First OB Appointment

Chad and I had an appointment with my perinatologist this afternoon. It was good to see her and her staff again after a 2 year break. I got to know them pretty well with Eli since I was there every other week for most of the pregnancy.

Anyway, everything still looks good today. I'm finally far enough along for an abdominal ultrasound, which is a nice change from the dildo cam! The baby was very active, although still measuring a bit small at 11w1d (although it was curled up so measurements can be off by a week at this stage). It was slightly too small for an official NT measurement to check for Down Syndrome, but Dr. P. eyeballed the baby's neck and said it looks normal to her. We will do the official measurement next friday. The heartrate came in at 178 bpm.

Tiny alien baby

 According to the Ramzi method of gender prediction, we are having another boy since the placenta is on the right. He reviewed records of 5000 women and found that 97% of boys have a placenta on the right. Similarly, 97% of girls have a placenta on the left. That said, his study has not been peer reviewed nor have his results been replicated. We will know the gender for sure next week most likely when we get my blood test results back! Here's a link to the study if you're interested in reading it: The Relationship Between Placental Position and Fetal Gender

And here's a cute Eli picture just because. =)

This is a cool way to eat peas, mom!

Looking Good!

After a VERY anxious night, I went in for this morning's ultrasound with more than a little trepidation. This is the point at which we previously had two pregnancies fail after seeing a heartbeat, so I'm sure you can understand why I'd be nervous! Even though I knew that more than likely everything would be fine, it's still so scary to face the possibility that it might be bad news... I doubt I'll ever go into an ultrasound room without at least a few butterflies.

Fortunately my fears were completely unfounded and everything was fine! More than fine! The fetus was moving around and waving its little arms and legs and looking perfectly normal in every way. It had a nice strong heartbeat of 170 bpm and had grown significantly since last time. It's now measuring 9w5d which is much closer to the expected gestational age of 10w3d. And since I know I ovulate 3 days later than is typical, it's barely off at all now. The gestational sac also looked much larger and normal sized.

Starting to look like a baby!

Dr. A was very pleased with my progress and released me to my perinatologist. I am going to stay on the progesterone in oil injections for 2 more weeks until the placenta is fully able to take over however. And of course I'll be on blood thinner injections for the entire pregnancy.

We also did bloodwork for the MaterniT21 test, which is a new screening test to check for Trisomy 13, 18, and 21. It also reveals the baby's gender. So we should have a better idea of whether or not we need more invasive testing within the next couple of weeks. Hopefully everything comes back normal and we can plan on a less risky amniocentesis at 16 weeks instead of a CVS within the next two weeks.

Anyway, I'll update with the bloodwork results when I get them or my next ultrasound on July 16, whichever comes first!

Still a Waiting Game...

I wish I could be more optimistic today, but this morning's ultrasound still wasn't ideal. The good news is that the embryo is still growing and has a very strong heartbeat of 165bmp. The not so good news is that it's still measuring small at 1.04cm, which is consistent with a gestational age of 7w1day. I should be 8w3days. Also, the gestational sac is also on the small side (although still within the normal range). That said, since we don't know the actual conception or implantation dates, it's still possible that everything is normal.

From my research and taking everything into account, I think we have about a 75% chance of everything being fine. We will just have to wait and see for the time being. My next ultrasound is on July 3rd.

And now for a cute Eli pic just because. =)

Happy boy!

Cautiously Optimistic

Good news! My ultrasound today went relatively well! The baby has a strong heartbeat of 121 bpm, however it did measure a little small. It was 31mm which is consistent with a gestational age of 5 weeks, 6 days. I'm currently 6 weeks, 5 days from my last menstrual cycle. However, since we don't know my actual ovulation date since this was an unmonitored cycle, it's entirely possible that it's just fine. I also wasn't on blood thinners from the start which could have caused early growth to be restricted. We will have to wait and see what happens over the next few weeks. Dr. A. recommended being cautiously optimistic as this is a great start!

My next ultrasound is on June 19th. I'm crossing my fingers that everything goes well!

-Sarah

May/June Update

Has it really been 5 months since I last updated??

We have had a very busy spring between Eli getting sick practically every other week and both Chad and I crunching at work at the same time. Recently, Eli finally seemed to be staying healthy, but last week he went downhill again and was sick ALL week with a fever and slight cough. His pediatrician saw him twice, but couldn't find any explanation other than a virus. His fever finally broke on Saturday and he was well enough to go to daycare today. Hopefully his immune system will get into gear soon!


Eli is talking ALL the time now in a semi-clear manner. He can't pronounce "l" or "th," which makes for some silly sounding words. Lately he has been obsessed with the word "no" in typical toddler fashion...

Eli getting attacked by the tickle monster! Thanks for the photo, Tracy. =)

Our other news is something that I've been hesitant to write about since it almost always seems to end poorly. A couple of weeks ago I had what I thought was a full period, but afterwards I continued spotting for a week and was completely exhausted. I finally took a home pregnancy test and to my surprise it was positive!

Last week my doctor ordered a couple of blood tests to confirm and started me on progesterone and lovenox (blood thinner) injections. Anyway, my first two blood tests showed my beta HCG was increasing, but barely within the normal range at a rate of 67% over 48 hours and a doubling time of 79 hours (viable pregnancies increase at a minimum of 66% and ideally double within 48 hours, however that slows down around this time). However today's blood test showed that my doubling time had decreased to 57 hours, which is well within the normal range. We have an ultrasound scheduled for Friday afternoon to look for a heartbeat and to make sure it's not ectopic as that's still a possibility (although looking less likely at the moment).

IF this actually turns out to be a viable pregnancy, I'll be due at the end of January. I'll send another update after the ultrasound.

-Sarah