We got to see our cute little baby girl on ultrasound today. Yep, she's still a girl, no doubt about it. Shmuel got the eye of doom when the ultrasound tech showed us the tushie shot. I went "yeah, that's a girl" and gave him a look. The ultrasound tech was like "yep, it is...you have a girl already?" and I nodded. She asked "do you have only girls?" And I shook my head...one lonely boy. Poor Dovid. Well, he will just have to remain outnumbered for now.
She is definitely a cutie, though. I think she has the Chana B pouty mouth going on here. Can't wait to see who she looks like!
While the main part of the ultrasound at 18 weeks is usually to check growth and structures, our ultrasound had all that plus an in-depth look at baby's heart. A week or so ago I checked her heartbeat with a doppler. I had done a lot more exercise that day than I usually do - out shopping and cooking. When the day was over and hadn't felt the baby as much as I had the previous days, I was worried and used my doppler to find the heart rate. I could tell that the heartbeat was somewhat irregular and incredibly fast - somewhere between 210 and 240 bpm or so. I made sure to rest extra and then retested in the morning. No longer irregular, but still definitely over 200. So I checked again that night, same thing. At that point I would have sworn it was going above 250. The next morning it was regularly irregular. Like going beat, beat, small pause (repeat) - almost like a missed beat, but maybe not quite enough time for one. But this time it was super slow - like 110. The day after that I was finally able to go to the midwife's office, and it was around 150 but still regularly irregular (beat, beat, beat, pause, repeat). Since we already had this ultrasound scheduled, and since there's nothing they can do about it so early, we waited the week to see what her heart looked like structurally and to determine what (if anything) was causing this irregularity.
Fast forward to today, B"H her heart looks structurally normal. We could see that it was beating irregularly, and everyone from the ultrasound tech to the MFM doctor agreed that her heart was having what's known as PAC's (premature atrial contractions). The doctor explained that most likely it's because all of this baby's "wiring" is brand new and hasn't matured enough yet. So, we're going to keep a watch on it. I'll have another ultrasound in two weeks to check that and also check my cervix again. (Cervix was looking fine today.) I was also given permission to go back on the beta blocker I was using to control my migraines before pregnancy. This might even help the baby get her heartbeats on track, but the big side effect that they want to check for is IUGR (growth restriction). I use the lowest dose, so hopefully it won't affect her, but they need to make sure anyway, and I'm not going to turn down a perfectly good ultrasound opportunity.
In other news, I just started my last clinical rotation of nursing school, and it's on the maternity floor at the hospital I go to. So far I've only been on the floor one day, but I actually got to participate in a birth (and hang with the mom postpartum). It was pretty sweet, and probably the best clinical day ever.
We had our gender determination ultrasound yesterday, and I figured I would share the news with all of you.
Now don't forget to make your official baby pool guess!
Btw, I know I haven't posted my 14 week belly pic yet. I did take it, but I'm too lazy to get it on the computer. I'll do it along with the 16 week one next week.
Well, we "went" on an adventure. Chana's been asking me to see the baby, so we took her and Dovid to our nuchal translucency ultrasound yesterday. We were a bit nervous because we didn't know if they would behave or not, but they did pretty well on the whole. They were quite interested in the fact that we were in a hospital (and one they had never been to before). Dovid kept insisting that we were at the dentist, though I'm not sure why.
At my hospital they have big TV screens on the wall so the mom (and anyone else in the room) can watch the ultrasound in progress without craning their necks to look at the tech's screen. So we encouraged the kids to watch on the screen, and they loved it! We got to see the little one bouncing all around (and causing trouble for the technicians). Heartbeat was around 160, as usual, and baby was measuring a few days ahead at 12w5d. Nuchal fold came in at about 1.5mm. She measured it several times and that was the absolute largest measurement she got - average was probably 1.2mm. So, that was well within the normal range. Yay! They also took my blood for that portion of the screening.
All in all it was a good visit, and they want me to schedule my "big" ultrasound for 18 weeks. So there's less than 6 weeks to go until then!
I think this baby looks a lot like Dovid's 12 week ultrasound. Baby was also bouncing around a ton and is measuring ahead, which also leads me to think it might be a boy. I'll keep my fingers crossed on that one. ;-)
If you haven't already, don't forget to enter my baby pool!
