The amniocentesis today.

Today we went to the Fetal and Women's Center again for our amniocentesis. Our appointment was at 9:30. We arrived and they called us back and did an ultrasound to check for the baby's growth. He wasn't in a very good position so we didn't get very good pictures of him and we couldn't get 3D because of his position. He's measuring well, within 1 day of his due date. I'm due April 10, and he's measuring to be due on April 9th.

We got another look at his privates, and he still has little boy parts (:

The tech found a pocket of fluid that would be good to draw from for the amnio, and she went to get the doctor.

We waited in the room and the tech and the doctor came back in. The doctor was very friendly, she asked if I was nervous, and I said yes. I was very nervous. She put the solution on my stomach, it wasn't iodine because I'm allergic, it was something pink. I'm not sure what it actually was though. The tech put the sterile jelly on my stomach, and put some jelly on the ultrasound transducer. They put a glove on top of the transducer and put it to my tummy.

The doctor started looking for the fluid pocket and found it. She grabbed the needle and said "Are you ready?" I just shook my head Yes. Hell no I wasn't ready, but I had to be.

"One, two, three, breathe. You'll feel a pinch."

Oh yeah. A pinch... at first. I felt the needle go through all the layers of my skin, muscle, and into my uterus. I have to say, that was one of the most painful experiences of my life. It was bearable, until I felt the needle slip into my uterus. She put the vial onto the needle and the fluid began to fill up the container. It was yellow-tinted. All I could think was "Please hurry, please fill faster."
The doctor kept reminding me to calm down, and breathe, because my muscles were so tense. It hurt so bad. She took off the first vial and put a second, smaller one on. It filled up rather quickly and she pulled the needle out.

Tears were filling up my eyes, I didn't expect it to hurt that bad. The tech took the transducer and said "Okay, let's check for a heart tone." And it was 146 bpm.

The doctor said that they got a good look at the baby today because I'm so thin, but they still want me to come back in 3 weeks for an additional ultrasound. They told me to go up front and wait for my disk and to make an appointment.

Now, the wait. It's so nerve-wracking and tense. I'm praying to God so hard that the test results come back negative. Please God, please, just let my baby be okay.

Feeling the baby kick and names.

Today I've been feeling the baby kick a lot stronger and more often now. I can feel it on the outside when I place my hand on my tummy. I'm trying to get Leo to have enough patience to lay his hand there for a little bit so HE can feel it, too.

We've also been talking names.

We used to want Dom, but I'm not too sure about that anymore.

I suggested Jordan, because that was going to be "Dom's" middle name, so for now, we're thinking of Jordan as the first name. We're stuck on trying to find a middle name. I like Carter, but Leo doesn't like it much.

I'm getting insane soda and Starbucks cravings lately. I'm getting the soda sometimes, but I haven't had Starbucks in like 3 months! Maybe here in the next week or so, Leo can work something on (:

Ahh, I just felt the baby move again. Such an amazing thing. This is definately what I missed most when I wasn't pregnant. I'm just trying to take it slow and enjoy this pregnancy, because we won't be TTC for another few years, at least. The ideal age is when both kids have went to Kindergarten, but I don't know. Leo and I may decide at that time that we LIKE having the freedom school and kindergarten bring us, and want to wait some more, or stop. I'm already thinking about birth control after this baby. I am dead-set on NOT getting pregnant for at least 4 years. Baby-fever willing, that is. (;

I'm 15 weeks and 1 day today, and it's amazing me how fast time is flying. It was 9, almost 10, weeks ago that I got my positive pregnancy test. Oh, how time flies.

♥

The Perinatologist - and the sex of the baby!

Today we went for our important doctor's appoinment. It was at 9:10 a.m. and we had to meet with a genetic counselor first. She told us how the found the risk for Downs Syndrome, and explained in depth to us about the way they come up with a number for risk. She said that someone my age should have a risk factor of about 1/1000 of a baby with DS or better. My risk was 1/200. (The good news, was our Trisomy 13/18 risk was 1/32,000.) The way she explained it, is they take the NT measurement (mine was 2.3) and the Crown Rump Length and find where it corresponds in the percentiles of "normal" or "average." She said with a CRL of 56, and a NT of 2.3 our percentile is about 93%, and average is being 50%. The other two tests they do are proteins in the blood, and I only remember what one of them was called, Beta HCG. My percentile of that was 60%, normal being 50%. The other protein, which I can't remember the name, normal being 50%, we found ourselves in the 10%. That raised the risk to 1/200. That's my non-doctor way of interpretting it, at least.

