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Update, genetic screening, and ultrasound

I went for genetic screening today. Unfortunately the appointment time got a little messed up and Alex wasn't able to come for this one. We were both pretty disappointed. My mom came instead and I'm so glad she was there!

Below is a video of pictures captured during the screening and a couple video clips. This was the first part of what they call sequential screening, where they take a bunch of measurements of the baby and also take a blood sample from me, to determine risk factors for certain genetic defects (Down's Syndrome, Trisomy 18, and open neural tube defects). Based on the measurements they took today everything looks good. We have another appointment on November 9th, where they'll draw another sample of blood from me (and have another look at Bean), and once the blood test results are back from both screenings we'll have a 93-95% accurate diagnosis of whether we're at risk for any of these three defects. We'll also get to find out the gender at that appointment! (Some of the pictures look like they might reveal something but they don't.)

Based on the measurements, as of today Bean is a little over three inches long from crown to rump. Bean sure was putting on a show today! Wiggling, swimming around, even "jumping" - pushing the legs out pretty forcefully! It was amazing to see in such detail the five fingers, leg bones, ribs, even the little developing brain. We heard the heartbeat again which was the most incredible part, and at 158 beats per minute, Bean's little heart is growing strong!

To be honest it was a relief to see and hear it for myself again. Since our last "emergency" appointment three and a half weeks ago where we just heard the heartbeat, and our last ultrasound way before that, and since Bean's too little for me to feel movement yet, I've been a bit anxious for "proof" that everything's still okay. They say you worry about your kids no matter how old they get - they don't tell you that worrying about them starts before they're even born!

It doesn't help that I had another (more severe) dizzy spell at work earlier this week. This time my hearing completely disappeared as the black spots started appearing in front of my eyes, and my coordination was even worse (I couldn't put a cap back on a highlighter, I was making typos all over the place as I struggled to finish a reservation, and when I finally left the kiosk I pretty much staggered to the bathroom like a drunk person). I sat on the cold bathroom floor again until the feeling went away, and was transferred to a less demanding, cooler position for the remainder of the day, but I still felt "off" for almost an entire day after that.

But regardless, Bean's doing great, and that's what matters! This is still so surreal...

Ultrasound video

We had our second ultrasound yesterday! We were amazed at how much the baby grew and developed in just two weeks. Below is a video of a couple of clips we took during the ultrasound. Just as I stopped recording the first clip, little Bean started moving like crazy! Waving its little arm buds and wiggling around. It was the most amazing thing I've ever seen. Of course, as soon as I started recording again, it got shy. Still, if you watch carefully, in the second clip you can kind of see its left arm waving a little. We're not sure if it was waving hello or saying, "Hey! I'm trying to sleep in here. Leave me alone!" You can't really see it in the video but we were sort of able to see the heart beating, too.

10 weeks and two days means I'm that much closer to being finished with the first trimester! Woohoo! Already I'm feeling a teeny bit less exhausted, and the "morning" sickness mostly occurs right after I've eaten and at night (unfortunately when I'm trying to sleep).

Enjoy the video! (Try the first one first, it has audio. Youtube disabled my audio but if the first one doesn't work on your computer silent is better than nothing, right?)

First ultrasound!

Oh my gosh, I was already called out for being a blogging slacker! Haha, sorry, but first trimester exhaustion is making life pretty - well, exhausting. I wake up early, make some breakfast, take a shower and head off to work. After work I'm so wiped out and starving that I take a shower, eat some dinner and conk out until about 1 or 2am. Then I'm up for a couple of hours until I give in and eat a small snack to make the nausea go away, and then I fall asleep again. It's a sad routine. And it's frustrating that I have no energy to even turn on the computer when I get home.

Someone asked me the other day how I feel so far about pregnancy - I told them, "To be honest, so far it sucks." People talk about loving being pregnant, how great they feel. So far for me, it's equated mostly just to constant low-level nausea, an exhaustion that feels like the flu, insomnia worse than I already had it, and a need to pee that makes the phrase "frequent urge to urinate" a joke. Even when I'm peeing, I need to pee. They tell me the second trimester is great. Only four more weeks to go...

But on a happier note, we had our first ultrasound on Tuesday! We found out that the actual due date is April 14th, based on the size of the fetus. We even saw the heartbeat. It's a pretty weird concept to know this little creature is growing inside of me. The book (What to Expect When You're Expecting) says our little bean is about the size of a raspberry right now. I bet it's red and bumpy like a raspberry too. Heehee, sorry Bean, not to tease or anything. :)

Anyway below is a copy of the ultrasound, labeled by my doctor. Our first baby picture! :)