As you might remember, I first hinted to being pregnant with the title "Keep it Secret, Keep it Safe". Well, now here is the reveal of "the secret" and everything that's been going on for the last month or so.
We started TTC #4 at the beginning of October. I randomly got my period that month even though I was on progesterone-only birth control pills, so I figured I would ask Shmuel if I should refill the birth control pills, and he said to chuck them...so I did. We didn't know if it would be one cycle or ten or even more, considering our history. With the twins it was two years and numerous infertility treatments before we got pregnant. With Tzipora we tried naturally and got pregnant in three months. I guess Shmuel wasn't convinced that Tzipora's conception wasn't just a fluke. And to be honest, there were times I thought it was a fluke myself. But honestly I had faith that it would work again this time...the "regular" way. And I was right. After three cycles (again!) I was staring at a BFP in disbelief. I had an inkling at 7 dpo when my temperature chart showed an obvious implantation dip, but I didn't want to get my hopes up at that point. But on 10 dpo I took a test, and I would have sworn I saw a very, very faint second line. At 11dpo I took more tests...and I figured that they were all defective. That I was imagining things. That since these tests were expired they were completely useless. I mean, it didn't matter every other cycle they were completely blank and now they had second lines... So I popped into CVS after Shabbos (12/22) and bought a slew of non-expired tests and a package of digital tests as well. And I took them...
Ok, fine. I couldn't really argue with that. So I figured it was time to tell Shmuel, and I brought in the digital test to show him. He was skeptical and asked if it could be wrong...so I brought him the one you see at the bottom. He was still skeptical, so I offered to show him the other ten tests all with second lines on them. He declined that... lol
Since I was planning to leave town on the 24th, the only way to get a beta drawn was Sunday the 23rd. And the person I spoke with on the phone also offered to give me a "prescription" for more blood work that I could take with me on my trip. I wasn't sure how that was going to work, but it was something. Either way, at 12dpo (12/23), my hCG was 80 mIU/ml, and my progesterone was 26 ng/ml. If you're keeping track, both levels are higher than Tzipora's at the same dpo. However, I believe I implanted a full day earlier than with her, which can definitely make the difference.
I left on my trip to Missouri on the 24th and then had a great first Christmas Eve and Christmas celebrating with Heavyn, Toby and the Curtis family. I think Sister Curtis had the best reaction to a pregnancy announcement that I've ever seen. I wish I had a video of it, because it was classic. She basically screamed , jumped up and down, and started dancing. She was then recruiting her daughters to dance with her all around the room. Toby and Kaleb were both trying to get me to name the baby after them. Good luck with that, gentlemen...
I was taking HPTs the whole time from Christmas Eve onward and was incredibly frustrated and nervous when they were going lighter then darker then lighter then darker. I couldn't get my next blood draw till the 26th because of the holiday, but luckily my doctor had written an order for it and the hospital near there took it with no problems. I went back and got my results in person the same day... 273 mIU/ml! Perfectly doubled, almost exactly - doubling time of 40 hours. If you remember, Tzipora's and the twins' levels doubled more quickly, so I was hopeful it might be a boy this time. (Some people say boys have lower hCG levels and that the numbers double slower than with girls.)
Two days later (17 dpo) I was back at the medical center for my next blood test. I actually waited there for the results, and they were done in an hour. Very fast work! We were now up to 620 mIU/ml! Still doubing in just about 40 hours. I was so relieved that all was going so well so far and that my numbers were doing exactly what I was hoping they would.
I had to wait the weekend for my last blood test (20 dpo). It was snowy, and the Curtises were out of town for the holiday, so I actually borrowed Heavyn's car and drove myself down to the medical center. The roads actually weren't that bad - they got much worse that evening. That result was 3245 mIU/ml! Nearly double what I was expecting and now doubling in 30 hours.
All went well for the end of my trip, except of course that I hate flying and was nervous and nauseous all that evening (the 3rd). Unfortunately for me it didn't end there. At that point I was only 5 1/2 weeks pregnant, but I was starting to be nauseous each evening, which each night getting progressively worse. Until the 8th (6 weeks) when I was just nauseous all day long...and the 9th it got worse. I'm honestly the worst person when it comes to nausea. I just can't take it. And I was super lucky with the twins and Tzipora. It was never all day and usually just struck at dinner time. And it really didn't peak until about 10 or 11 weeks and then quickly dissipated. But this is a whole new ballgame. I don't know if it's because I was dehydrated or what, but I gave up and went to the ER for fluids and IV nausea meds. I had been taking oral meds (the same stuff they give in IV), but it wasn't working...not even a little bit. I felt LOADS better after getting some fluids in, and of course the doctor insisted I go for an ultrasound...and who am I to argue, right?
