"Just Barely" Pregnant PS''ers

[Bliss]

HOU!!! Ohhhh, yay for BBs hurting more! And getting big! Your DH is so cute. I agree with you on the sleep inertia. It is THE hardest thing to get out of bed every morning! I cannot wait for the first tri to be over! Sticky beans!!! Hope you enjoyed Lost and pizza with hubs!

Wellinsm! Welome!!!!! Congratulations!!!!! Ohhh, so excited for you. For my first OB appointment, I had a lot of blood drawn, tons of questions and a peek at the ultrasound..which showed nothing because it was too early. But it was fun and you usually walk away with a bag of goodies, too!

LV!!!!!! Yes, so many things to think about! I am sad that I cannot drink green tea anymore. I read it interferes with folate absorption. I miss coffee SO MUCH!!!!!!! Ohhhhhh, coffee....so delicious. So hot and comforting...so wonderful.

Noelwr, I am inspired by all of your beautiful belly pics to show off my nonexistent bulge. It comes out at night so I'm going to have you show you the huge difference between morning flat tummy and evening bloated belly! I am jealous of these pretty lil' bellies! I want one!!! And that cardigan you knitted is GORGEOUS! How did you do that??? That is AMAZING! So cute!!! You have a great eye for color and textures! Sorry you couldn't drink the rosé!

HH, thanks for the belly shot tips! I can't wait to have a belly to show off!!!

Lanie!!! Hehehehehe, me too! I didn't know my nipple was a colander! Who knew? I hope that I can exclusively BF, too. My brother was EBF but my mom only breast fed me for a couple of months before switching to formula. She regrets it to this day - she said women in that time told her not to breast feed because it would make her breasts sag! So she stopped! And now she realizes how silly that was - and every time I got a cold, she worried that it was because I was a formula baby and thus, weaker! (Of course, that is not true at ALL... but if I'm able to BF, you bet I will!) But what a strange story because I was watching 16 & Pregnant on MTV and one girl didn't breast feed because she was afraid her breasts would sag. That surprised me because I thought that was a myth women held back in the day, not in 2010!

On another note, Lanie...sorry you're feeling like poo poo! Me, too! I kind of want to tell people but decided not to tell anyone until we're out of the first tri. I am praying that we see a good HB at my next ultrasound. That would make me feel so much better. Hmmm, that stinks that you weren't able to tell people yourself. Word spreads fast when there's a pregnancy!

CDT1101!!! HELLO! YAYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!

HOORAY FOR THE AWESOME HEARTBEAT! Oh, that is so wonderful!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YAY!!!!!!!!! SO thrilled for you!

Lynnie!!!! Hahahaha, I feel bad for our DHs. They're going to FREAK OUT during L&D. Already, he gets such a pained expression when I moan about nausea. I'm sure he'd rather go through delivery in my stead - simply because it stresses him out to see me in pain. It's going to be a wild ride! I saw last night's episode of RHONJ and during delivery the husband was so calm and nonchalant! I guess because he'd been through it 3 times already! Oh, and you look AWESOME! So beautiful!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Charbie!!!!! (hugs) I thought the same thing about the pants, too!

icekid!!!!!! YAY for your graduation from the JBP thread! You have been such an amazing person to share this experience with. Sooooo happy for you and your baby!!!!!!!!

LAILA!!!!!!! Hey, gorgeous!!!!! How are you doing??? When will you be "out?" We're thinking after the first tri, which honestly seems like it's so far away.

Somethingshiny, thanks for the BPA tips!!!! How are you doing, pretty mama???

*************
So, I am sheepishly contributing to the belly pics! I can be brave, too! Sorry I don't have much of a belly to show! This was after lunch, so I was hoping for more belly. I seem to get really bloated at night for some reason. Maybe I will take a night belly pic to show off my glorious bloat! It doesn't show up in the morning, for some reason. Also, I started running again while TTC so I lost some weight...is that why? I'm so jealous of the mini bellies!

I can't wait to have one!

