We had our first doctor's appointment yesterday. They basically walked us through what to expect at upcoming visits, had us fill out some basic paperwork about our family health history and then told us about genetic screening. Now I had read a little about genetic screening in my books, but I hadn't really processed any of the information.
All genetic testing is optional and a very personal decision to make. The first round of any of the tests is a blood draw from the mother. Then depending on the results of the blood work, an amniocentesis can be performed to achieve more accurate results, but also poses a small risk to the baby. The way my doctor explained it to us, is that there are 3 groups of people:
Group 1: People that don't care and don't want to know. Results of the screens aren't 100% accurate and they don't want to be bothered by something that may or may not be true.
Group 2: People that want to know, so that they can be as informed as possible on any genetic disorders that their children may be born with.
Group 3: People that want to know and may decide to terminate the pregnancy based on the results.
My husband falls into Group 1 and I fall into Group 2, which made these decisions extremely difficult. In the end, we did the testing because not knowing would have caused me a large amount of stress throughout the entire pregnancy.
There are 2 tests that you must decide on in the first trimester. The first test is for cystic fibrosis. In order for a child to have cystic fibrosis, both the mother and father must be carriers. For this test, they first test the mother to determine if she is a carrier. If she is not a carrier, then the child cannot have the disease. If she is a carrier, they then test the father. If they are both carriers, then there is a 25% chance that the child will have cystic fibrosis. Something that I wish we had known prior to getting pregnant is that you can have this test done at any time, pregnant or not. My advice now to others planning to conceive is to have this test done in advance and it will be one less thing to stress about during the pregnancy.
The second test is the First Trimester Screen and consists of an blood work and an ultrasound. The goal of this test is to screen for genetic abnormalities such as Down Syndrome.
Wednesday, July 27, 2016
Thursday, July 14, 2016
Sneak Peek
We arrived in California yesterday for one of our very best friend's weddings. With another 3 weeks until our ultrasound, we are very anxious to see our little bean (especially me)! So, I was actually able to find a place nearby that does early ultrasounds and I got the husband on board with it. We went this morning and got to see our baby for the first time. Since it's so early in the pregnancy, there isn't much to see, but there's definitely a baby in there and it's measuring right on track!
Friday, July 8, 2016
Morning Sickness
The term morning sickness is very misleading. Yes, some people only experience nausea in the morning, but others may experience it in the middle of the day, at night while trying to sleep, or, if you're lucky, all day. Well, I must be one of the lucky ones. I am exactly 6 weeks pregnant today and have been nauseous all day and night from the moment I saw that little plus sign. The only thing that I can even consider eating is fried eggs and toast. I am hoping that it lets up soon because we have a lot of traveling this summer for friends' weddings. We leave tomorrow morning for NYC for our second wedding of the summer.
If you're anything like me and searching for a cure for morning sickness, here are some suggestions. While nothing has cured it completely, some have given me a little relief.
If you're anything like me and searching for a cure for morning sickness, here are some suggestions. While nothing has cured it completely, some have given me a little relief.
- Ginger (I don't like ginger alone, but have been drinking ginger-peach iced tea and ginger ale)
- Sour candies (I have several bags of Haribo Ginger-Lemon Gummies that I now keep in my purse, in my car, and in my husband's car. I find that they help temporarily.)
- Exercise (I'm not sure if it actually helps or just distracts me from the nausea, but I've found that going for a walk is another temporary fix.)
- Toast/crackers/or other dry food (nothing that would fall in this category has been appealing to me, so I don't know if it works, but it comes highly recommended by others dealing with morning sickness)
Tuesday, June 28, 2016
Sharing the News
As soon as that little plus sign showed up, I started to think about all of these great ways we could tell our parents the exciting news. However, since I'm way too impatient, we ended up calling everyone last night (parents, grandparents, and siblings) and sharing the news with them. Everyone was overjoyed and overwhelmed.
Now, this was extremely early in the pregnancy to be sharing the news - we are only 5 weeks pregnant. The general rule is that you shouldn't tell people the news until you've made it past the first 12 weeks. The thought process behind this is that the rate of miscarriage decreases after 12 weeks However, our personal opinion was that if something did go wrong, we'd want our families' support and so we were comfortable with telling them.
While we're on the topic though, the statistics on miscarriage appear to be very skewed. After reading about it in my books, it turns out that miscarriage rates are the highest during the first 4 weeks of pregnancy (at which point you wouldn't even be able to test positive on a home pregnancy test). By week 5 (when I found out I was pregnant) the chance of a miscarriage is only about 15% and continues to drop rapidly. By week 7 it is only 3% and by week 8 it is only 2%, which is what it will remain at through the rest of the pregnancy.
Now, this was extremely early in the pregnancy to be sharing the news - we are only 5 weeks pregnant. The general rule is that you shouldn't tell people the news until you've made it past the first 12 weeks. The thought process behind this is that the rate of miscarriage decreases after 12 weeks However, our personal opinion was that if something did go wrong, we'd want our families' support and so we were comfortable with telling them.