Next, she talked to us about family medical history. She asked about Hailee, and about Summer, Leo's baby sister. Asked about their health, and what not.
Hailee and Summer are both happy healthy babies, Summer's complications were related to her mother, which is Leo's step-mother, so that doesn't affect us at all. (Pre-eclampsia, c-section, 5 week early delivery).

She asked if we would like to do another blood test that day to help adjust the risk of DS, and we said no, we'd just like to get the amniocentesis, we want to know a definitive "Yes, my baby has DS" or "No, my baby does NOT have DS." She asked how much we knew about the procedure, and showed us a diagram of what it will actually look like being done. She said that we could have it done today, if the two fluid sacks around baby fuse, but if they haven't we'd reschedule.

She told us we'd be having an ultrasound to check on the baby, and to see how he or she was doing, because that could help to adjust the chance of downs syndrome. She said if everything went well and baby looked good, it could be lowered to as much as 1/700 chance of DS versus our now 1/200.

We head back for the ultrasound, and all goes well. The woman performing it asked if we'd like to know the sex if it was visible. We said "Yes!" A minute later, she adjusts the transducer, and we see two legs and a butt on a screen. And a penis. "THATS A BOY!"
She said that she guarantees it's a boy, because he was spread wide-eagle and it was definately out-there.

She continued taking pictures of the heart, spine, and brain, and counting fingers, and toes. (10 of each!)

The Doctor who was going to perform the amnio came in and told us that we *Could* have the amnio today, at a much greater risk of pregnancy loss because the fluid sacks were not formed. We didn't want to do that, and she said that in 10 days they'll be good to go. We made the appointment for 11 days from today, 10/27/09.
She also gave us great news, the baby looked great, and the odds of him having downs syndrome decreased to 1/650. GREAT!

So, we have a boy. A boy who's looking great, and has 10 fingers, 10 toes. He's handsome, and Mommy and Daddy love him very much. The amniocentesis will be in 11 days and we'll know for sure, if our little boy has Downs Syndrome or not.

Give the preggo lady her steak!

Today, for the 4th time this month, we bought steaks.
We bought really nice cuts today, a brand new thing of A-1 Cajun Marinade, and some charcoal.

We come home, marinade the steaks, and light the grill. The charcoal lights right up and looks good. We were trying out a new kind, and so far so good.

5 minutes later I came outside and the charcoal was ready? Already? I thought it was strange. We grabbed the steaks, threw them on the grill. The charcoal didn't even look like it was COOKING the steaks.

Leo flips the steaks, and they were barely cooked. The charcoal had COMPLETELY BURNED OUT. In 10 minutes. It had actually gotten COLD.

Our steaks were ruined. We spent half an hour trying to salvage the fire, so we wouldn't have to return them. Try as we might, there was not a thing we could do.

Off to Fry's we went, to return our steaks and that garbage charcoal. Leo worked there 2 years ago, so he knew the manager that was in. It was a relief, because she didn't make TOO big of a stink about it. You could just tell she was really, really unhappy.
We didn't want our money back, we just wanted to get new steaks and a different kind of charcoal. The meal was $30.00. I was not about to just waste it, to throw the steaks out. No way, no how. We switched the steaks and charcoal out and left, but it just sucked.
The last thing I wanted to do was go to Fry's and exchange our steaks when we should have been eating them. When we got home, we were too upset to even cook them. We'll grill them tomorrow, but urgh.

So, I had chicken nuggets and bbq sauce for dinner. (:

Not bad, but not my ribeye steak. ):

Friday, come sooner. I'm nervous!

I had an NT Scan at 12w2d this pregnancy. A week later, the results phone call was devastating. Our child is at an increased risk for Trisomy 21 (Downs Syndrome). The risk is 1/200. We've scheduled an appointment with the Perinatologist for Friday in the morning. It's nerve-wracking and I feel like I'm going crazy! We're going to schedule an amniocentesis to get a definitive "Yes" or "No." And, O.M.G. I'm worried.

I'm adopted by my paternal grandmother, so I have no knowledge of my birth mom's family history. For all I know I could have a sister, brother, cousin, aunt, uncle with Downs and not know. It makes me even more nervous, that I could be at this huge risk, and have no way to know for sure.

I'm praying that everything goes okay with the amnio, and that our baby is perfectly okay, and has no defects. I have to have something to look forward to, the day of the results... I guess, if nothing else, at least I find out the sex, right?