Nothing new to report. Feeling crappier than usual lately, which I hear is a good sign. It's so weird because in my last pregnancy I had an ultrasound every week. This time, nothing! So while it's kind of nice, it also makes me nervous. Is there really a baby in there? I hope he/she is doing well in there!!!! This would be my 6 week shot! I can see a difference in my tummy but it's pretty small...a teeny bump? You can see it better in the full body pic...

Hugs and love to my fellow preggos!

 

[Loves Vintage]

Laila - Haha, that's even more funny, that she didn't believe you! I don't know when my RE's office will release me. I think maybe 10 weeks? I have my first appointment with ob/gyn Patient coordinator at 9.5 weeks and then with the doctor at 11 weeks. Do you think they will automatically do the 1st Tri Screen blood work that day? Will they do the NT scan at this visit? Seems to occur btw weeks 11 and 13, but wonder if they would do this at the very first visit?

Yay for maternity clothes!!! I can't wait to wear them! I actually haven't even bought any yet. haha! I think I recall reading that you work at home -- sooooooo lucky!!! Must be nice to wear super-comfy clothes all the time, and it will make buying maternity clothes a lot easier.

Glad to hear that you're constantly eating too. It does not seem normal at all!!!

Noel - Thank you! You are right. I shouldn't worry about the three pounds. It could just be fluid retention anyway, right? I'm sorry that you've been suffering from morning sickness. To answer your question from a few days ago, though not related to morning sickness specifically, whenever I would have migraines, I would vomit, and I would feel SO MUCH better afterward. Then I would go to sleep, and then it would happen again and again and again. There was no fiber in my being that would have tried to "keep it down" and avoid vomiting. I understand your question is totally different though. I would not have had a reason to keep it down, whereas I think you might be wanting to keep it down for nourishment concerns. If the vomiting happens once or a few times daily, I would tend to think it would be better to listen to you body, and let it happen. I tried to find an answer to your question on-line when you first posted it, but oddly, came up with nothing.

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

Oh my goodness Bliss, you''re itty bitty! You''re going to have the cutest little basketball of a bump!

 

[Bliss]

Date: 5/25/2010 3:02:33 PM
Author: Hudson_Hawk
Oh my goodness Bliss, you're itty bitty! You're going to have the cutest little basketball of a bump!

Thanks, HH! Heehee, don't we all start out that way, though? I can't wait to be as big as a house! I want to be Mama Mountain!!!

You look beautiful in your pics, by the way. You are naturally beautiful with no makeup and I've always been jealous of that!

OK, HOU..I promised to show you my crazy Wondfo obsession!!!! I ran out of these but had terrific fun POAS until I got to the last one! It's fun when your test line gets darker than the control line. LOL... see, my addiction was so much worse!

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

Aww you''re too sweet.

 

[Puppmom]

You guys seriously are all hotties! And Bliss...that bling! That needs to go over in the Real Life Perspective thread. It''s blinding!

 

[somethingshiny]

Bliss~ I don''t think I''ve ever seen a pic of you, you''ve got a gorgeous body!! You will be one hot mama!!! LOL about your addiction. With JT I POAS twice (because I thought the first test lied) and with this one I only POAS once. I guess I didn''t realize that they would continue to darken or I may have had a small collection myself!!

 

[split_shank]

Date: 5/25/2010 4:13:27 PM
Author: somethingshiny
Bliss~ I don't think I've ever seen a pic of you, you've got a gorgeous body!! You will be one hot mama!!! LOL about your addiction. With JT I POAS twice (because I thought the first test lied) and with this one I only POAS once. I guess I didn't realize that they would continue to darken or I may have had a small collection myself!!

I have to admit I did POAS a good 2 weeks after I got my BFP, mostly because I was bored and I had one left in the package and it would expire before I 'needed' it again. Its kinda cool to see the positive line come up even before the control line!