While we're on the topic though, the statistics on miscarriage appear to be very skewed. After reading about it in my books, it turns out that miscarriage rates are the highest during the first 4 weeks of pregnancy (at which point you wouldn't even be able to test positive on a home pregnancy test). By week 5 (when I found out I was pregnant) the chance of a miscarriage is only about 15% and continues to drop rapidly. By week 7 it is only 3% and by week 8 it is only 2%, which is what it will remain at through the rest of the pregnancy.
Monday, June 27, 2016
First Appointment
I called my doctor's office bright and early this morning to make my first appointment. I was excited and couldn't wait for the first ultrasound. Well, apparently none of that happens right away. They wouldn't even make an appointment yet. I just had to stop by the office and they did their own pregnancy test to confirm (you know, in case I was making it up I guess).
Once they verified I was pregnant, then they scheduled my first appointment and ultrasound. They don't do the first ultrasound until you are around 8 to 10 weeks pregnant and they prefer doing it closer to 10 weeks because there is more to see. So, our first ultrasound will be August 3rd, which feels like forever away. Until then, I guess we wait some more.
Once they verified I was pregnant, then they scheduled my first appointment and ultrasound. They don't do the first ultrasound until you are around 8 to 10 weeks pregnant and they prefer doing it closer to 10 weeks because there is more to see. So, our first ultrasound will be August 3rd, which feels like forever away. Until then, I guess we wait some more.
Saturday, June 25, 2016
Plus Sign
I can't believe I'm saying this, but we're pregnant! Last night I started to feel nauseous, almost hungover, but without drinking. I woke up around 4AM today and decided that I was going to take a pregnancy test (still no Aunt Flow and I hadn't tested yesterday). I was fairly certain I saw a second line, it was faint, but I'm sure it was there.
My grand plan of how I'd tell my husband was thrown out the window. Instead, I went back into bed with my pee strip in hand, staring at my husband, willing him to wake up. Somehow, this worked and I shoved the stick in his face and asked is he saw the second line (romantic, I know). He agreed that he did. Neither of us went back to sleep. A few hours later, we went out to the nearest drug store to buy another test to confirm that we were pregnant. And there it was, that little pink plus sign in the window. We were both ecstatic and in shock. We couldn't believe this was actually happening and only on our first try.
Then reality set it. We had a rehearsal dinner to go to tonight and the wedding is tomorrow. To make things worse, as one of the bridesmaids, I was taking part in a girls morning out, which included a trip to Glitter Nail Bar - a cocktail bar and nail salon in one. I was panicked, but thankfully called the nail bar ahead and they secretly made my drinks without alcohol. Now to make it through the rehearsal. I tried my best to pass my drinks to my husband when no one was looking, but a few people noticed. We let them think what they wanted to think, but didn't confirm anything. To make things worse, I only tested positive this morning, and the nausea has already begun. We headed home early, but now I'm wide awake writing this and pondering how I will make it through the wedding tomorrow.
My grand plan of how I'd tell my husband was thrown out the window. Instead, I went back into bed with my pee strip in hand, staring at my husband, willing him to wake up. Somehow, this worked and I shoved the stick in his face and asked is he saw the second line (romantic, I know). He agreed that he did. Neither of us went back to sleep. A few hours later, we went out to the nearest drug store to buy another test to confirm that we were pregnant. And there it was, that little pink plus sign in the window. We were both ecstatic and in shock. We couldn't believe this was actually happening and only on our first try.
Then reality set it. We had a rehearsal dinner to go to tonight and the wedding is tomorrow. To make things worse, as one of the bridesmaids, I was taking part in a girls morning out, which included a trip to Glitter Nail Bar - a cocktail bar and nail salon in one. I was panicked, but thankfully called the nail bar ahead and they secretly made my drinks without alcohol. Now to make it through the rehearsal. I tried my best to pass my drinks to my husband when no one was looking, but a few people noticed. We let them think what they wanted to think, but didn't confirm anything. To make things worse, I only tested positive this morning, and the nausea has already begun. We headed home early, but now I'm wide awake writing this and pondering how I will make it through the wedding tomorrow.
Thursday, June 23, 2016
Negative
It's been exactly 2 weeks since ovulation, so I took a pregnancy test this morning (and maybe one yesterday and one the day before that) and no luck. They were all negative, but Aunt Flow hasn't arrived yet, so there's still a chance. I guess there's nothing more to do than wait.
To pass the time, I've thought about how I will tell my husband when I finally do see that little plus sign. I bought the book "Pregnancy Day By Day" and an adorable onsie with our last name on it, which I plan to give him.
To pass the time, I've thought about how I will tell my husband when I finally do see that little plus sign. I bought the book "Pregnancy Day By Day" and an adorable onsie with our last name on it, which I plan to give him.
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