Heartbeat

Today Robbie an I had our second visit at Back Cove Midwives, at 10 weeks and 3 days along in our pregnancy. We were a little worried about getting there because my eyes were killing me this morning (it took me a half hour to be able to open them for any extended period of time) and Robbie's vertigo was really acting up. We made quite the pair; I had to drive because Robbie couldn't turn his head quickly, but I had trouble seeing even with sunglasses because my eyes were so sensitive to the light. We made it safely though.

This time we met with one of the midwives, Laura, which was really great. She was very kind and knowledgeable, we both felt really comfortable asking her all of our questions. We found out that the blood and urine tests I had last week were all normal, which is great. I am glad that I am getting enough iron as a vegetarian. I also found out my blood type, which is A positive, which was a relief (I know Mom is negative and had to have a shot). Then she gave me a physical, and I am fit and healthy. Robbie got to stay in the room for my physical which he declared was less awkward than he expected. We thought it would be a good idea for him to stay since I ought to get used to having him in the room while I am feeling compromised so I will be more comfortable having him with me when I am in labor. 

After the physical, she took out the doppler so she could try to find the baby's heartbeat. She found it pretty quickly, and Robbie could hear it, but I couldn't. Then something made me laugh which made the static sound go crazy, which made me laugh even more, which forced her to take the doppler off my tummy to save our ears hehe. Once I calmed myself, she tried again and this time I heard it loud and clear. It was so magical! Our little baby's heart was beating 170-171 bpm and sounded so strong. I wasn't expecting to be able  to hear it because part of me still had doubts that there really is a person growing inside me. But there was his/her little heartbeat, we are really going to have a baby! I feel like I am floating in happiness. What an amazing experience! Robbie was smiling from ear to ear, we are so excited!

Today we also had to decide what prenatal screenings we want to have done. The midwives believe that parents should be able to decide for themselves what types of screenings they want, and on our last visit gave us a ton of information so we could do our own reading/research and decide which ones we wanted. We decided that we might as well do all the ones that our insurance covers since they all seem very useful. The midwife also said she is going to set up an appointment for us to meet with a genetic counselor if we want (which we do) since a heart condition (IHSS- click for more info) runs in my family. Here is a description of the screenings we are going to do:

Sequential Screening: Done between 11 and 13 weeks. Sequential Screen uses a high level ultrasound to measure a portion of the fetus' neck in combination with a maternal blood test to determine your risk of having a baby with an abnormal amount of chromosomes, a condition which is linked to certain genetic defects such as Downs Syndrome and Trisomy 18. The ultrasound may be done wither trans-abdominally or trans vaginally. This screening can identify 83% of pregnancies with fetal Downs Syndrome and about 90% of pregnancies with fetal Trisomy 18. A pregnancy with 'screen negative' results will be followed by the AFP test to screen for open neural tube defects and for further reassurance regarding other birth defects.

Alpha-Fetal Protein Profile: The AFP Profile is a maternal blood test which checks a pregnant woman's leveles of certain substances made by the baby to determine if the baby is developing normally. The AFP Profile is drawn between 16 and 18 weeks and can help to identify 5 out of 6 cases of Spina Bifida, almost all cases of Anencephaly, 3 out of 4 cases of Downs Syndrome and 3 out of 5 cases of Trisomy 18. A normal or 'screen negative' result is usually gained by also obtaining a High Resolution Ultrasound at 18 to 20 weeks.

High Resolution Ultrasound: Performed at 18-20 weeks. This ultrasound looks, as closely as the baby's position will allow, to identify such organs as the heart, lungs and kidneys, as well as other structures such as the palate and the spine. Sometimes views are limited and you will be asked to return to get a closer look. If the baby's position is such that the genitals are visible you can choose to know the gender of your baby if you'd like. The scanning is done trans-abdominally.