Ultrasound pictures

Here are a few pictures from all of the scans we've had with this baby. Some of them are very unique. I 'd say the 9 week one is not really identifiable as a baby. But I love them all!

6 weeks, 5 days

9 weeks, 5 days

NT Scan: 11 weeks, 3 days

Anatomy Scan: 19 weeks, 3 days

19 Weeks and an Anatomy scan

I reached 19 weeks over the weekend. We went to an indoor water park. I figured it would be a while before we could go on a little family vacation again, so I found a deal and took us away for 3 days. W had his own special kind of fun, which meant he spent most of his time playing with a steering wheel attached to a pole and watched everyone else. He said he had a great time. I was so happy to get some time to just be with him. Whenever we're home, we're always doing so much. On vacation, it's just the three of us and we could just talk to W and hang out. I loved it. 

I was able to wear my normal bathing suit. But I looked terrible. Like I have a huge gut. My belly did not look cute in my suits. I look very cute in maternity shirts! I didn't worry about it too much. I took pictures with W and placed him in front of me. You can barely see my body! Perfect. 

My back is starting to hurt if I don't support my belly while sleeping. I'm having trouble getting up when sitting on the floor. It's been spread around daycare that I am waddling (I'm not!). This baby is a little mover and if M had any patience, I think he'd be able to feel the flips from the outside. 

Our anatomy scan was Tuesday afternoon. I went in MUCH calmer than I was with W. I knew the baby was growing and I knew the baby was moving. I could only hope that we'd see a healthy baby. And we did! The baby's head is measuring right on time. The tech never took any time to look to see if the baby is a boy or a girl. I'm assuming she saw something, but just didn't point it out (we didn't want to know). I consider myself pretty good at identifying the parts because I see a lot of ultrasound pictures, but I couldn't tell anything. I saw some "stuff" that could easily be an umbilical cord and I don't even know if we were looking at the body or the head at that moment. She said it is about 11 oz, which is also perfect. I counted heart chambers while she was checking them. We saw a stomach and kidneys (or at least the tech saw them) and a brain. We couldn't get a good shot of the face and part of the brain, so the tech left to talk to the doctor while we waited for the baby to move around a bit. 

When she left, M asked me if everything was OK. I told him that we saw a great heart and the tech never seemed concerned and she never stopped talking, which usually meant it went well. When she came back, we got to see the face and she got a few more brain measurements. The doctor came in and told us the baby looked great. Not even one tiny spot of concern. I am thrilled and relieved.

This was the time with W where I really started to let my guard down. Everything is as good as it can be right now. I pulled out my scrapbook and we compared pictures of this baby to W's pictures. It looks very different - the head shape and the profile are less similar than I was expecting. W looked with us and asked to look at my belly again. He still doesn't see a baby when he looks at my belly button. 

I'm going to post all of the ultrasound photos in a separate post.

9 week ultrasound

The appointment today had a lot of waiting. We were early and the office wasn't even open yet. We had to sit in my car and play on our phones until we saw the door unlock. The nurse stuff was normal. I've lost 4 pounds since the last appointment (this cold means I'm not very interested in dessert). Then we waited in the office for about 20 minutes before the doctor came in. Usually we sit in silence because I can't talk about anything, but we spent the wait time discussing dinner for our anniversary. We're going to Baltimore on Friday night and taking W to the in-laws for a sleepover. I'm excited. 

By the time the doctor showed up, I was actually pretty calm. I was very afraid before because the weird cloudy pee was not there on Tuesday (it was back on Wednesday). She tried an external ultrasound, but there was only blur. I did not worry about this because I didn't think you could really see anything at this point. Then she went for the inside ultrasound and kept the screen turned away from me. I'm not really into that, but M could see. I watch his face and he started to smile and then he nodded for me. Hooray! We got a quick little picture and the baby is measuring perfectly (which means a little ahead because they consider me due 3 days before I do). I didn't get to see much on the screen, but my picture is a little peanut with a placenta, body and either horns, arms or legs. I can't tell. It is beautiful. 

