Baby Red's First Photos

This ultrasound gave us an exact measurement of the baby - Baby Red is officially 6 weeks and 4 days old in these photographs, with a due date of January 25, 2012. The baby is so tiny - less than a centimeter - so there isn't much to see. We could see the heart beating (somewhere just above and to the left of the "B") but not much else! I can definitely feel my uterus at this point in time, just barely popping out above my pubic bone. But I'm so bloated and constipated that I'm sure I look much further than 7 weeks at the end of the day! Next doctor visit is six weeks away - that would put the baby at twelve weeks along. We will have another ultrasound (part of the Downs Syndrome screening) and hopefully there will be more resemblance to a baby at that time!

Follow up visit

So there was some question about my due date and how far along I am. By taking the date of my last period, that puts me about a week further along than I thought I was. Last Tuesday at the doctor my hcg was at 469. That would put me at about 5 weeks, not 6 weeks. This Tuesday the reading was 4623, which is five and a half to six weeks along. I think my due date is January 23, 2012, although the doctor originally said the 17th. I still have an appointment next week for an ultrasound next week. She did not push that back a week, even though I will only be 7 weeks instead of 8. Hopefully it doesn't turn out to be a waste of our time!

Is that a line?!?

We took two pregnancy tests last week. The first was a very faint line, but I kept reminding myself that one cannot be "a little bit" pregnant - either it's there or it's not!

May 14, 2012

The second test had a much more definitive line, but neither one of us was quite ready to believe it. Of course we were thinking, let's wait til the doctor confirms it. I don't think the doctor confirmation was really necessary as I had already been feeling some "morning" sickness, even the week before. Thanks to Christine for the jolly ranchers - the green apple flavor seems to be very helpful!

May 17, 2012

Why is it that we wait for the doctor to confirm, and even then it still seems so unbelievable. I do feel we are blessed to have this happen so quickly, when others wait years and still need the help of modern medicine. The doctor visit went well, but I need blood drawn and my levels checked again next week. It's weird how they calculate the due date based upon the last menstrual period, and assume all cycles are 28 days. Since mine have been 33 days, I knew I was more like 5 weeks than the 6 weeks the doctor calculated.

Then comes the question of telling people - it feels strange to be holding this secret, but the pressure is on to wait until after the first trimester. Apparently my husband can't keep a secret because he has told more people than I have! So many of his friends knew that we were trying and they asked - or saw that I continue to drink water when we are out at night. So that must have been rather obvious! My closer coworkers knew when I left early to go to the doctor. I am a little nervous about the end of the year party when the drinks are flowing. Plus I am rather emotional and am afraid I will be a sobbing mess as I am being forced to find employment elsewhere!

Here is a funny....had an end of the year transition meeting with a parent. I sat in the meeting and had a panic attack as I realized this mother is a maternity nurse ... a family that I needed to report to DCFS. I couldn't stop thinking about what she might do if she happened to be assigned to me during labor! Thankfully she currently works at Condell. Keep your fingers crossed she doesn't find a new job!

I am continuing to work out and am quite self conscious of the bloated belly I now have. Exercising is already different. Apparently my blood volume is increasing, along with my resting heart rate. Instead of the blood rushing to my muscles while exercising, it is going straight to my uterus. What used to be an easy bike ride has become quite the workout. I can tell that gaining weight is going to be difficult to manage. 

Four weeks, one day

It still seems to be quite unreal - either I am in denial, scared to what changes are to come, or just in awe of the miracle that is developing within in my body. Here's to a healthy and happy 35 weeks to go!

How did we get here?

Our pregnancy journey started a few months ago. Because of the family history, we had to be very careful and planned every moment of this pregnancy. In late January we visited my ob/gyn to discuss our options. She sat down and talked with us for quite some time (which is highly unusual with today's doctors!) - and then referred us to a specialist for more information.

A few weeks later we visited a neonatal diagnostician, otherwise known as a genetic counselor. We learned a lot of information in this meeting, including our risks, how to prevent birth defects and a little bit more about why Jeremy has to go to the bathroom all the time (who knew it was due to his spina bifida?!?)!

We are at in increased risk of having a child with spina bifida. Not only does Jeremy and his daughter have spina bifida, but he has an extended family history with this birth defect as well. Our risk is anywhere from 4-50%. This is such a wide range for two reasons: 1) Jeremy's mom's side of the family is the carrier and he has lost touch with many of those family members (including extended aunts, uncles and cousins) and 2) sometimes people will have spinal deformities and not even know it. Spina bifida can range anywhere from deformed vertebrae with no symptoms, to an exposed spinal column with physical and mental deformities.

There is good news, and the counselor stated that, of all birth defects, this is the best one to have! With research and the latest medical technologies, it is well known that neural tube defects can be prevented by increasing folic acid. Typical prenatal vitamins contain 400mg ... it is recommended that I take 10 times this amount. It is also important to take this vitamin in the early stages of pregnancy as the spine is fully formed in the first 28 days of pregnancy - which means it is often completely formed before a woman even knows she is pregnant.

Luckily, the increased vitamins have no side effects on my body and I have been successfully taking the folic acid since February (just in case!). We have shared this information with a few people and I think this has taught us one of our first pregnancy lessons. It seems as though everyone has an opinion and has no problem sharing that opinion with us. People are quick to judge us in our genetic decisions and although they always mean well, it is not easy information to hear. We believe in today's technology and knowing as much information as we can. If we can prevent a lifelong battle with medical, physical and mental struggles we definitely will. It would never be an easy decision to make, but we are going into this with an open mind and are willing to accept all options and possibilities. We know some decisions might be very difficult to make and have life long implications. We want our child to have the best quality of life possible and are willing to make some difficult decisions along the way.