They don't have neat ultrasound printers in the ER, so I snuck this pic in with my phone. You can see the gestational sac in the middle and a little baby blob at the bottom. Baby #4 is an overachiever, measuring in at 6w4/5d when I was just 6w1d (or really 6w2d since it was nearly midnight). And little baby had a heart rate of 118 bpm, which is perfect for how far along I was.
My morning sickness (well, it's never in the morning, though, just the rest of the day and especially evening) has been a nightmare this time around. When I started dry heaving one evening at around 7 1/2 weeks, I gave up and went back to the ER for more fluids. Unfortunately, while I felt better initially, I felt just as rotten going home as I did when I was on my way there. The fact that it was 2am probably had something to do with that, though, as I was beyond exhausted. The one good thing that came out of it was another ultrasound, which the tech let me tape a little part of. She was super sweet, too.
You can see the heartbeat going along at about 160bpm, and the baby was measuring about a day or so ahead. So, just perfect!
I've already had my first prenatal appointment with the midwives, and I'll see them again around 12 weeks. I'll also have my next ultrasound at that point for the nuchal translucency screening. Can't wait to see the little one then! In the mean time, if you've stuck around for the whole post, you can now go and join in the baby pool. Winner will get something cool, though I don't know what yet. Probably will get to hold the baby or change a diaper or something. :-D
So sorry I haven't posted a new belly pic in over a month, but I've been really lazy. :-) But, without further ado, here is the newest pic (compared with the last one I took at 30 weeks). Today's pic is on the right.
I feel like the belly isn't growing outward as much as it's growing vertically. So I don't look that much bigger outwardly than I did at 30 weeks, but you can see how low my belly goes. The belly also seems to be changing shape and becoming more round. And, if nothing else, my butt is getting bigger (as is my face). Check out the sequential pictures on my tripod page and you'll see what I mean. *sigh* Now, let's compare this latest picture with the last pictures taken during the twins' pregnancy. The comparisons are the twin pregnancy weeks 28 and 30.
I look much bigger than at 26 weeks with the twins (both vertically and outwardly), I'm vertically larger than my 28 week picture with the twins, and I'm about the same vertically as with the twins at 30 weeks. But at 28 and 30 weeks with the twins I am much larger outwardly than I am with this pregnancy.
My fundal height yesterday (Thursday) was 35.5cm, which is perfect for where I am. The midwife also ordered a BPP ultrasound for next Tuesday, just to check up on the baby's placenta since something went funky with Dovid's placenta just at 35 weeks. She doesn't suspect anything is wrong since the baby's heart rate is perfect, and her movements are strong and frequent. But it's more for peace of mind...and who doesn't like more ultrasounds, right? :-D
And speaking of such...have you noticed? I MADE IT!!! I am now 35 weeks and 1 day pregnant. Yes, I do need to make it through the day without exploding, but based on last night's midwife appointment I'm not really worried about it. Whee!
I made it! We had our last ultrasound today and everything looks perfect. The baby is measuring exactly 3 lbs, which is about 5 days behind schedule. My cervix is also fantastic, still measuring over 3.5cm. WOO HOO!!!! My cervix is officially competent. Here's our final ultrasound picture...it's a profile shot. You can see her nose around the middle of the screen with her lips just below. And her hand is to the left of that.
I know what you all really want... You really want to see pictures of Baby #3, right? Ok, well she finally gave us a decent profile shot at today's ultrasound, so here you go!
Now for the updates. The ultrasound went very well! Her heart rate is 150bpm, which is normal and the same as always. The baby is growing, but still measuring just about a week behind. The good thing is that she's actually picking up days, so she's really measuring less than a week behind now. Yay! My cervix is still awesome at around 3.25cm. This means that we'll have one more ultrasound in two weeks, and if my cervix and the baby both look good then, we don't get any more ultrasounds. (At least not unless they want to do one for another reason in the coming weeks.)
