I popped my last estrogen and progesterone pills last Wednesday and bid hello to the second trimester on Thursday morning. By Thursday night, I had the beginnings of a headache that turned into a migraine with vomiting. I attribute it to progesterone withdrawal — after all, I was on 200mg vaginal and 200mg oral daily for 10 weeks, and then went cold turkey… I reluctantly took some acetaminophen, and it didn’t do much. You know what did? A small cup of coffee, as recommended by my OB’s nurse. And, man, that was a special cup indeed. Not only had I not had any coffee since August (only a few cups of tea when I was in London in September), but I finally got to try the amazing coffee from Café Moto, a local micro-roaster. (I’d gone looking for water-processed decaf, tried a few brands, and theirs is the best — I love the Decaf Bravura; and DH loves their Espresso Moto, which I can now tell you: it’s even better than Illy!)
But enough about the healing properties of coffee.
Today, at 12w4d, I had the Nuchal Translucency Scan (NTS) which screens for Trisomies 21 (Downs syndrome) and 18 (incompatible with life) as well as other congenital defects.
I diligently downed 500mls (16oz) of water 15 minutes before my appointment… so I was not a happy camper when my appointment was 45 minutes late. I tweeted my crankiness, because I was determined not to let a bit of bladder discomfort and frazzled nerves colour my experience. I’m so glad I managed to take it in my stride, because it was an incredible experience.
The tech was very apologetic (the person before me arrived a whopping 50 minutes late) and quickly got down to business. I explained that it’s been quite a journey to get to this point, so if she would please first confirm the heartbeat, DH and I would be very grateful. Of course! she obliged.
I appreciated how the gel had been kept at body temperature in a bottle warmer and kept my eyes fixed on the large screen on the opposite wall.
A Few Happy Stats:
CRL (length from head to butt): 6.73cms — as long as my little finger!
• measuring 3 days ahead, at 13 weeks
BPD (diameter of head): 20.9mm
Heartrate: 176bpm
Risk of Downs syndrome*: 1 in 15,000 — negligible
Risk of Trisomy 18*: less than 1 in 100,000 — can’t get lower risk than this!* These results are based on what the tech saw, plus my egg donor’s age (26). My age is not a factor because it’s not my egg. It’s also important to note that these statistics are probably even lower because they do not take into consideration that we did PGD.
It was wild to see the insides of someone so small and who hasn’t made their entrance into the world yet. We breathed a sigh of relief at a beating heart, marvelled at the two hemispheres of the brain, and giggled at how its tiny bladder was fuller towards the end of the appointment. Omigod, so cute.
It amazes me that I have a tiny person inside me, wriggling, crossing and uncrossing his/her ankles, flailing his/her arms and legs, stretching out, reaching out his/her arms, sucking his/her fingers, and I can’t feel a thing. The tech said the placenta is towards the back of my uterus so I will probably feel baby kick quite early on. Oh, I can’t wait!
EDIT: We did have a scary few minutes where the ultrasound tech came back in to do another scan of something. This time, the placenta. Silly me, I’d forgotten to let her know that this was technically a twin pregnancy. Baby B’s gestational sac is right next to (or is being absorbed by?) the placenta, so the small black circle on the placenta caused some alarm. The doctor wanted to make sure it wasn’t a tumour, but the second scan showed there was no blood flow, proving it was the second sac.
In the minutes after the scan and before the doctor came in to talk to us, we were concerned but not worried. DH and I agreed the most important thing was that the baby is healthy. If there were a problem with the placenta, we would deal with it. Maybe I’d be high risk and on bed rest, maybe I’d have to miss my SIL’s September wedding, and maybe I’d have to have a c-section, but none of that mattered too much. We were on high alert for 5-10 minutes, but I’m pleased to say we kept our shit together with the attitude very much being, We’ve made it this far, we’ll deal with whatever else is thrown our way.
I do have moments where I am sad about my journey. I am sad that Bean didn’t make it and I am still reeling from a miscarriage and my genetic diagnosis. I’ve been working on a post about that for a few weeks now. But with every milestone that we pass, it matters less and less where this baby came from, and more that he/she is thriving. I keep reminding myself that he/she is alive and kicking and that my body knows exactly what to do.
