After spending the entire day looking at baby nurseries I think I really like the idea of a grey and white room with expresso furniture. I also want some wall art and now they have these cool wall stickers. I don’t know how hard they are to put up but some are super cute! So in one day I think I have a vague idea of what I invision. Here are some picutres. Which ones do you love the best
This birdcage wall art is lovely.
and I really love this one
This morning I got a call from a genetic counselor with my preliminary amnio results and it came back normal…PHEW!! They also confirmed that we are having a girl. I should receive the full results in another week. What a relief! Even though the amnio was painful and the waiting even more so, I would do it again and again for that piece of mind.
I had my OBGYN appointment this afternoon and all looks good. They have scheduled me for an ultrasound in 2 weeks to check the tear and the placenta. I also have another ultrasound a week after that with the Periontologist for the same thing, definitely keeping an eye on it!
I am feeling the flutters of baby more every day, the best feeling ever! I now get to begin planning the nursery and I will post pics to get opinions. I have so many ideas it’s going to be hard to nail just one down so maybe you can help!
Thursday was our appointment with the Periontologist. First was the ultrasound that showed our active little one. The Dr. measured and checked the heart, kidneys and nasal bone. ect. All looked good. The baby is actually measuring a little big. Then like a good little baby, the little one flipped over so we could get a view of the private parts and what do you know….It’s a girl!! I was overjoyed and Shane a little shocked..he really thought he was getting a boy but I know he will be smitten with his little girl. The subchorionic hemorrhage is still there and there is something going on with the umbilical cord, not sure exactly what but the Dr. said that “most of the time” everything is fine. They will just need to keep an eye on it because it can affect the growth of the baby but like I said so far she is measuring big, so that’s a good thing!
Next came the amnio and because of my tear and needing to keep away from the baby the Dr. had to insert the needle very low into my abdomen. I will not lie, it hurt like a bitch!! We will get the results in about 10 days but we also ordered FISH results which are rapid results for Downs, Trisomy and anatomy. They should be in by Monday.
As for the tear I am still on bed rest until it is gone. We go back to the Peri on Dec. 12 to check on it and the baby’s measurement.
I have been on bed rest for a few weeks now, plenty of time to dwell on my first trimester test results. I know, I know stop worrying but when I’m laying awake in the middle of the night there isn’t anything else to think about. All I do is lay around the house reading and watching TV. Somedays are better than others but on the bad days it’s really hard to stop thinking about what will be. I have played out every outcome that can happen and I have gone over and over all the questions I have for the Periontologist. I definitely regret not asking more questions at that last appointment regarding the nuchal test and signs for Down Syndrome. At the time all I cared about was the Subchorionic tear that they saw. I find myself making excuses for the positive blood test, “maybe it’s because of all the stim meds during IVF, maybe they have my due date wrong and the test is off, maybe I had my blood drawn too early.” Yes you can say that sometimes I drive myself crazy! However I am getting through this because I have a wonderful supportive husband who has made bed rest a little easier and has been very positive through all of this. He has been amazing!!
One week until the Amnio and who knows how long it takes to get the results back. I am really looking forward to hearing that everything will be fine and to find out what we are having. Hopefully by Thanksgiving so we have something to really be thankful for.
During 2 week wait:
After the good news:
After progesterone shots ended ( 9 weeks ):
12 weeks:
13 weeks:
I got another call from my OBGYN the other day with the follow up results from my nuchal test. Although my ultrasound looked good, combined with my blood work it came back positive for abnormalities. She told me to remain calm and that they see a lot of false positives but she referred me back to the specialist. I have an appointment on November 18th for genetic counseling, a level 2 ultrasound and an amnio. Until then we wait..
