12 Weeks

I’m so happy to finally be able to tell people about our baby.  I’ve told family, friends, and colleagues, but have yet to tell my students.  I’m sure they’ll figure it out soon enough, and then it will spread like wildfire.  In the last week that my pregnancy has been common knowledge, I’ve been asked a surprising number of personal questions.  Here’s a sampling.

How are you feeling?

Actually, I’m feeling great.  I haven’t had any morning sickness, and I feel almost guilty when people tell me about how sick they were.  I feel very lucky! In the beginning, I was also very tired, but now I’ve started to notice my energy is coming back, which is good since summer vacation is over.

Was this planned?

First, let me say this is an inappropriate question to ask someone.  However, the answer is yes, this is a planned pregnancy.  Meticulously planned, and it just so happened we got pregnant right away.  I know a lot of people have trouble conceiving, so again I feel very fortunate.

Is it a boy or a girl?

We don’t know yet, but hope to find out at the 18 week ultrasound.

Have you picked a name?

We actually haven’t even really discussed names.  I think we want to wait to find out if it’s a boy or a girl.  The one certainty is that the middle name will be Rose if it’s a girl. 

How did you keep it a secret?

It was really, really hard! But we told our immediate families.

How long are you taking off from work?

I haven’t worked it all out, but I’d like to take off the rest of the school year and go back in September.

Who will watch the baby when you go back to work?

We have no idea yet, but plenty of time to figure it out.

Will you breastfeed?

Yes, I think that breastfeeding is very important for a large variety of reasons.

How many kids do you want?

Geez, can I have this one first, then worry about it?

Proud Grandmas-to-be

11 Weeks

Today we went for the First Trimester Risk Assessment at Yale.  We got great news! The nuchal transparency measured 1mm, and anything between 1-3mm is normal.  Over 3mm and they’re concerned about chromosomal abnormalities.  Also, based on the blood protein levels, our chances of having a child with Down Syndrome are 1/19,000, and our chances of having a child with Trisomy 18 are 1/20,000.  Based on my age alone, the chances of having a child with Down Syndrome were 1/620, so the results of the protein test were really great news.  It’s been really neat to go through all of the testing that I used to teach about in the genetics unit in Biology.

The ultrasound was so amazing.  I was surprised to see the baby move so much, but it will be a while before I can feel the movements.  We got to hear the heartbeat, which was 169 beats per minute.  We also saw legs, feet, arms and hands.  When we saw the profile, Ed said he thinks the baby has my nose.  Right now, the baby measures about 3 inches from the head to the toes.  We kept seeing the baby move his/her hand towards his/her face, and the sonographer said the baby was probably going to suck his/her thumb.  Seeing the baby move made it feel very real to me.

The results were so great that we decided to tell everyone tonight.  We stopped by my parents’ house on the way home to show the ultrasound pictures, and I called both my grandmothers to tell them they’re going to be great-grandmothers.  They were both so excited!  Mema has already called all of her friends and that side of the family.  Golligol went right out to tell Pa that he’s going to be a great-grandfather.  When we got back to our house, Ed’s mom came over to see the pictures.  Ed called his grandmother to tell her she’s going to be a great-grandma.  My mom brought pizza over to our house and we had an impromptu pizza party.  I emailed all my family and friends, and by that point word had already started to get around.  It’s so great to actually be able to tell people about the baby!

10 Weeks

I had my 10 week checkup today with my midwife and got some really great news.  First, my due date has been moved to March 14, since the ultrasound showed the baby is a little bit younger than they originally thought.

The nurse took my blood pressure and weighed me.  My blood pressure was 116/80, and she wrote my weight on my chart.  I probably shouldn’t publish my weight online, but oh well.  When my midwife looked at the chart, she said “You weigh 136.”  I burst out laughing and said “No, I don’t!”  Apparently, the nurse’s “8” looked like a “3.”  Good thing I caught it or they’d be shocked at my next appointment, thinking I had gained 50 pounds in a month.

We went over my blood test results, which were excellent.  I’m immune to measles, parvovirus (Fifth’s disease), and chicken pox.  I’m not a carrier for Cystic Fibrosis or Fragile X.  And I’ve never had any STD (well, I already knew that, but they tested anyway).

We talked for a while about what I can and can’t do, about future appointments and tests, and for a long while, about our new baby horse Isabelle.  Turns out my midwife had been to the farm with her daughter to see the horse, and I told her all about what a great mom Annabelle is.

Then, I had a physical exam.  She said everything looks “perfect” and I got to hear the heartbeat with a doppler.

I really love my midwife and I’m sad that she no longer does deliveries.  I’ll be meeting the doctors in the practice over the coming weeks, as any of them could be on call when I go in to labor.  I really hope they’re as great as she is, and that they’ll support my plans for a natural birth with no interventions, as long as both I and the baby are doing well.  I’m not opposed to finding a different practice if I don’t agree with their philosophies.

I go for more blood tests tomorrow, in preparation for my first trimester ultrasound and screening next week.