Next appointment is the First Trimester Screening on the 22nd. 

I'm very happy. 

40 Weeks

Hi! It's my due date! Where's that baby???

The good: I've made it to a fully cooked little (big?) baby! We're both healthy and happy. One of us is a little too happy... I am fully prepared to have a child in this house. I have cereal now.

The bad: Well, it's my due date and the baby is still in my belly. That's not why I was counting down to today!

The ugly: Me. I'm not in too bad shape, but I know poor M must think I'm gross. I'm just really a huge lump of sweat and farts that has to pee a lot. He's being nice and pushing my butt to help me get off the couch. But I'm gross and I know it.

The Appointment:
I did not gain any weight this week. This is the first thing I've had that I can find on my "what happens before labor list" that we get in childbirth class. The Drill Sergent told us that we would stop gaining weight or loose a little right before we have the baby. I am pretending that it doesn't matter that this was a morning appointment and I usually am in there right after lunch.

I measured myself with the tape before the doctor got in there because they never tell me where I am. It said 39 weeks. M said that means I have another week. I told him to never talk to me again. Then the doctor came in. She said I measured on time. I am 3-4 cm dilated and the baby is "way up there." So that's progress and I know I won't have to worry about going to the hospital and having them tell me I'm at a 1. That would suck.

I asked her about work and told her I stopped going on Friday. She said to just leave the disability forms at the front desk and they'll get them filled out for me. That's a great thing. Now I won't feel (semi)guilty about not working this week. And I can get another week out of my very crappy short term disability.

Then we started talking induction. I wanted to go as soon as possible. She said Tuesday. One of us is a doctor, so that person wins. I am currently waiting for a phone call from the nurse to get that scheduled.

Then for the fun! I got a Non Stress Test, which was awesome. I got to curl up in a huge comfy recliner and listen to the baby's heart beat for 20 minutes. M got to sit with me on a wooden chair. He had to pee, but he was afraid he'd miss something. So he just sat with me the whole time. I called my mom so she could hear the monitor and she liked it. The doctor took a look at the chart and pronounced us good. The heart beat was steady the whole time.

Next was an ultrasound to check the fluid. The baby looks SO different now. I couldn't tell what anything was, not even the head. We were on an old machine, so you can't really see much anyway, but she measured the fluid pockets and checked the position. Everything is perfect.

I guess I couldn't ask for anything more. We're both doing great, so there is no need to induce me now. That's a good thing (I keep telling myself). And with this much dilation... I could still go at any time (right?).

The emotional stuff: So, May 18th (Tuesday, induction day) is exactly one year since we found out our baby died. The worst day of my entire life. I could be leaving the hospital with a new baby one year after leaving with no baby. This is kind of hard for me to take. I told M I didn't really want the baby born on the 18th or 19th because those are bad days for me. But I also think that maybe it will be ok... I mean, it's like having a baby on Sept 11... it brings some good back into that day. Something positive.

Anatomy Scan!

The baby is wonderful!

I was so nervous. M woke up to me crying this morning and we were almost silent while we got ready for the appointment. We didn't talk about our afternoon plans. We didn't talk about what would happen today at all.

I love being the first appointment of the day. We got in quickly and I was covered in goo within a few minutes of getting there. The first thing we saw was the great (4-chambered!) heart with a heart rate of 148. Everything we needed to see was there. The baby was moving it's hands and feet all over the place. The tech couldn't get pictures of one hand because it was behind the baby's head. M has the "tough" picture with the baby looking right at the camera with the hand behind the head giving everyone the finger.

During the measurements, the baby flipped from face up to face down. When the doctor came in to do a final look, the baby had flipped so the profile was in the other direction. We've got an active one! We were told to look away when she checked the gender. I didn't see any of the girl parts or boy parts that people usually have in those pictures and they never said he or she. I'm very happy about that!

