I had what is called an Ultrascreen. It's purpose is to look for chromosomal abnormalities that could show that the baby might have Downs Syndrome, or 2 other defects. They measure the amount of liquid in the baby's neck, then do a blood test on me. J couldn't get out of work to go (his other half at work had the day off, so he couldn't do that too), so Mama K went with me (Thank you Mama K!).
Unlike last time, we waited maybe 5-10 minutes to get called up. The doctor kind of asked who Mama K was and I told him she was my stand-in hubby since my hubby couldn't be there. He laughed. We went into a room very similar to the one we did two weeks ago. He asked what I knew about the test we were having and then gave us more info about it. Then, it was time to get started. Cold jelly on the belly and there pops up Monkey, moving and shaking because apparently he/she was sleeping and didn't want to be messed with (sounds like J already!). Almost immediately, Monkey waved at us - see the picture below. You can see his/her fingers!
Then the doc started doing his measurements. He didn't tell me anything, just went along his merry way. Finally he was done and he said, "now it's time to play." He showed us from the top of Monkey's head, all the way down to his/her legs. Then with the machine, looked Monkey in the face and took a still shot, writing "Booh" on it for "Halloween" he said. Although, for the life of me I can't figure out who spells Boo like he did..."Booh." Random! He took another shot of the face and then we were done. Overall, he was a nice doc, tried to be funny (Mama K asked if there was any way to tell the sex yet and he said, "well, I'm sure sex was involved in the making of the baby" and I quipped, "actually, nope...too many people in the room for that. We did IVF.") and overall was fine.
Now here's where the weird part comes in...besides the Booh thing. He walks us down the hall for my blood work. Mama K is asked to wait in the waiting room. First I fill out the form and it asks if this baby is from Artificial Insemination or IVF, so I check "yes". Then it asks the age of the egg. I asked the nurse if that meant my age or how long the egg was frozen. She said no one had ever asked her that before, so she went and asked the doc and it sounded like he wasn't too sure of the answer either. We finally settled on my age because the egg was born with me. (Shouldn't they know these things?)
Now time for the blood test. I stick my arm out, exposing my inner elbow because that's usually where blood work happens, and the nurse turned my hand over and put a small, plastic pillow on my right ring finger and kind of tied it there. Then it started to get really hot. I mentioned it was hot and she said it was warming up the blood so it would come out better. Okay, prick of the finger, no worries. Finally, she's all prepped and she takes the thing off and pricks my finger on the outer side of it. Then she proceeds to S-Q-U-E-E-Z-E the living daylights out of it until a huge drop appears. She aims over the circle on the form I just filled out and the drop falls in the circle. This process is repeated 4 more times in 4 different circles about the size of a dime. She puts a band-aid on my finger and we are done. Weirdest. Blood. Test. EVER!
If there are abnormalities in either the ultrasound or the blood, a genetic counselor will call us by October 17th. No call means good news. If they call, there's other tests they can do to double verify the results. I'm praying for no call!
Now for our 12 week updates.
Monkey's Update:
The most dramatic development this week: reflexes. Your baby's fingers will soon begin to open and close, his toes will curl, his eye muscles will clench, and his mouth will make sucking movements. In fact, if you prod your abdomen, your baby will squirm in response, although you won't be able to feel it. His intestines, which have grown so fast that they protrude into the umbilical cord, will start to move into his abdominal cavity about now, and his kidneys will begin excreting urine into his bladder.
Meanwhile, nerve cells are multiplying rapidly, and in your baby's brain, synapses are forming furiously. His face looks unquestionably human: His eyes have moved from the sides to the front of his head, and his ears are right where they should be. From crown to rump, your baby-to-be is just over 2 inches long (about the size of a lime) and weighs half an ounce.
My Update:
Your uterus has grown to the point where your healthcare provider can now feel the top of it (the fundus) low in your abdomen, just above your pubic bone. You may already be into maternity clothes, especially if this isn't your first pregnancy. If you're still fairly small and not yet ready for maternity clothes, you've no doubt noticed that your waist is thickening and that you're more comfortable in loose, less restrictive clothing.
You may begin to feel heartburn (also called acid indigestion), a burning sensation that often extends from the bottom of your breastbone to your lower throat. Many women get heartburn for the first time during pregnancy, and those who've previously had bouts of heartburn may find that it gets worse. During pregnancy, the placenta produces a lot of the hormone progesterone, which relaxes the valve that separates the esophagus from the stomach. Particularly when you're lying down, gastric acid can seep back up the pipe, which causes the uncomfortable burning sensation. For many women the problem doesn't begin (or get worse) until later in pregnancy, when your growing uterus starts to push up on your stomach. The discomfort may range from mildly annoying to intense and distracting.
From My Perspective:
I'm feeling a bit better I think, except 3 out of the 5 work days this week I have woken up with a headache that in some cases became a migraine. No fun. On the days I didn't have a migraine, it took all of me to make myself no get sick. Literally, yesterday in the shower, it was like the water was too hot and I felt sick. So odd! A bit better today, but still not 100%. Would love to get back to the gym and boot camp, but not gonna happen quite yet. Hopefully soon.
I guess that is all on our home front. Now we wait for results and Dr. OB appt on Tuesday. Cross fingers that nobody calls about the test...good news! Happy weekend Bleeps!
Hope all turns out well.
ReplyDeleteThose blood tests sound a bit like what I did at the homeopath. I mean had had to squeeze some blood out to look at it under a microscope.