ETA: I do have a 13w1d pic of me around here somewhere but it sure isn't as cute as you guys! I suppose its time to graduate to the big PPS'ers thread since I'll be hitting Tri-2 on Saturday, but its so darn cozy over here

 

[Bliss]

LV! Yay for maternity clothes! I found a cute website with some charming maternity clothes. Mercedes Hill Some of their clothes are ick, but some are super cute! When you get some maternity clothes, you will have to give us a fashion show!!!

Puppmom! How are you doing? We've missed you! Ohhhh, thank you so much. I would post it in the Real Life Perspective Thread but my exposed BBs make me self conscious! I show them only for us preggos!

LOL... And SUPA Granny would have to come out and throw geritol at DF if he made comments! LOLOLOL

Somethingshiny, how are you? Been thinking about you and sending you positive vibes! Oh, you are so kind. Hehehehe on the POAS! You have amazing willpower! Just once??? Wow!!!!!!! Well, the good thing is, you saved a lot of money that would have been wasted POAS! After a while, it stopped being fun! I miss the excitement of POAS while TTC. You're waiting breathlessly as the line moves across...squinting...turning the strip this way and that...ooohhhh maybe there's a line! No, not a line... NO, there IS a line! Ohhh, maybe not... LOL, it was a crazy time! I look back on it fondly! The only thing I do not miss is the 2WW! That was always torture! POAS felt like buying a lottery ticket - while you're buying it, you're imagining all sorts of possibilities & daydreaming away!

Split_shank! How are you doing??? Ohhhhh, are you graduating as well? Congratulations and big hugs to you! Oh, you must show off your beautiful belly! I am sure it is G O R G E O U S!!!! I am bummed about not having a cutie pie belly bump yet. But you can bet that when I get it, I'll be struttin' around with it! Hahahaha, I kind of feel like I did before puberty waiting for my BBs to come in. I'd be like, "Dear God, when will I have BBs? I hate being so flat!" Now, I wish for the same thing, only for the belly bump!

ETA: I just discovered that Pepperidge Farm Goldfish crackers help combat nausea! And now they have whole grain goldfish! It saved my afternoon, so I wanted to share!!!!! Goldfish...how I love thee!!!!!!! Ahhhhh, you are so miraculous!

Hugs & love to all!

 

[somethingshiny]

Bliss~ Thanks for thinking about me! You''re so sweet! I''m doing better today, I''ve only had a few intermittent contractions. I think the planting, weeding, gardening is what started me yesterday so I avoided it today all together. We''re both doing really well. I''m 32.5 weeks, I''ll have a c-section on July 14th. I just got back up to my pre-preggo weight. (I lost and then gained about 15 lbs) Baby is still measuring big but I expected that considering JT was so big. We had to replace all of our nursery furniture due to a flood in our basement so that''s been a bit of a challenge. We picked up a chair a couple days ago, the crib and dresser should be in soon. Just getting everything in order and preparing for a hot and miserable next few weeks!

I definitely do NOT miss POAS. Before JT, it got to the point that I cried every time it was negative. Since being preggo with him, this was my first POAS. I only bought one test because I just KNEW I was preggo, but if I wasn''t I didn''t want to slip back into the 2ww hell. With this pregnancy, I bought the test at the dollar store and took it immediately when I got home. It was very dark even then.

lol about maternity clothes. With JT I couldn''t wait to get into them. With this one, I avoided it as long as possible. Even now I only have 3-4 mat tops and I fill in with my longer tunics. Pants on the other hand... Well, I HAD to wear those. I am ginormous.



I see that some of you are a bit beyond "barely" these days.....come on over to what SS so succinctly put "the BIG PPSers thread" Was that a pot shot at our bellies?!?! lol

 

[Bliss]

Oh, Somethingshiny!!! Thank goodness you feel better! Wonderful, wonderful! 32.5 weeks? Oh my goodness, you''re in the home stretch! How exciting. I''m sorry about the flooding in the basement. How stressful! But you are good with challenges! Yay for everything coming together. I agree with you on not looking forward to hot weather. Today I thought, "Who''s bright idea was it to get preggo in the summer????" Oh yeah, mine!