I had my 1 hour gestational diabetes test and passed with flying colors. Woo hoo!!! They like to see results under 140 mg/dl, but under 130 mg/dl is even better. My level? 115 mg/dl!!! Go me! And the orange drink really wasn't all that bad. They also tested me for anemia. My hemoglobin is 10.6 g/dL, and my hematocrit is 32.5%. Both levels are slightly lower than they were at the end of August, but still not so bad. I could probably make them better by actually remembering to take my prenatal vitamin... :-)
The twins are saying more words, so I really need to update their word pages. They're also climbing stairs now!!! (They can only go up so far, but that's awesome because it means we don't have to carry them up stairs.) Very exciting!!
The ultrasound yesterday went really well. My cervix is holding out at 3.15cm with no funneling, which is fantastic. Yippee!!! The baby is still measuring about a week behind, but at least she hasn't lost any more days of growth. She's measuring in the 28th percentile, and as long as she stays on her curve then the doctors aren't worried. I actually *really* like the MFM doctor I saw yesterday...so much better than the other two. He was smiling, he explained everything and then suggested I come back in 2 weeks for another check without me asking for it. Finally, someone who will keep checking me without thinking I'm nuts!! :-) Sorry that there aren't any pictures, but the baby is breech with her face towards my back...so the only pics we got were of her feet (legs crossed like a lady) and the back of her head.
I used this chart (at the middle of the page) that shows the survival rates, among other things, for preterm babies during my last pregnancy, so I figured I would post again during this one. Now of course there's no reason why I'm not 100% confident that this baby will be born full term (unlike with the twins where I had no idea when I was going to deliver and knew I'd never make it to 37 weeks), but it's fun for me to see every week just how much better of a chance my baby has of coming home healthy.
So, without further ado...at 24 weeks a baby born has the following chances of complications:
So yeah, 24 weeks is not the best time to be born...obviously. Even though the survival rate is ok, the intact long-term survival rate is abysmal. Also, since my little girl is measuring a week behind it means that she'd be smaller than the average 24 weeker. Good thing I'm not planning to deliver for at least another 13 weeks!! (And more preferably 14 weeks since I need to get through finals first...)
I had an interesting ultrasound today. My cervix is shorter than it has been in previous weeks, now holding out at around 3cm (when it was previously 4cm). But, it's not funneling and the MFM doctor isn't worried. I personally want to keep watching it even though the doctor isn't concerned. I mean, it changed a lot in 10 days, and it's better to be safe than sorry, you know? I'm hoping it's nothing, because I really can't afford to go on bed rest, and I REALLY don't want to get another cerclage.
The baby is doing great, but still measuring behind (and even lost another day of growth). She's about 7-8 days behind due date at this point, which is up from being 6 days behind at our last scan. Honestly, I can't even imagine why she's not growing fast enough because I'm sure eating for two. lol The twins never measured this far behind...ever. Very bizarre, but again the MFM doctor isn't concerned. I'm not really pleased about this as I'd much rather prefer an MFM doctor who investigates when things aren't quite right. She's been losing growth at every scan, so why is he ignoring this fact?
Anyways, I have an appointment with the midwife on Thursday, so I'll talk to her about it and see what she thinks about both my cervix and the growth of the baby. Wish me luck!
I've been having this nagging cramping in my lower pelvic area since Wednesday, and it's driving me mad. I thought it might be a UTI, but they did a urine and blood test, and everything came back normal (including my white counts). What else was normal? Well, my platelets are at 159,000/cmm, my hemoglobin is 11.1 g/dL, and my hematocrit is 32.8%. Much lower than in June, but higher than it was at this point in my last pregnancy. The midwife says that iron isn't necessary (yet) and hopefully they'll keep an eye on the levels as we go forward. In any case, still no idea what's causing my pain...they say take Gas-X and Tylenol and we'll see you at your appointment later this week (Thursday). I also have an ultrasound scheduled for Monday, so that will be good as well.
As for the twins, their high fevers are now low fevers (around 99.0) and both are feeling MUCH better. They were acting like themselves both Friday and today, even with the low-grade temps, and they've been eating like normal. The only "abnormal" thing was the super long mid-afternoon nap (like 2.5 hours). Hubby and I took a nap at the same time, and we all were zonked out for about the same amount of time. heh oops! Gotta love those Shabbos naps!
