Results - 1st Trimester Screen

Everything came back normal, so we're in the clear! We have a follow-up appointment with the perinatologist at around 18 weeks and we'll of course keep you posted as to the results of that visit. Thanks for keepin up with us!

1st Trimester Screen

Just to be on the safe side, we have decided to pursue a 1st Trimester screen for Down Syndrome. We went to see Dr. Rosemond, the perinatologist in Athens and he performed another ultrasound (Yay! Another peek at the little'n!) and drew some blood. We got a good long look at our little bean (~20 minutes) and I only had to give about 7cc of blood so that's good. The ultrasound revealed a nuchal translucency(1) measurement of 2.4mm; slightly larger than Ali got last week but still within the normal range. The blood test will be checking the levels of two or more pregnancy proteins.

One protein that is always measured is called PAPP-A (pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A). Its levels tend to be lower than usual in pregnant women carrying a fetus with Down syndrome. The other proteins that can be measured are the beta human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), total hCG, and inhibin A. The levels of these proteins tend to be higher than usual in pregnant women carrying a baby with Down syndrome.

Please don't be alarmed - our chances for having a child with Downs are very low but we wanted to check just to be sure. If you'd like to read more about the test click here. Of course we will post again when we receive the results next week.

Our next appointment with the midwives is June 11th and no, they most likely will NOT be able to tell us the gender but we'll keep you posted as to any new developments. Remember to check the Photo Gallery for some new head shots of the little guy/girl. 6.3 cm and 155 bpm for those of you keeping score at home.

(1) "Measure[s] the size of the naturally occurring fluid-filled space at the back of the baby's neck (called nuchal translucency). Thickening in this area can be a sign of Down syndrome, although thickening can also be found in normal fetuses."

S/he's Lookin' at You!

Say hello to our little alien baby! We went in for our re-check appointment this morning and everything is A-OK. The midwife, Susan F., was unable to find the heartbeat with the doppler so she ordered another ultrasound! Woohoo!! Everything was fine, and Ali was able to see that the placenta has moved slightly already, so we are definitely on the road to the C-Section Free Zone. If we end up needing the C-section (they will make that call officially at 26 weeks) we will switch to an OB, but until then we'll wait to see what my body can do! If you're interested, the baby is currently measuring 5.86cm and the heart rate was 156bpm (sounds high, but it's totally normal). Ali did do a nuchal translucency measurement (1.5) and though she said that measurement does not concern her, it is really non-diagnostic without an accompanying blood test. We have set up an appointment for the 1st trimester prenatal screen (which will include another ultrasound) for next week - so stay tuned for more pictures!

Make sure to check the Photo Gallery (Link on the left) for another shot of the little one. Growing like a weed!

2nd Checkup - Yup, that's a head!

I hope this message finds everyone very well. We went for our 2nd checkup today (10 weeks, 5 days). We weren't supposed to have an ultrasound today but because I've been having some discomfort and a little spotting lately, the midwife wanted to get a closer look at what's going on in there. We found out that the placenta is currently hanging out in the lower part of the uterus - partially blocking the opening to the cervix (partial previa). The ultrasound technician explained that as the uterus grows, the placenta will very likely slide up along the wall and away from the cervix. If it doesn't, we'll be looking at a possible C-section, but we are not going to worry about that right now. Because they cannot officially diagnose Placenta Previa until 26 weeks, I have at least 15 weeks of uterine growth to get that placenta up and away from the cervix. I will be going back next week to make sure nothing has changed. No worries yet.

Luckily, the ultrasound allowed us to learn that the baby is growing very well - measuring 1 week ahead (11w5d), about 5cm long and has a strong heartbeat (~161 bpm). They will not adjust my due date because the early measurements (from our 1st ultrasound) are more accurate, so we will be sticking to our Thanksgiving baby for now!