Great results from the NT screening

Good news. My doctor called the day before Thanksgiving and gave us great news. The tests came back showing a very low risk of Down's (1 in 4000, the same as a 20 yr old!) and Trisomy 18 (1 in 10,000). We're going to have another blood test next week, but the doctor is not advising an amnio, though we can have one if we want. We have a bit research to do, but we're very happy and we feel very lucky.

Morning sickness? UTI?

Needless to say - no picture with this post...

Well, although I managed to get through the entire first trimester without throwing up (well, minus the few times I puked when I had the flu....but does that count?), I puked a few days ago?!? What? It was in the morning, and I was my usual (pregnant) semi-queasy self, and hadn't yet drank my morning lemonade (crystal light - my pregnancy obsession) and I was spraying Pam cooking spray and I suddenly got really nauseous, ran to the bathroom, and puked.... Mid-puke I yelled for Danny to bring me my lemonade, which I downed and immediately felt better. Very odd.

In other news - I went for my monthly exam last week and complained of some discomfort "down there." Sure enough - my urine test came back with a slight UTI. The doctor is calling in antibiotics this afternoon. Odd that I'm on more meds during the pregnancy than the entire year before....

Lastly, the NT blood tests are in my doctor's office, but my doctor is not in until possibly this afternoon, possibly tomorrow, so I don't know what they are....great. Not so good for the overly anxious, but...I'm hoping that writing this (with my one follower following - yeah, Mandy!) will magically insure (ensure) that everything is fine. Ahhhh - OCD....and Jewish craziness.

Bump Check!

Here's a pic of my belly....not too much going on - actually think I'm down a pound or two since the flu - but I think there's a little pooch. Seems I may have actually lost a little weight since the last pic...or eaten less for breakfast today (which was two bowls of rice with spinach and peanut sauce and some soy ice cream....).

Hands, Arms, Spine!

Well, I didn't sleep at all last night because I worked myself into a panic (I'm amazed that before each and every dr's appointment I really get scared that something has/will go wrong). We had the ultrasound part of the "Nuchal Translucency" test today (a screening test for Down's Syndrome) and cousin Tamar (Danny's dad's brother's middle daughter) went with me for the appointment. Thank god the technician quickly said, "Oh, there's the heartbeat" and then let me hear it (soooo cool - very strong :), so I felt a lot better right away. She then told me they had to get the little guy/gal into position and sometimes it takes a long time, which also relaxed me tremendously. I then watched the screen and saw some crazy things. It really looked just like a baby! I saw the spine, and the arms and hands (it looked like it was rubbing it's eyes and sucking on its fingers...) and the cute little head and the nose and the body with it's little round belly. It looked so "real" - it was amazing. I guess this is a really happening!

After about 10 minutes of trying to get the fetus to move into position, the technician told me to go have lunch and come back afterward and we'd try again. This time Tamar came in with me (I was too nervous the first time) and she was also totally amazed at what we could see. They managed to get the right angle, and we "passed" (ie, low probability of Down's) and I felt great. They then took some blood work (I'll find out the results next week) for the next part of the test and scheduled the 20 week "anatomy screen" in January.

Aunt Lois is going to join me for that one since the hospital is right around the corner from her apartment and poor Danny can't get off school to come too.

Bump Check!

Today we took a few pictures of my body to show the belly bump progress. So far the biggest change I've experienced is that my chest is HUGE (I'm a 34-D now! oh my!) and that at the end of the day my belly sticks out quite a bit. I carry my "extra pounds" around my belly anyway, so it's hard to say what's what, but I know for sure there are going to be lots and lots of changes over the next 6 months....and I just need to be calm, keep walking and exercising, and remember this is the one time in life it's socially acceptable to "get big." So - bring it on!

H1N1 Flu! And finally telling my Mom!

Just when you thought it was safe to leave the house - I got the flu! My friend Nicole was visiting from California this weekend and we had a great time (we were the Doublemint Twins for Halloween). I had a little bit of a cold, but no biggie, and then Monday night I had a headache, and by Tuesday afternoon I was running a fever of 101.5! And I never run a fever. I called my OB/GYN and she put me on Tamiflu and Extra Strength Tylenol and after three days in bed sweating and delirious, today I managed to get out of bed...and sleep in the hall because it was too bright in our room! Thank goodness I have great co-workers who ran the show for the week - and a husband who took off from work to take care of me - and good family to support me. Danny panicked a bit about the fever and the fetus, but we broke down and told his Dad about the pregnancy and a few emails later got a note from a professor at Columbia University specializing in pregnancy risks from the flu that there's nothing to worry about - and the best way to protect the baby-to-be is to remain calm and not stress out the mommy-to-be!

I continue to be quite emotional these days and as we were planning on telling our parents today (we were supposed to have another ultrasound yesterday but I had to cancel because I was sick), I couldn't wait any longer and I told my folks. It was like a huge burden (and, oddly, sadness) was lifted. I went from literally crying on the phone with my brother ("Dave, I gotta tell mom!" "Are you crying?" "I'm pregnant and emotional - I have to go."), to feeling really excited about this pregnancy.

In the words of Avi Aviv (Danny's Dad, who's also a doctor), "This is what family is for - to support you no matter what."

Saw the head! Everything is good!

To celebrate my friend Jen Shaw coming for a visit from Israel, I had the single greatest piece of news I've had...ever! I went in for an appointment and they figured out why I was bleeding (every 3 days for the last 4.5 weeks!) - I had a little cervical polyp, which they promptly removed, did a little ultrasound (saw the little heart beating and a very clear picture of the head and body - can't believe there's a "baby" in there!) and I'm beyond excited. I really have been so worried (constantly checking the bleeding - worrying that the dr was giving me a 50% chance of miscarriage). It's been particularly rough because the dr suggested that I don't engage in activities that seem to result in more bleeding (yoga, walking...sweeping!) so I've been feeling very fragile and scared. But now - we're past a huge hurdle - and I feel very very very lucky.*

* the results from the polyp came back negative - everything is fine.