I do!!! Here are five profile shots for your viewing pleasure. Not much, but it's something! The baby is still a girl, but measuring almost a week behind. *sigh* My cervix, however, is being awesome and still just about 4cm!!! That was the most exciting part, really. I have another ultrasound a week from Monday where they check everything out once again, and hopefully the baby won't be measuring even farther behind. Ugh! Anyone know how to make a baby gain weight in utero (while not making me gain too much at the same time?)
We had our "big" ultrasound today, and it went great. The baby is measuring a few days behind, but otherwise is 100% perfect. Yay! I know you just want to see pictures, so here they are.
This is a profile shot.
And here she is sucking her thumb.
This is another profile shot.
And another profile shot.
These are her feet.
And finally, the one you've all been waiting for...she's a little GIRL!
Well, that was a shocker for me...I was totally thinking it was a boy. I told Shmuel that he'd better give me a boy for the next one, then. hehe Anyway, I am *so* blessed to even be pregnant that whatever the sex of the baby, it really doesn't matter. (Truthfully I am a little disappointed and feel awfully guilty about that, but I am 100% positive that when she's put into my arms in Dec/Jan IY"H it won't make the slightest difference to me in the world.)
I had my first cervix check ultrasound today, and everything looks great. My cervix is holding at 4cm (woo hoo), and the baby is growing, too. The baby seems to be measuring on target or maybe a day or two behind, which isn't a problem. He/she already weighs about 4oz and had a heart beat today of 151bpm. So far, so good! And, without further ado, the pictures.
Cute, eh? Silly baby's foot was hiding "the goods," so no idea about sex yet. *sigh* Well, at least I'll be back there in 2 1/2 weeks for the "big" ultrasound. Maybe baby just wanted Daddy to be there when we find out.
I had the most awful, terrifying, horrible nightmare ever last night. You know how pregnancy can make dreams more intense? And you know how dreams play on your subconscious feelings and fears? Yeah, well this nightmare was a nightmare to end ALL nightmares! Thank G-d it was just a "dream". Ok, I know you're all curious now, so I'll tell you, but first I'm saying a big "pooh pooh" that this should never, ever happen (G-d forbid a million times over) and just because I dreamed it doesn't mean anything.
It took place in a hospital. I noticed that I was bleeding, like heavy, and I was quite freaked out. I kept wandering the hospital going from place to place as the doctors were trying to figure out where I would have an ultrasound. (You know how dreams go...they don't make much sense.) Anyways, I got in for the ultrasound and you could see the baby floating around in there. There was no heart beat (pooh pooh!!!) but for some reason it looked to me to still be moving (bouncing around, flailing arms, etc.) In my dream I was screaming "NO! NO! NO!" And then I woke up. You know how sometimes you wake up all of a sudden and you feel like you fell into the bed? It was like that...and I was in a cold sweat. I knew it wasn't real, but I was still pretty freaked out. I went to the bathroom (not actually to check for bleeding...it's because my bladder was full!) and then went back to bed. I did have a "part 2" of the dream where I was back in the hospital, but I can't really remember anything from that one.
In any case, even though I knew all was ok, I still checked the baby's heartbeat when I got back from school. And there it was, beating away like usual at 153bpm. I know that the miscarriage risk for someone at almost 15 weeks is pretty low, but I guess deep down the fear is always there, especially when you have a history of cervical issues. Thank goodness I have an ultrasound next week so we can start checking up on that. Wow, does that bring back memories... :-)
Among other things. lol We had our nuchal translucency test done today, and all went well there. Baby is measuring 100% on target for his/her due date - 60.7mm CRL with a heart rate of (I believe) 149bpm. Nuchal fold was perfect...like 1.6mm, and they like to see it below 3mm. He/she was bouncing around all over the place during the exam and seemed to be having a good time. Here's a scan of the only picture I got *sigh*.
