Monthly Check In

I had my monthly check in with the ob today. Everything checked out on track. The results from my ultra sound last week had come back already and he said the baby is growing at a great rate and is healthy. That ultra sound was the first round of IPS screening where they check for down syndrome and neural tube defects. They measure the skin at the back of the baby's neck for thickness. Our measurement came out at 0.9mm and anything under 3mm is considered fantastic. We still have one more round of blood work to complete in 3 weeks before we'll have the official results but everything is looking a-ok.

Finally being into my second trimester he was able to hear the heartbeat via fetal doppler for the first time and I got to listen. That was very exciting. I had seen the heart beat at the ultra sound screens without sound but until your hear it out loud it doesn't seem as real. That made my day.

My favourite thing about this doctor is how prepared he is. I walked out of his office today knowing exactly when my next appointment was, when my next ultra sound was, when I had to go for blood work and with the paperwork to fill out for the hospital pre admitting program. He is always 3 steps ahead which really puts my mind at ease.

I'm really looking forward to the next ultra sound on September 13th as its the day we'll be able to find out the baby's gender. (providing he/she doesn't have its legs crossed) Although we plan on keeping the baby items as gender neutral as possible I feel that finding out the sex will help me with the bonding process.

The one thing I'll be having that most mom's don't get is a fetal echo ultra sound. Its only performed in Kingston and Toronto and its a close up scan of the baby's heart. I had a brother born with a hypo-plastic left heart, which is a rare genetic condition in which the left side of the heart is severely under developed and if not corrected the baby would pass away shortly after birth when the heart chambers close up. This ultra sound is just a safety measure to check and see if he/she possibly has a problem as its much easier to fix if its found before birth. The ultra sound takes place during week 22, so not until the end of September.

Other than that, everything was fairly routine. At this point I haven't gained any weight, although I feel as though I've put on about 10lbs, but the scale says otherwise. Its likely due to the fact that I've completely lost my appetite during the last few weeks but the doctor assures me that's completely normal and that some people in fact lose weight in their first trimester. I'm sure I'll start gaining soon as this little baby is growing so quickly :)