We do have a small spot on the baby's heart. This is one of the markers for Downs Syndrome, but with all my other tests, the risk is still 1/5000. I'm not even going to worry about that.

Here is my favorite picture. I'm in love.

NT Scan Results

Everything looks wonderful. Thank you so much for your prayers and support!

Here are the details: I told the tech about the miscarriages and she was great. She was kind and asked all the right questions. I felt like hugging her. She looked for the heart beat right away and I couldn’t really see it, but she let us hear it. It was at about 176 right then. I think it might have been high because my own heart rate was out of control. Then she checked all over. The baby is perfect. We saw both hemispheres of the brain, a bladder, spinal cord, fingers, toes and long legs. The baby opened and closed its mouth a few times.

M couldn’t take his eyes of the screen. He held my hand the whole time but I think he forgot I was in the room.

Later on in the scan, the baby’s heart rate went down to 158 and steady, which is wonderful. She was happy to see that. Then we talked about my dates. The baby measured 13 weeks, 1 day. That was from several measurements at several angles. I am supposed to be 12 weeks, 0 days. I’m not surprised that we were off – if everything had been right on time, we wouldn’t have this baby!

My due date has been changed to May 9th. This could be the best Mother’s day ever!

All of the measurements for the NT scan were right where they should be.

So, this baby moved everywhere. The last baby barely moved during the scan. The heart rate was at 158 and 176, which is within the normal range that the tech wants to see. The last baby was at 186 – too high. This baby is measuring 13 weeks, 1 day. The last one measured 12 weeks 6 days at my 14 week appointment.

Could this really happen?

NT Scan tomorrow!

We're going to the NT scan tomorrow morning, bright and early. We need to be there at 7:45, so I'll be drinking tons of water and wishing I could pee by 6:30.
As of right now (2 pm on Sunday afternoon), I'm feeling good. I'm not to worried, but then I remember that I wasn't worried at that 14-week appointment in May. Then I get worried about not being worried and thinking I might jinx everything.
Do you think I can get the tech to look for a heartbeat immediately? Last time, she looked at my ovaries forever before even passing by the baby. I guess it won't hurt to ask.

2nd Appointment Details

OB appointment: This was a great, quick visit. I got in there and the little “cover up” blanket wasn’t on the chair, so I started going through all the cabinets. M told me to just go find a nurse and ask, but I know they have all the supplies in the room. I shuddered a little when I opened the drawer full of speculums, but then the huge stash of gowns was right there. Then M reminded me to hide my underwear.

The baby came right into view. I love seeing that heartbeat and the tiny arms moving around. Perfect. We got two pictures! When she measured the baby, we got 10 weeks, 1 day. I gasped a little and the doctor laughed at me – “No, look how the baby is stretched out!” You can see the difference in position in the two pictures.

So we’re looking good so far. She asked me if I’d be ok with waiting 4 weeks until my next appointment. I agreed, but only because I have the NT scan in the middle. That scan is on November 2 and my next OB appointment is November 12.

Wait, November 12? I must be out of my mind. On November 9, I will be 13 weeks. I lost my November baby sometime near the beginning of the 13th week. I’m happy to have the appointment close to that time so I can just KNOW, but then November 13th was my due date. So I again find myself with the possibility of some great heartache piled on top of some more heartache. I hope that’s not the case….

Ok, on to the CF genetic stuff. We spent over an hour with the people in that office. This group (headed by Dr. D) is developing screening tests for babies through the mother’s blood. Within the past 2 years, they have been able to separate out the baby’s DNA from the mother’s blood and screen for genetic disorders. This means no more invasive testing to confirm Down’s Syndrome or Trisomny 18 and 21 or Cystic Fibrosis. I’ve already decided I’m not going to get a CVS or amnio if M is a carrier for CF. There’s nothing we can do ahead of time and the 1 in 200 miscarriage risk is too much for me (even if the risk has been reduced to 1 in 1600 for an amnio and 1 in 400 for the CVS). I’m not ruling out the tests for other problems, just not for CF.

