I had my NT ultrasound today at Obstetrix. It was so great to see baby - even though it had only been 2.5 weeks since my last ultrasound I was getting so antsy to see baby. Baby has gotten so big! It was really great to have a regular abdominal ultrasound instead of a vaginal ultrasound. Baby was sleeping at first so the tech kept moving around and waiting, after 10 minutes or so baby started rubbing its face with its hands, it is so darling to see it acting like a baby in there! We counted 5 fingers on one hand, so that is promising :) The tech showed us the nuchal bone which is the nose bone which I guess is not always present in Down's Syndrome. The tech also measured the fluid on the back of baby's neck - a number above 30 would indicate a higher risk, 10-30 is normal. Baby's number was 18-20, which was perfect. They took blood from me and will run that to finish their "triple screen" for genetic abnormalities and from there can give me a number likelihood of baby having either trisomy 21, 18, or 13. For example, 1 in 5000 would be a good number. Those will be back in a week, so anxiously awaiting those results, though things look promising, so I'm feeling a lot more relieved.
In other news, I was taken off of my last progesterone on Wednesday after my number shot up from 16-38. Today I went to CCRM for testing one last time and it was 28. I missed the call since I was at my ultrasound, but the nurse said that number was fine and I was okay to stay off of everything and be graduated from CCRM! Wahoo! It worries me a little with how much my progesterone has yo-yo'd, but having a number in the upper 20's makes me feel better that if it drops more it will still be okay? At least that's what I'm telling myself!
So now if all goes well I have to wait 8 weeks for my next ultrasound which will be my big 20 week ultrasound at Obstetrix where they can check baby from head to toe including the sex of the baby. So excited for that but 8 weeks seems like a lifetime away! I told Brian already depending on how I'm doing, I might call my regular OB in a few weeks and see if they will do an ultrasound for me. I have not had to wait more than 2.5 weeks between ultrasounds and this last week was hard for me because I was so anxious about this appointment.
Best news though is that baby looks great, and I am so excited on Wednesday to officially be graduated from first trimester and hopefully feel better and rock and roll with this second trimester :) Bring on the BUMP!
Monday, November 28, 2011
Monday, November 21, 2011
Frustrating Hormones!
Today I am 11w5d preggers! I had blood work this morning to try to wean off my last estrogen patch. My estrogen came back great, so I was able to go off of the last patch, BUT my progesterone keeps dipping, so I have to go back on one progesterone insert once a day for a week or so to try to get that number back elevated. Ugh...stupid hormones. For awhile my estrogen kept dipping and then rising and then dipping, now my progesterone is being a pain. They said if it doesn't elevate I will have to go back on two a day and so on. I am ready to get off of this stuff! Just when I thought I'd get the good news today to be free and clear of hormones....
So enough whining, I know. The good news is I'm at the best clinic in the world and they're monitoring me so closely. I've heard stories of girls who are just told to go off of their hormones at 7 weeks or whatever, never to be rechecked or anything. That is crazy.
I'm to be rechecked on Friday, so we'll see what they say I guess! Here's hoping my progesterone skyrockets!
So enough whining, I know. The good news is I'm at the best clinic in the world and they're monitoring me so closely. I've heard stories of girls who are just told to go off of their hormones at 7 weeks or whatever, never to be rechecked or anything. That is crazy.
I'm to be rechecked on Friday, so we'll see what they say I guess! Here's hoping my progesterone skyrockets!
Friday, November 11, 2011
10w2d
Gosh, for the girl who used to be petrified of needles I sure have come a long way! Yesterday I went to my OB for a follow up ultrasound to make sure baby's growth was not falling farther behind. Baby measured at a lot of different measurements but one of them was right on track, so I feel good about that. Baby was wiggling up a storm, it really was the most beautiful thing to see. It wasn't facing us so it didn't look as much like a baby as it did last week, but it has grown to 3cm and heartbeat was 176. I never get tired of getting ultrasounds and seeing baby! I also had my INR (sp?) blood levels rechecked because the first levels showed my Lovenox wasn't thinning my blood enough, so depending on how these results come back I may have to increase the dosage possibly up to twice a day, ech. Here's hoping they come back okay! The nurse used a really thick needle to draw the blood, I have gotten so spoiled with CCRM using butterfly needles which don't even hurt that this one quite hurt a lot!
This morning I went back to CCRM to get my hormones checked. My estrogen dipped a decent amount from 1400 to 900, but progesterone didn't change at all. The nurse wasn't too concerned. She told me to wait another week and go down to one patch every other day, one estrace, and quit the progesterone. Their goal is to get me off my end of first trimester. I don't know why my body is being a pain. A lot of other girls on my forum I'm on end up being off of all their meds by 10 weeks, so hopefully everything is okay.
So now my big obsession continues to be waiting for my NT ultrasound at Obstetrix. Normally women my age have a very low risk of birth defects and I would have no reason to worry. HOWEVER, I have been through a lot to get this baby and I worry so much about something being wrong. I really think once that test comes back all clear (positive thoughts) that I will really be able to relax and enjoy the rest of my pregnancy. The test is 11/28 so two weeks from Monday...
This morning I went back to CCRM to get my hormones checked. My estrogen dipped a decent amount from 1400 to 900, but progesterone didn't change at all. The nurse wasn't too concerned. She told me to wait another week and go down to one patch every other day, one estrace, and quit the progesterone. Their goal is to get me off my end of first trimester. I don't know why my body is being a pain. A lot of other girls on my forum I'm on end up being off of all their meds by 10 weeks, so hopefully everything is okay.