Yay for your one shot wonder re: POAS! It must have been nice for your first BFP to be so nice and dark! I had to wait a couple of days for it to seem real since my first one was so faint. I am so happy to hear that you could get through your pregnancy with 3-4 mat tops. I''m hoping to get by with my usual clothes but who knows? I think maternity pants are the cutest!

LOLOLOL for you trying to coax the more senior members of the JV team over to the Preggo thread! Oh geez, I''m still swimming over in the TTC pond because that place feels like home to me! I can''t imagine leaving the JBP thread one day!!!

I will wait for HOU to graduate first and then I will follow!

 

[split_shank]

Ok, you talked me into it... this is 13/1 after a big lunch. Most of the ''bump" was there 13 weeks ago, however I no longer can suck it in haha! A few pic disclaimers: Bad pants courtesy of painting the hallway and bedroom day. Taken inbetween coats.

 

[HOUMedGal]

Wellinsm - yaaaaay!!

Congratulations, momma!! So glad to have you join us!! Has the idea of being a mommy settled in at all yet?? I''m sooo Type A too, and I wanna plan this whole thing out already, but I''m trying really hard to realize I have 8 whole months and that I should just relax and focus on getting enough rest right now!

I''m looking forward to getting to know you!

Noel, I love your PJ pants! And your oh-so-tiny bump...think I can see the beginnings of a baby bump!! I know it''s hard to tell this early on, because only WE each know exactly how our bellies looked to start with (i.e. I have always had a little pooch whether preggo or not, and I know that I am definitely not showing any baby or even baby bloat yet!)....I can''t wait till I have a DEFINITE baby bump!! I have no idea how to take good belly pics..I''m just gonna try to be consistent with the outfit and the position I take my pics in. That cardigan is AAADORABLE. Sooo precious. I kinda hope I have a girl.

Lanie - I plan to deliver at St. Luke''s in the medical center. My OB is right there in the big St. Luke''s towers (that look like 2 syringes on top of the building??) so it makes it easy for me to scoot over across the street for blood draws or an appt when I''m at work at Texas Children''s. How about you?? Thanks for the no MS wishes...so far so good!!! I just have no idea how it''s gonna be....I don''t know if my first pregnancy is anything to judge by, since it wasn''t normal, yanno? I just got a little nauseous then...hopefully that''s a good sign for this one! I''m sorry for your news getting out before you''re ready. I think it''s kinda funny that they aren''t gonna have the 1st grandchild...nana nana boo boo! LOL!!! (Yes, I regress and act like a 6 yr old sometimes. hehe!) Same thing happened to us the first time...we told DH''s mom, and then his entire extended family knew INSTANTLY! He was kinda bummed because he wanted to tell everyone himself, instead of having them hear from her. I asked him the other day when he wants to tell her, and he said not for a while. LOL. We''ll probably tell her after the 1st ultrasound. My parents know already because they knew we were actively trying, and they''re actually really cool about things, so we told them the day we found out.

cdt - WAHOOOOO for a good ultrasound!! Congrats!!

Icekid - yup, it''s probably about time for you to mosey on over to the "big girl" thread!! hehe! I do hope time flies and I wake up one day and am 12 weeks along too! I will feel soooo good once I get past where I got last time with a healthy bean.

Laila - *waving back!!* I''m still totally jelly of your super cute bump.

Lynnie - your tiny bump is so cuuuute!!! You look fantastic!!

Bliss - I looooove your Wondfos!! hehehehe! Seriously, it''s so cool to see the control line fade out in comparison to the test line as it becomes darker than the control!! The science geek in me looooves it!!

But mostly I just love that it''s indicative of a strong healthy little bean growing in your tummy!!!

You look amaaaazing....you are going to have the cutest round basketball bump ever!!!! You''re right, I think I can see a teeeeensy bump in the full body shot!!

Oh, and I think you have to graduate to the "big girl" thread before me....you''re 2 weeks further along!! Forge the trail, and I will follow!!!

I know, I still feel like I belong on the TTC thread most days!! hehe!

SplitShank!! Yaaay for your belly pic! You look fantastic!!