And today was especially wonderful because for the first time we saw a baby-shaped baby, not a bean-shaped baby.
Introducing Tiny:
Look at those little lips!
Tiny sucking his/her fingers <3
Long legs!
Feet! I can’t wait to bite them, haha!
And a couple of rollover images:
It’s official: I’m smitten!
Awh – how fun to see pics of your baby!! Such wonderful news at this appointment, I love it!
It was the most amazing experience to date. Well, up until the sneaky scan a few weeks later… I’m so behind in responding to comments these days. A tricky combination of migraines and now an impending move! Anatomy scan tomorrow, eep!
Yay!! I’m so happy all is continuing to go well hon. Those ultrasound pics are amazing! I’m continuing to keep you in my thoughts and prayers!
Thank you so much! Good thoughts and prayers definitely appreciated xx
So awesome Lauren! I’m glad to hear everything looks completely normal! Yay!
Thanks!! Big relief, as I am sure you can imagine x
That is great! And when he/she does start kicking, it might feel like gas bubbles at first! All 3 of mine were like that! I felt them kick early and heard the heartbeat early too! Congrats!
Great tip, gas bubbles. Yep, I’ve felt a few of those in “the wrong place” so I knew what it was, hee hee!
What a yummy little one!! Congrats on your successful scan!
Nawrh, thank you! It feels wonderful to have made it to the nuchal scan… And I’m writing this on the eve of the anatomy scan! Can’t believe it :)
Wow, wow, wow!! Amazing!!
It was a pretty amazing experience for me, lemme tell ya!
Feet!!! Ah I could die from all this cuteness!! Congrats on a successful scan!!
Haha! Yeah, the tech was really into the feet too. I think they’re pretty cute, but I’m definitely biased :) xx
Oh gorgeous, beautiful little one!! Baby-shaped scan pics are just the best!! What a moment hey :-) Wow!!! Big love lady xxx
Oh, my shining star of a friend, your enthusiasm is palpable. So much to catch up on! Big love to you, darling xx
So cute!!! I can’t wait to see an outside baby!!!
Nawrh, thanks, nor can I! (Although I will happily wait ’til November!)
HOORAY! HOORAY! HOORAY! HOORAY! HOORAY! HOORAY! HOORAY! HOORAY! HOORAY! HOORAY! HOORAY! HOORAY! HOORAY! HOORAY! HOORAY! HOORAY! HOORAY! HOORAY! HOORAY! HOORAY! HOORAY! HOORAY! HOORAY! HOORAY! HOORAY! HOORAY! HOORAY! HOORAY! HOORAY! HOORAY! HOORAY! HOORAY!
:D Aunt Momsicle!
So cute ! It’s great to see a baby shaped baby! Do you have to wait until 20 weeks for the next look ? That’s when I did the anatomy scan and saw gender too
Thank you! I’m writing this on the eve of the anatomy scan and I’m looking forward to seeing how much Tiny has grown and also seeing if she is, in fact, a she. (I’ll be shocked if she’s a boy, given my hunch and the trust I have in the nurse practitioner!)
(Man, I am so behind in responding to comments…)
So glad your scan went well! It is amazing to the see “baby-shaped” baby for the first time. And how smart you are for asking to have HB confirmed first. I wish I had thought of that – would have saved me several long minutes of “but is it actually alive….” It is wonderful what technology can show us! It really hits home what a miracle life is.
Thank you! It really is amazing what you can see these days. As for asking them to confirm the heartbeat first… well, you live and learn, hey? So glad Ember is doing well! xo
LEG! OMG LEG!! And little fingers! And sinus cavity but whatever ;) Siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiigh. Happy sigh. Happiest sigh <3
You’re even better at reading ultrasounds than I am! Where’s the sinus cavity?
I’m sighing too. SO hoping you’re on this side soon, love. Thank you SO DAMN MUCH for your unwavering support. xoxoxo
It’s the dark bit behind the nose up to the eyes. At least, that’s what I think? My mom is an ultrasound expert and she taught me them once but honestly sometimes I don’t see a thing! Soon soon soon please.