctor assured us that the nuchal fold measurement is not alarming, but that the results of the ultrasound have to be coupled with the results of the blood work to come up with a number which dictates risk factor for chromosomal abnormalities. In other words, we won't know for 2+ weeks.)
Anyway, the baby has ten fingers, ten toes, a head, a nose, a mouth, etc. It really is a little wiggle worm. It was squirming and opening and closing its mouth (practicing gulping and breathing with the amniotic fluid). It even yawned and waved its little hands around! It also did a 180-degree flip while the ultrasound was going on! The heart rate was 150 (smack dab in the middle of the range they dictate as "normal"), and the tech said it measured at 13 weeks, 1 day.
The doctor also said I am "perfect." In other words, he couldn't find anything wrong with me or the baby so far, and officially marked me down as a low-risk, normal pregnancy. It was also suggested, during our visit, yesterday, that a baby's size at birth tends to have more to do with the carrier's history than the baby's biological parents' genes. Which, if this is true, means that my IF can expect a good-sized baby, since my munchkin was 8lbs, 10oz at birth; 21 inches long, with a honkin' 13.5" head! Can we say level two episiotomy, folks? Whew!
Fortunately, they no longer let expectant mothers go more than 7 days over their due date, so this one will probably be closer to the 8lb mark if it does go late. Speaking of which, my due date is JUNE 8, 2011!
Also, for those who are curious: As far as we outsiders are concerned, the baby is still an "it" for now. Sex organs do not become apparent until about 18 weeks, so you'll all have to wait for our January 11th appointment to find out the gender. This also assumes that the baby is less modest than my monkey, who was determined not to show us her bits in-utero. Modest little bugger. :P
The doctor ordered a glucose tolerance test for me that day too, which honestly I found kind of insulting. Yes, I'm a bit overweight, but I don't look like what the scale says I am. Anyway, I failed that test, so the doctor ordered a three-hour glucose tolerance test for me, which I was able to do locally. They took a vial of my blood to get a baseline for my sugars, then made me drink ten ounces of yuck (I now fully understand what a diabetic feels like when they try to drink non-diet soda. ICK!). Then they drew my blood three more times: once each hour after I drank the glucose crap. The results came back perfect. Huzzah!
So yesterday, we had another appointment. This one was an ultrasound as well as blood draw, as part of what the doctor called an "integrated test." It's a three-part test to determine chromosomal abnormalities. Yesterday they measured the nuchal fold at the back of the baby's neck to make sure it isn't too thick (both the ultrasound tech and the doctor assured us that the nuchal fold measurement is not alarming, but that the results of the ultrasound have to be coupled with the results of the blood work to come up with a number which dictates risk factor for chromosomal abnormalities. In other words, we won't know for 2+ weeks.)
Anyway, the baby has ten fingers, ten toes, a head, a nose, a mouth, etc. It really is a little wiggle worm. It was squirming and opening and closing its mouth (practicing gulping and breathing with the amniotic fluid). It even yawned and waved its little hands around! It also did a 180-degree flip while the ultrasound was going on! The heart rate was 150 (smack dab in the middle of the range they dictate as "normal"), and the tech said it measured at 13 weeks, 1 day.
The doctor also said I am "perfect." In other words, he couldn't find anything wrong with me or the baby so far, and officially marked me down as a low-risk, normal pregnancy. It was also suggested, during our visit, yesterday, that a baby's size at birth tends to have more to do with the carrier's history than the baby's biological parents' genes. Which, if this is true, means that my IF can expect a good-sized baby, since my munchkin was 8lbs, 10oz at birth; 21 inches long, with a honkin' 13.5" head! Can we say level two episiotomy, folks? Whew!
Fortunately, they no longer let expectant mothers go more than 7 days over their due date, so this one will probably be closer to the 8lb mark if it does go late. Speaking of which, my due date is JUNE 8, 2011!
Also, for those who are curious: As far as we outsiders are concerned, the baby is still an "it" for now. Sex organs do not become apparent until about 18 weeks, so you'll all have to wait for our January 11th appointment to find out the gender. This also assumes that the baby is less modest than my monkey, who was determined not to show us her bits in-utero. Modest little bugger. :P
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