Wow, I can''t believe you''re 13 weeks already! I love your wee bump!! So is that what happens if you already have a little bump?? It stays the same but you just can''t suck it in anymore?? LOL!! I am just so curious as to how my tummy will look when there''s actually something underneath that makes my fat pooch stick out more! Haha!!!


-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hello friends!!

Ugh, I had one helluva call night last night....bad call in PICU + 1st trimester exhaustion = HMG so tired it''s pitiful!! LOL! But after my loooong nap today I got to go out to dinner with my 2 best girlfriends in the world (who both, ironically, have the same name! funny!) and we had a great time. One of them is TTC, and has had lots of long anovulatory cycles...well, good news is that she got Provera and Clomid this cycle, and this morning had her 1st positive OPK EVER since starting to TTC!!!

Needless to say, we made sure to get her home in time to....ahem.....you know.

Any dust you can spare to send her way is much appreciated!!

Had a beta and a progesterone drawn yesterday to follow up....here are my numbers so far:
11 dpo - HCG 25, progesterone 27.6
18 dpo - HCG 753, progesterone 20.6
HCG doubling time = 34.2 hrs!

And my doc was not concerned that progesterone was lower today...still well within normal range, so no supplementation needed!
She wants me to come back again in a week for blood, and then we''ll talk about scheduling the 1st ultrasound after that (apparently betas of 1000-2000 correlate with being able to see something on ultrasound). Although I''m not sure I want an ultrasound before 7 weeks or so, so that there''s no question about what we should see on ultrasound, to avoid unnecessary worry. It''ll probably all work out that way anyway, because I will be out of town for almost the whole week between week 6 and 7 of pregnancy, so I bet we''ll just schedule the scan for after I''m back.

Hope you''ve all had a good day...I''m off to bed!

 

[Bliss]

Split_shank, I love your cutie pie teeny weeny belly pic!!!!!!!!!

You look beautiful! I love the paint color, btw. YAY! Oh, I can't believe you are graduating from the first tri!

Congratulations!!!

ETA: HOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yay! You sound glowy and so happy. Oh, sorry for the long hours... keep chuggin' and YAY for your AWESOME numbers!!!!! I love your belly pic! You look great, you do! I can't wait until we get bumps!!!!!! You sound giddy despite probably being tired. Yay for your girls' night out! Hope your friend gets KTFU tonight!

 

[somethingshiny]

HOU~ Your numbers seem great right now. Lots of **************dust*************** for continued good numbers and a great US!!!

 

[noelwr]

split_shank - congrats on hitting 13 weeks! I am a wee bit jealous, but more so happy for you.

LV - I think they try to schedule the NT scan somewhere between 11w6d and 12w6d. it is optional (at least here, it is) so I don''t know if they would do it right away or you have to make an appointment? I have already done the blood test (at 8w6d). they will put the blood and scan results together for percentage calculation.

Bliss - are you a dancer? how did you get looking so hot? you could wear my regular clothes as maternity clothes, though probably a bit short for you, haha.

HOU - yah, unfortunately mine is not baby bump either but just me. even though I can''t wait for my baby bump, I also don''t want to start showing too soon.

 

[Laila619]

Bliss, you are one hot mama! Dang!

HOU, yay for GREAT numbers!!!! What awesome news!

Vintage, I would call your OB and ask if they'll do the NT scan right at the 11 week visit. Or maybe ask the patient coordinator at the 9 week appointment. It makes sense since you'll be in the right timeframe! My NT scan is now 6 days away. Getting nervous but excited!

 

[lilyfoot]

I don''t "belong" here (yet), just lurking, but I had to post to say that I love everyones baby bumps! They''re so cute

 

[Lanie]

Split_Shank -- I see your bump! How exciting! Did you paint yourself? Did you use those fume free paints? I can''t remember what they are called, something like HVAC, but I know that''s not it. Also, what color is that blue? So pretty! Yay for graduating to the big girl thread!