Yesterday was quite a day! It started with my monthly routine trip to the OBGYN where I learned that I haven’t gained any weight and I heard the baby’s heart beat. My second appointment was with a specialist for the NT scan to check for extra fluid behind the baby’s neck which can be an indicator for downs. I talked to a genetic counselor for a while about different chromosome abnormalities and amniocentesis. I told her that if the NT scan showed indicators of some abnormalities I would most likely have an amnio done. Then I had the ultrasound. It was a pretty large room, I guess you can bring family members with you. There was a large screen monitor on the wall for me to see the babes. It was the most amazing thing to see this tiny human with his/her legs crossed, moving all around. Cute as can be! I was really sad Shane hadn’t come with me but we have the next one. I told the ultrasound nurse that I had a small tear in my placenta and she said.. ” I see it.” About 1/2 hour of getting pictures and taking measurements she left to write-up the results. Dr. Stanco, the head specialist came back into the room and said that she was very concerned about the Subchorionic Hemorrhage or tear that I have in my placenta. I told her that I knew about it early on and was told to keep my activity level low, walking no running ect. She said ” well whatever you have been doing has not helped.” Jeez thanks! I asked her what can happen if it get’s worse and she said that the bleeding can cause the placenta to pull away from the uterine wall causing a miscarriage. She suggested bed rest but told me she was faxing all the info to my OB and they would contact me with their opinions. It was so surreal. I went in to find out about chromosome abnormalities, forgot all about everything once I saw our baby and then was hit with this news. I left very upset and still no answer about the NT measurements.
I got a call from my OB later last night. She said that Subchorionic Hemorrhage’s are fairly common and they are not exactly sure what causes them. She did say that most tears heal themselves with time. She suggested for me to lay low, no work, no excercise, no carrying or lifting things. Basically stay off my feet as much as possible. I go back in a month to my OB and back to the specialist in Dec. I have done a little reading on this complication and it seems that most do go away with time and rest. Here is some more information..http://www.justmommies.com/articles/subchorionic-hematoma.shtml
On a good note, my Dr. said that the NT scan came back and the fluid was low which is good. So I feel I can put that worry to rest!
Today is the 12 week mark and I feel 100 times better. I don’t want to jinx myself but maybe the horrible all day sickness has surpassed? It’s great to feel human again. I am actually enjoying my job again and not having to shove food down my throat every hour. I have also been thinking about chocolate again. The first thing I realized in my 2 week wait was I didn’t want chocolate after dinner… I always want chocolate after dinner. It’s been 3 months and my long-lost friend is back on my mind. As soon as I am done writing this I am going straight to the kitchen to whip up some dark chocolate bark with pecans and sea salt. YUM!
The other new thing that started today is a sharp stabbing pain on the right side of my stomach. Before I panicked I googled it and sure enough it’s common in the beginning of the 2nd trimester. It’s called round ligament pain and it’s the ligaments stretching as the uterus grows. It’s a good thing I guess.
I am 11 weeks and 1 day getting closer and closer to the end of the first trimester. I really really hope this all day sickness wears off by then. I have heard some women say it lasted all pregnancy, some say it lasted into the 4th month and others say it ended at week 13. I would love it to end tomorrow. These last few weeks have been hard. I just feel awful all day, around 6:00pm I start feeling good but it’s short lived since I go to bed by 8:30. I am waking up consistently at 10 pm 12 am 2 am and again at 3:30.
I had my blood test today for the first trimester screening, they will compare the results with my nuchal translucency ultrasound which is in exactly 2 weeks. I have been enjoying gathering nursery decor ideas, however there isn’t anything to really do until we find out what we are having. I think we should know by Thanksgiving.
Nothing much has changed in this last week. I still feel sick most of the day although I am not as tired. With my new energy I have gotten back into my regularly scheduled workout. If feels good to get the excercise however sometimes I do worry if it is too much. Since the Dr. appts are so far apart now I just have to trust my body and my instinct. Speaking of my body, the worst part of the end of the first trimester is the extra “paddedness” in my midsection. It’s not enough to show the cute baby bump but just enough to make people wonder…” hmmm has Kim gained weight?” The rest is all a waiting game. We do have something super fun to do this weekend and that is see Jack Johnson in our VIP box seats! That will definitely take my mind off the long wait. At least for a night.
“Love is the answer
At least for most of the questions in my heart
Why are we here and where do we go
And how come it’s so hard
It’s not always easy and sometimes life can be deceiving
I’ll tell you one thing
It’s always better when we’re together.”
Jack Johnson
The Art of Thyming 
