Tuesday, March 22, 2011

19 weeks

Well, 18 weeks, 6 days, but close enough to say that I'm at least at the halfway point since I'll be induced at 38 weeks!

Today's ultrasound went well. The baby has finally moved up some and my belly is popping out a bit more. Fortunately this also means that the placenta previa has resolved and the edge of the placenta is far enough up that it shouldn't cause any more issues.

Profile

I overdid it on Saturday by walking around at the farmer's market and grocery store and had a minor bleed. Whoops. Today there's still a small amount of blood hanging around between the amniotic sac and the wall of the uterus. So, I'm still on modified activity for the next few weeks while it resolves. I really need to remember to cancel my gym membership since it's highly unlikely I'll be able to go again until after the birth...

Anyway, Dr. P. checked the baby's organs and took measurements again and everything still looks perfectly normal. There's no sign of cleft lip, club feet, or heart defects. And he's definitely still a 'he.' =)

Still a boy!
 Today's Stats:
Gestational Age: 18 weeks, 6 days
Baby's Weight: 9 ounces
Fruit Comparison: Mango
My Weight: -1 lb
Baby's heart rate: 145 bpm
Cravings: Chinese food
Aversions: Chicken and sometimes eggs
Next appointment: March 30th

Big, blurry feet!

Thursday, March 10, 2011

More complications

In my last update, I mentioned how I've been holding my breath waiting for something else to go wrong. Well, it did. On Tuesday afternoon, I had another scary bleeding episode.

It happened very much the same as last time. I was sitting at my desk when I felt a sudden gush of blood. I ran to the bathroom and lost bunch more all at once. After 5 minutes or so, it slowed to a trickle and I was able to call my OB's office. The nurse checked with the doctor on call and advised me to go home and get in bed until further notice and go to the ER if the bleeding got worse. Luckily, that wasn't necessary and by Wednesday morning the bleeding had stopped.

It was definitely unnerving to have so much blood again right when I thought everything was going to be smooth sailing! I didn't panic this time, however, especially since I was pretty sure I could still feel the baby moving. While I haven't been 100% confident that it's the baby I've been feeling every time, I've noticed enough activity in that area that some of it has to be him...

I already had an appointment scheduled for Thursday afternoon, so Chad and I went in together. Dr. P. immediately went for the good ol' ultrasound probe (which I thought I'd totally graduated from weeks ago!) and started looking around. She quickly spotted a small clot sitting on top of my cervix, and noticed that I also have mild placenta previa (where the edge of the placenta is on top of the cervix). The previous SCH on the top edge of the placenta is also back; it's unclear whether or not I had a new bleed from that location or if it's still the original one that became visible again. Luckily the prognosis is good: the previa is mild and should resolve as my uterus stretches and the clots are very small. However, there's a good chance I'll have more bleeding episodes. Until the previa resolves, I'm to be on restricted activity and can't lift anything over 5 pounds. I have to stay on bed rest through this weekend and can go back to work on Monday if I don't have anymore bleeding.

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Dr. P. also did a thorough anatomy scan of the baby to look for abnormalities. She measured his neck, brain, and femurs and examined his kidneys, spine, face, heart, and umbilical cord. Everything looked totally normal! We were especially interested in the heart since we have an increased risk of heart defects since I was born with one. Right now the baby's looks fine, but it will be checked again later in the pregnancy as well.


Why hello, 3rd leg

Stats:
Gestational Age: 17 weeks, 1 day
Heart Rate: 152 bmp
Baby's Weight: 7 ounces
My Weight: -6 lbs (!)
Gender: 99.9% boy

I lost 6 pounds over the last two weeks somehow (I would have thought the totally decadent meal we had at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse last weekend would have made me gain 6 pounds, not lose it!). While it's not concerning yet since the baby's weight is spot on, Dr. P. told me to start eating small meals every 2 - 3 hours. The problem is that I'm just not very hungry lately, so I forget to eat or nothing sounds appealing.

Anyway, my next appointment is in 2 weeks. I'll update if anything interesting happens.

Monday, March 7, 2011

Combined screening results are in...

...And everything looks good! As you can imagine, I'm very relieved by this news. I've been holding my breath, waiting for something else to go wrong and give us a reason to do an amnio. However, with my results, there's no need as the risk of a major chromosomal issue is minuscule. It looks like we're finally in the clear! I can't believe we finally made it to this point...

Here are today's stats:

Pregnancy length so far: 16 weeks, 5 days
Fruit Comparison: Onion
Movement: Maybe? I feel lots of little twinges; it's hard to tell if they're kicks or not though...
Combined Screening Risks:
Down Syndrome: 1:1,100
Trisomy 18: 1:100,000
Neural Tube Defects: Negative
Next OB appointment: March 10th


Here's what's happening developmentally this week, courtesy of pregnancyhut.com:



The baby is about 6 1/2 inches long and weighs 4 ounces. The umbilical cord becomes stronger, thicker and longer as the weeks advance. It carries blood and nutrients to the growing baby. The baby’s sense of hearing is progressing as the ears move to their final position. The internal parts are well developed by now. The baby develops adipose tissue which helps in regulating the baby’s body temperature. The baby has distinctive features now and holds up the head more erect. The body and limbs of the baby are longer than the head by now making the whole body more proportionate. The baby develops pads on the tiny fingertips and toes. The eyes are well developed now but remain firmly closed.

Meconium or the excretory waste is formed which consists of a black gooey substance. If the baby is a male, the prostate glands start developing. The skeleton transforms from cartilage to bone and the bones remain flexible to be able to pass through the birth canal. The baby’s skin develops further but is still transparent. A protective cover starts developing around the baby’s skin called vernix. Brown fat deposits will start forming under the skin which will help to maintain body temperature during birth. The baby now weighs more than the placenta and loud noises can actually startle the baby.