So, back to the doctor. They started off with all the forms. My main concern had been about them requiring one of those tests, but they don’t. M had to swab his cheeks for the quick screening. Then they took blood from both of us (or tried). M went first. She got about 4 drops out of him and he turned gray and soaked in sweat. She had missed his vein. The poor nurse felt so bad. He needed about 20 minutes to recover. They ended up getting 8 more cheek swabs from him. He might have to go back next week if they can’t get his full DNA from that. Then she took 8 vials from me. I didn’t even flinch. I made sure to rub this is in at every opportunity.

CF has about 1600 different mutations. The screening offered to pregnant women looks for 20-30 of these mutations (the most common ones). I have DeltaF508, the most common of the most common. The cheek swab will only look for those same mutations. If he has one of those, ok. They are also testing him for the remaining 1570 mutations. In return for getting this done for free, I am giving blood samples throughout my pregnancy (hopefully).

Dr. D and his wife had 2 miscarriages before their daughter was born and then another before their son. He was kind to us and is going to have us wait until I pass 14 weeks to give any more blood. He doesn’t want any extra stress on this baby (or me).

I really believe in what he’s doing. Imagine all those women who get a high percentage chance back from the NT scan and then have to decide in more tests that could harm the baby. Soon they’ll have the option to know earlier, and more specifically, if anything is wrong. I do see the flip side – perhaps parents will see the results of this test and decide to end the pregnancy, even if it is a treatable condition.

But the good outweighs the bad. So many parents are faced with finding out about chromosomal problems when it is too late and their options are limited, restricted, or downright scary. I know it doesn’t make the decision any easier, but no one should have to fight for their rights when in the middle of so much grief. That’s why this is important to me.

Appointment details

Here are all the details from my appointment yesterday. These are not very exciting, it’s mainly for my own reference.

We arrived at the office and my wait wasn’t that bad (surprising for a late afternoon appointment). I had to fill out a few forms that I’ve filled out a few times already. I was shaking the whole time. We moved into the room and M laughed at the way I hide my underwear (everyone does that!). The doctor did all the normal stuff and talked to me a little. She is so nice and I like her much better than the doctor I had last time. She made sure I was taking baby aspirin and then decided I should get a Cystic Fibrosis test, too. What’s one more blood test? I’m good at those!

Then on to the ultrasound! The office has old machines were made in the 1700s. They are loud and fuzzy and old. They can’t even measure this early. I don’t care about that – I get to see my baby! She got the camera up there and I could see a dark blob that was bigger than my last first appointment (last time we saw the baby at 6 weeks, 3 days). I saw the yolk sac first and that scared me, but a few seconds later, the little flickering heartbeat was clear. M leaned in to see and I couldn’t stop crying. The doctor was talking to me, but I have no idea what she said. I couldn’t get a word out until she said, “It’s just one!” and then I almost shouted, “GOOD!” She pronounced that everything looked great and left us alone to get dressed (well, I was the only one who had to get dressed). M and I just sat there and hugged for a few minutes while I finished crying. He even had a few tears. I can’t believe the relief. I never let myself think about what could be there until now. What a beautiful feeling.

We went in to have a chat with the doctor and she gave me the usual rundown. We’re going to schedule the NT scan again. Then I took all my courage and said, “I’m going to be very nervous for the next few weeks.” And she said immediately, “We’ll have you come in every two weeks. There’s nothing we can do this early, but we’ll still watch you closely.” I could have kissed her. She told me to pick up another vitamin (DHA in a pill called Expeta) and add that to the daily regimen.

I got all my blood tests and I’ll be going in again on October 14th. This gives a whole new meaning to the two week wait!

Thank you for all your good wishes and congratulations!

Here's my picture - my scanner isn't working (as usual), so you get a pdf scan.