HOU -- I''m delivering at St. Luke''s as well! My OB is Dr. Bobo in the Women''s Specialists of Houston. Or at least I''m assuming that''s where, bc when I called to schedule my NT scan, they asked if I was okay with having my baby there...uhhhh...yes I guess? Do you know anything about their L&D department? I told my friend I was delivering there (who is in the medical field), and she looked at me like I had just told her I was delivering my baby at McDonalds. I asked her why, and she said "Oh, just that you should see if you can deliver at the women''s hospital". ?????? My RE is there, but not my OB. Ugh...it made me kind of upset, and then when the operator for Bobo asked me if I was okay having my baby there, it made me kind of wonder...

Bliss -- you are skinny Minnie! You look great!

OK so I called to have my NT scan scheduled, and they were adamant that it be before 13 weeks, which I was okay with, but they kept reiterating it, as did my RE. This is kind of gruesome, but do that do that in case anything is wrong with the baby and you might have to abort, and it would still be legal?

 

[somethingshiny]

Lanie~ The slight risk of miscarriage caused by the NT is lower during the first tri than the second. I don''t think they''ll even perform the test once you hit 14 weeks.

 

[sbde]

Date: 5/26/2010 10:43:42 AM
Author: somethingshiny
Lanie~ The slight risk of miscarriage caused by the NT is lower during the first tri than the second. I don''t think they''ll even perform the test once you hit 14 weeks.

I''ve never heard of a miscarriage risk w/ the NT scan - it is just an ultrasound and a separate blood test involving a finger prick.

The reason for the timing of the NT scan is that doctor is measuring the fluid located at the back of the baby''s neck. After 14 weeks, the fluid may drain or resolve itself. It is typical for fluid to be present in normal circumstances, but Downs syndrome babies will have more than the usual amount.

Also, just wondering when some of you ladies will make it to the Preggo thread! Come on over

!!

 

[split_shank]

Date: 5/26/2010 9:44:10 AM
Author: Lanie
Split_Shank -- I see your bump! How exciting! Did you paint yourself? Did you use those fume free paints? I can''t remember what they are called, something like HVAC, but I know that''s not it. Also, what color is that blue? So pretty! Yay for graduating to the big girl thread!

HOU -- I''m delivering at St. Luke''s as well! My OB is Dr. Bobo in the Women''s Specialists of Houston. Or at least I''m assuming that''s where, bc when I called to schedule my NT scan, they asked if I was okay with having my baby there...uhhhh...yes I guess? Do you know anything about their L&D department? I told my friend I was delivering there (who is in the medical field), and she looked at me like I had just told her I was delivering my baby at McDonalds. I asked her why, and she said ''Oh, just that you should see if you can deliver at the women''s hospital''. ?????? My RE is there, but not my OB. Ugh...it made me kind of upset, and then when the operator for Bobo asked me if I was okay having my baby there, it made me kind of wonder...

Bliss -- you are skinny Minnie! You look great!

OK so I called to have my NT scan scheduled, and they were adamant that it be before 13 weeks, which I was okay with, but they kept reiterating it, as did my RE. This is kind of gruesome, but do that do that in case anything is wrong with the baby and you might have to abort, and it would still be legal?

I think its VOC? low VOC? non VOC? something like that. Yes alot if not most of the latex paints are that these days. I still wore a mask and had windows open though. I really did not smell it much at all, even after it was up. My mom helped the weekend before with the living room, master bedroom and all the crown moulding and trim work (she has a steadier hand and much more patience than me) and I did the hallway and what will be the nursery (just primed it so far to cover up the hidious paint they had on there before). Its actually a tan/khaki color! In the mirror, the wall in the back is more of a grey/taupe. Crazy how it looks different in pictures!

 

[Lanie]

No, I don''t think I wrote what I was meaning. I know the risk with an NT scan is low.

I was wondering why both of my doctors were adamant about having the NT scan before the 13 week mark. And I was wondering if the reason was in case they found something very wrong with the baby, but not life threatening, you had the choice still to abort. I realize this is probably more philsophical, and I don''t want to start any discussions of this. Nevermind!