I can see that it's a head with a nose. :-D Anyway, after the scan the MFM doctor came in, and boy was that fun. NOT! The guy proceeded to scare me senseless about doing a "trial of labor" rather than an elective C-Section...telling me how much higher the risk of horrible things happening if I try to labor. Things like uterine rupture, higher risk of infection after a C-Section during labor rather than a C-Section not in labor, that kinda stuff. So, I'm being an informed patient and going straight to the source--the man who did the C-Section! He's supposed to call me so we can discuss what HE feels the risks are of laboring/delivering vaginally vs. planned C-Section. Since I want to have many kids, having several C-Sections is a really bad idea and something to try to be avoided, but having the baby and I live through labor/delivery is kinda the ultimate in importance. The doctor who did my C-Section has no monetary gain from me having a C-Section this time around, since I won't be delivering at his hospital. Hopefully I'll be able to get an honest doctorly opinion from an "innocent bystander" who actually knows EVERYTHING that happened in the delivery room. What are your thoughts? You guys know the story, what do you think are my chances of uterine rupture or something equally horrifying? :-)
Yeah right... LOL I tried for a half an hour to find the baby's heartbeat today, but I just couldn't. I tried in every position imaginable and all over the place, but I was getting nowhere. So, I called the OB on call and she said #1 that after seeing the heartbeat numerous times on ultrasound and hearing it on Sunday that the chances of miscarriage are crazy amounts of low. Then she said that going to the ER to see if they could find a heartbeat would be annoying, long and expensive. So, she said that she would let me come up to labor and delivery for a quick check with her, and she wouldn't even make me register (thereby avoiding insurance fees and such). I was like "sign me up, I'll be right over". So, I went! One of the nurses brought me up to labor and delivery, and she actually recognized me from my trials and tribulations with the twins. She brought me into a room and I waited less than 5 minutes before the doctor wheeled in an ultrasound machine. She poked around, and we could see the baby but it took a little bit to find the heartbeat. (The ultrasound machine up there isn't the greatest, and she even said she's a bad sonographer. lol) She did find it (WHEW) and we watched it for a bit. She had no idea how to get the actual heart rate, but just seeing it and seeing that the baby was nice and big (she couldn't figure out how to measure that either), it made me feel LOADS better. So, nothing's really wrong...just the baby hiding from Mommy. I've decided no more doppler tries this week. I have an appt with the OB on Monday and then an ultrasound next Friday (the 25th), so I'll be juuuuust fine. And then I'll nearly be out of 1st trimester and able to breathe better. :-)
Today I had an appointment with MFM to discuss something called "anti-k antibodies". Apparently when I gave birth to the twins I was given Kell + blood and I am Kell -. This means that my body produced antibodies against this + antigen. This also means that if my baby is Kell + and if my antibodies cross the placenta, this can result in SEVERE anemia. Anyway, this necessitated a visit to MFM for a consult. Lucky for me I am quite resourceful and got myself scheduled for an ultrasound at the same time. I made the excuse that the baby was measuring small last time and shouldn't they check up on him/her. Hehehe Anyway, I was terrified that they were going to say something was wrong. I mean, I can't feel the baby yet and I can't hear the heartbeat via doppler, so I have no way of knowing that all is well. Sure, I have symptoms, but they're not really quantifiable. Sometimes I have 'em and sometimes I forget I'm pregnant (yep it happens). And even though my tummy is rounder, it's hard to tell since my tummy has been round since I gave birth to the twins. Anyhoo, everything is looking perfect!!! (Thank G-d) The baby came back from his/her deficit and is measuring 100% on target for 9w 4d (27.5 mm) with a heart rate of 170bpm.
Looks even somewhat human doesn't (s)he? Kinda like a miniature teddy bear. When we were watching the monitor, we could even sorta see really teeny arms and legs. Oh, and speaking of the monitor...the ultrasound rooms at St. E's are high tech now! They have a nice, large monitor right on the wall where the mom can see what's going on, rather than having to crane her neck to see what the technician is doing. And the technician can have the screen facing her, so she can do her best for measurements and such. It's a win-win and I LOVE IT!