So now my big obsession continues to be waiting for my NT ultrasound at Obstetrix. Normally women my age have a very low risk of birth defects and I would have no reason to worry. HOWEVER, I have been through a lot to get this baby and I worry so much about something being wrong. I really think once that test comes back all clear (positive thoughts) that I will really be able to relax and enjoy the rest of my pregnancy. The test is 11/28 so two weeks from Monday...
Monday, November 7, 2011
9w5d
Almost 10 weeks along! Every week when I get to Wednesday I know I am another week along in this pregnancy and it is so exciting to reach every milestone! 3 more weeks until I'm out of this first trimester!
Last Tuesday I had my first ultrasound and appointment with my OB, Dr. Gipson. We had the ultrasound first and it was so amazing to me how much more the baby is looking like a baby now! My 7w ultraound it still looked like a blob to me, I couldn't see a face, body, arms or legs. Now, it has all of those things, and I swear I could even see the face, which looked just like me (pregnancy hormones, go with it!) Baby was measuring 3 days behind in growth, which worried me because my last one at CCRM I was only 1 day behind, so I don't want to be falling farther behind. I brought it up to my OB and she said it could be the difference in the ultraound equipment or the sonographer or anything, but she told me to come back the following week for a follow up ultrasound for my peace of mind. Of course I didn't say no! I am getting spoiled seeing my baby almost every week! So I go back on Thursday afternoon for a recheck. Of course I get so nervous every time I get an ultrasound, but I am feeling pretty good and feeling like every week I am pregnant I am one week closer to being out of the "danger zone" of the first trimester as well as one week closer to meeting my baby!
November 28 we will have our NT scan at the high risk clinic. This is an ultrasound that is run where they measure a fold on the baby's neck and can give you a risk for having a down syndrome or other retardation from that one test. Along with that, they take a bunch of bloodwork and they run a "triple screen". With the bloodwork and the ultrasound info together they give you odds that your child has one of these conditions. Given our age no one is too worried, but I am very nervous and it will be a big weight off of my shoulders to get past that test with flying colors. Also, that test is done between 12-13 weeks, so essentially once that is done I will be done with first trimester : ) My OB could do these same tests, but I have to go meet with the high risk practice about my Lovenox and have them involved in the care as well, so they are going to do this at the same time. It makes me feel good to know I am going to the best place to check out baby. My OB said her ultrasound machine is a Toyota, and Obstetrix (high risk practice) has a Hummer, hahah.
I'm still very nauseous all the time. I dry heave almost every morning and have thrown up a few times if a smell or something sets me off. For example, yesterday I was giving the dogs a bone and I got a smell of the bones and threw up, just like that. Ech...another reason I'm very ready to be done with this first trimester.
In fun news, I went maternity clothes shopping with my mom yesterday. I am not really showing yet and don't need them yet, but I am very bloated and very few of my pants fit me anymore, so I decided to jump on the train early and get more use out of the clothes. I mostly got pants, dress pants and jeans, with a few basic tops. I will get the rest of the tops as I get bigger. I am loving sitting here at work with dress pants with a huge elastic waste, makes me feel like I'm in sweats, heck yes!
Last Tuesday I had my first ultrasound and appointment with my OB, Dr. Gipson. We had the ultrasound first and it was so amazing to me how much more the baby is looking like a baby now! My 7w ultraound it still looked like a blob to me, I couldn't see a face, body, arms or legs. Now, it has all of those things, and I swear I could even see the face, which looked just like me (pregnancy hormones, go with it!) Baby was measuring 3 days behind in growth, which worried me because my last one at CCRM I was only 1 day behind, so I don't want to be falling farther behind. I brought it up to my OB and she said it could be the difference in the ultraound equipment or the sonographer or anything, but she told me to come back the following week for a follow up ultrasound for my peace of mind. Of course I didn't say no! I am getting spoiled seeing my baby almost every week! So I go back on Thursday afternoon for a recheck. Of course I get so nervous every time I get an ultrasound, but I am feeling pretty good and feeling like every week I am pregnant I am one week closer to being out of the "danger zone" of the first trimester as well as one week closer to meeting my baby!
November 28 we will have our NT scan at the high risk clinic. This is an ultrasound that is run where they measure a fold on the baby's neck and can give you a risk for having a down syndrome or other retardation from that one test. Along with that, they take a bunch of bloodwork and they run a "triple screen". With the bloodwork and the ultrasound info together they give you odds that your child has one of these conditions. Given our age no one is too worried, but I am very nervous and it will be a big weight off of my shoulders to get past that test with flying colors. Also, that test is done between 12-13 weeks, so essentially once that is done I will be done with first trimester : ) My OB could do these same tests, but I have to go meet with the high risk practice about my Lovenox and have them involved in the care as well, so they are going to do this at the same time. It makes me feel good to know I am going to the best place to check out baby. My OB said her ultrasound machine is a Toyota, and Obstetrix (high risk practice) has a Hummer, hahah.
I'm still very nauseous all the time. I dry heave almost every morning and have thrown up a few times if a smell or something sets me off. For example, yesterday I was giving the dogs a bone and I got a smell of the bones and threw up, just like that. Ech...another reason I'm very ready to be done with this first trimester.
In fun news, I went maternity clothes shopping with my mom yesterday. I am not really showing yet and don't need them yet, but I am very bloated and very few of my pants fit me anymore, so I decided to jump on the train early and get more use out of the clothes. I mostly got pants, dress pants and jeans, with a few basic tops. I will get the rest of the tops as I get bigger. I am loving sitting here at work with dress pants with a huge elastic waste, makes me feel like I'm in sweats, heck yes!
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