 

[somethingshiny]

Lanie~ Some of the markers they test for are only visible during the first tri-- a baby with abnormalities generally shows the increased fluid during the first tri.

sbde~ the miscarriage risk is something like less than one percent, but some research has shown that it increases for some reason.

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

There is no additional risk from the NT scan, it's simply a blood test and an ultrasound at 12 weeks or so followed by another blood test at 16 weeks. If your results from the first set of tests come back high or elevated risk then they offer the CVS (chioronic vili sampling)test which is an alternative to an amnio and can only be done at 12-13 weeks or so. As this is a somewhat invasive test (they go through the cervix and take some of the placenta), there is definitely a risk for m/c from it. Perhaps that's what you mean by the risks of the NT scan?

 

[somethingshiny]

HH~ YES! Thanks. Your pregnancy brain isn''t as bad as mine (even if you did leave your stove on!) I can''t seem to get an entire thought down. The risks associated are relevant if additional testing is necessary.

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

No worries, it''s easy to mix it all up as sooo much goes on within a matter of 4 weeks. As the CVS is done within the NT Scan "window" of time, I can easily see how someone might lump it into the mix. But it''s really a separate procedure entirely.

A lot of people opt for the CVS test because it can be done earlier than the amnio, can give a definitive chromosomal abnormality determination as well as gender determination, and is thought to be lower risk for m/c than the amnio. My doc advised against it because to do it meant we''d be making the decision based on only a 2/3 picture of the results of the full NT scan as the CVS it''s done before the results of the 2nd blood test at 16 weeks come in. She also felt the associated m/c risks weren''t that much better than the amnio.

 

[somethingshiny]

I didn't have any testing done with either pregnancy. So, my foggy memory is just from what I remember hearing, not what I did.

ETA~ because once again, I can't get an entire thought out.......Thanks HH for clearing it up. I certainly didn't want to be misleading in this thread.

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

Date: 5/26/2010 9:44:10 AM
Author: Lanie

OK so I called to have my NT scan scheduled, and they were adamant that it be before 13 weeks, which I was okay with, but they kept reiterating it, as did my RE. This is kind of gruesome, but do that do that in case anything is wrong with the baby and you might have to abort, and it would still be legal?

Lanie, as I mentioned above, the NT scan is a three part test that's done between weeks 12 and 16. It's timed so it aligns with the development of the nuchal fold at the back of the baby's neck and they can only get a good reading of the signs of DS and SB at this time in development. The test consists of a blood test at 12 weeks and a level 2 u/s to measure this space. A large space or open area can be a strong marker for there being something wrong with the little one. If the results are not good, then they suggest the CVS test (see above for description)soon after, which again, can only be done at a particular time in the development of the baby. Then you have another blood test at 16 weeks and you get your "final" results for the NT Scan. If I recall correctly, the last blood test is the AFP or alfa fetal protein test.

If the odds are against you after this third test then the docs will suggest an amnio. Amnios can be done at any time in the pregnancy, and like the CVS test do carry risks.

Most people opt for these tests early because they hear something could be wrong and they want confirmation and peace of mind. It could be so they can mentally prepare for the inevitable, or make plans to interrupt the pregnancy (based on major or minor abnormality, the choice is the parents' to make). The cut off for interrupting the pregnancy differs by state but in MA it's 23-24 weeks.

In my case we had great results from the NT scan/blood tests and didn't need the CVS. But when I had the anatomy scan done at 18 weeks, they spotted a soft marker for downs on Aidan's heart and so they again, offered the Amnio. Even with this marker, which doubled our chances of DS, our odds of having a healthy baby are still entirely in our favor so we passed on the Amnio.

Hope this helps. Bottom line, the firm dates are based on developmental milestones that they need to track to make a determination and are not arbitrary.

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

Here''s a picture from Aidan''s NT scan. The nuchal fold is the black space under the neck. At the top of the image you can see 1.3 that was the measurement they took. I believe anything over 3.0 is considered an issue, but please don''t take that as gospel.