Anyway, then we got to see the head MFM doctor who discussed the anti-K stuff with us. She sent my hubby and I for blood work--me to find out exactly how much of these antibodies I have in my blood and what kind they are, and him to find out if he's Kell + or Kell -. If he's Kell - then we shouldn't have a problem. Also, the doctor talked to me about having a cerclage placed...which I told her I would prefer to wait and see how things go. I mentioned to her my cervical fistula, and she actually expressed DEEP concern about it. She was telling me of a woman who was having repeated miscarriages due to a fistula. YIPE! I told her to check with my regular OB and to take a look at the MRI to see if it's really worrisome. I sure hope not...I was under the impression that the fistula was tiny and nothing to even speak about. Geepers...why can't pregnancy be less dramatic for me? lol
Well, I sure do. But this one really threw me for a loop. Anyone want to guess what it is? Well, first I must say that my hubby is going to *kill* me for spilling the beans, so if you see him you must pretend as though you know NOTHING (at least until his birthday). Got that? Now then...for the surprise. Here are a few pictures for your viewing pleasure:
So, what do you think? Are you surprised? I sure was. My first thought was "is this even possible? No...no it's not. So then why on earth are there two lines?" I went to the doctor that very day to have my hCG drawn, because I needed someone to confirm that I wasn't losing my mind. At 12DPO (4/27), my hCG was 50 mIU/ml and my progesterone was 22 ng/ml. Not bad for 12DPO, and it confirmed that I really am pregnant (and due 1/6/11). But that's when the fun started... Because two days later, at 14DPO, my hCG had now risen to 178 mIU/ml (and my progesterone was up to 23.2 ng/ml). That's a doubling time of 26.20 hrs (normal doubling time is approx 48 horus). That was really shocking, to say the least.
4 days later, I had my hCG levels tested again, and they were now up to 1565 mIU/ml, even though I was only expecting 800. This is when I really started to worry. I mean really, my numbers were doubling even faster than when I was pregnant with the twins. This latest level doubled in only 30.61 hrs. Then, 3 days after that (now 21 DPO) my levels had soared to 6156 mIU/ml--doubling in 36.44 hrs. Still way under the 48 hour mark, and by now I only expected doubling in 48-72 hours! Well, my SINGLE little bean was just an overachiever. Here's the ultrasound from 6w 4d:
The baby was only measuring .38cm (6w 0d), but his/her heartbeat was 132bpm! I didn't cry when I had my first ultrasound with the twins...even when I saw those heartbeats for the first time. But with this one, I guess the whole "miracleness" of it got to me, and I burst into tears.
I still don't really believe it, but I guess the symptoms speak for themselves. Since I found out, I've been:
completely exhausted
peeing all the time
dizzy
nauseated
headachy
smelling everything
drooling like mad (excess saliva)
averse to some foods
thirsty
having weird dreams
moody
Now I don't feel all of these symptoms all the time, except for the exhaustion. I was not *nearly* this tired with the twins, and I don't remember feeling dizzy with them either. I'm not too nauseated, and I feel like I'm hungry a lot, but I haven't gained any weight. Well, I think that's enough for you guys to go with for now...but just know that I'm still terrified that something could happen (even though I haven't had any cramps or bleeding, and we saw that beautiful heartbeat at 6 1/2 weeks). So keep praying for a sticky baby, and I'll keep you updated!
I saw my OB today. She checked my cervix and says that it's completely thinned out. :-) But somehow the cerclage is still holding and not strained...I have no idea how that is possible. She doesn't want to take the cerclage out until I'm either in labor or the cerclage starts pulling at the cervix. Because the cervix is so thin and Baby A's head is so close to the other side, if she were to go in there with scissors, she might nick the amniotic sac or the amniotic sac might rupture on its own much quicker. She's very proud of me for making it to 33 weeks and hopes I can go a few more. I, on the other hand, am so ready to be done. :-)
Then I had an ultrasound. The babies are sooo big, measuring in at a hefty 4 1/2 lbs each. Baby A is actually a teensy bit bigger than Baby B now, which I think is really funny. :-) Baby B also decided he's going to be a good boy and is now head down!! WOOOO!!! Baby A's head is so far down into my pelvis they nearly couldn't measure it. heh They also confirmed that my cervix is pretty much non-existant (ie fully effaced), but not really dilated. The doctor noticed that Baby B's umbilical cord blood flow was a bit sluggish, so she sent me down for a non-stress test. Both babies passed that with flying colors, so they sent me home after about an hour. Unfortunately, they want me to repeat the non-stress test on Friday morning. urgh!!
I posted a new belly pic last night, so go take a look!
The ultrasound went pretty well this morning. Babies are still cute. :-) My cervix is holding up, although I must've been having a contraction when she first measured because it was REAAAALLY short (like .65cm), and I couldn't see the cerclage knots. But after about a minute it went back up to 1.7cm and you could see the knots just fine. Neither the doctor nor the tech were worried, so I'm not worrying either. :-) I've also graduated! No more cervix checks! I'll still be going in to check the babies' growth, but that's it. Wooooo!!
I did get some decent pictures today, so I'll share them with you.
