Before you read any further, know that Nio is perfectly fine and so is El. :)
El has been having some...sensations. Not pain, just...strange feelings. Because they've been constant, she was beginning to worry. When she worries, I worry. So, she called the hospital and talked to a midwife. She said that it sounded normal to her, but she could understand the concern considering our history.
So...we headed off to the ER yesterday afternoon.
After nearly a 2 hour wait, they called us back and wheeled in a portable ultrasound machine.
Of course, there was a problem with that particular machine. Just as we saw Nio (and the heartbeat), the battery died. *LOL*
Second (and smaller) machine gets brought in.
Nio's heartrate was 150bpm (perfect) and he/she was flailing around (double perfect). Nio seems to be much more active than Thomas was. The spine looked perfect too...we got a really good look at it. :)
We also saw the placenta. With Thomas, we never really got to see the placenta. It was low-lying and Thomas liked to use it as an all-body pillow. Nio's placenta is positioned well away from the cervix, which is something else we were happy about.
The important things are...
Nio is perfectly fine. El is perfectly fine. The pregnancy is perfectly fine. And...the doctors understand our neuroses. :)
OB appointment this evening where we'll discuss the blood results from the nuchal.
I'll update when we get home from that. xx
Monday, 30 April 2012
Tuesday, 24 April 2012
I feel like I should post something...
But, there's nothing much to post. *LOL*
We have the appointment with the OB on Monday, 30 April to discuss the results of the bloods taken on the day of the nuchal scan. They said that if there was a problem, they'd call on Friday. We weren't expecting a call and we never got one. So...I would assume that there's no problem.
El has been feeling Nio move around. Apparently, he/she is as active as he/she was during the scan. :) I'm happily jealous.
I wouldn't have thought it was possible to feel the baby move at 12 weeks (actually, earlier...), but when El described what she was feeling to the ultrasound tech, it turns out that what she's been feeling is the baby moving. Amazing!
I dug out Thomas' scans from the same gestation...just to compare them.
I found this quite amazing as well...
We have the appointment with the OB on Monday, 30 April to discuss the results of the bloods taken on the day of the nuchal scan. They said that if there was a problem, they'd call on Friday. We weren't expecting a call and we never got one. So...I would assume that there's no problem.
El has been feeling Nio move around. Apparently, he/she is as active as he/she was during the scan. :) I'm happily jealous.
I wouldn't have thought it was possible to feel the baby move at 12 weeks (actually, earlier...), but when El described what she was feeling to the ultrasound tech, it turns out that what she's been feeling is the baby moving. Amazing!
I dug out Thomas' scans from the same gestation...just to compare them.
I found this quite amazing as well...
Thomas David Harrison
Nuchal Scan
Nio Harrison
Nuchal Scan
There's definitely a familial resemblance going on. Not only with the profiles, but...Nio has extremely long legs just like Thomas too.
I hope he/she has El's hands.
I'm really looking forward to Monday. I doubt we'll get pictures, but the OB will have a look...which means, we'll get to have a look. :)
Thursday, 19 April 2012
Progression
Because I thought it'd be cute (and possibly lame, but still cute)...
How quickly babies change:
How quickly babies change:
5 days
6 weeks 5 days
11 weeks 6 days
Crazy, huh?
Not so alien like anymore...
Today was our nuchal scan.
First things first...Nio looks wonderful!
He/She spent most of the time doing little rolls and jumps and kicks. Very much like watching a dragonfly fly around. :)
The important stuff...
They like the nuchal fold to be 3mm or less...Nio's was 1.5mm. All of the nasal bones were present as well. If the nuchal measures more than 3mm and/or they can't see the nasal bones clearly, it could point to chromosomal problems...such as Down Syndrome.
The heartrate was nice and strong at 151bpm and the CRL (crown to rump length) was 6cm. Measuring right on target! :) The skull, brain, spine, stomach, and abdomen all appeared normal. Both hands and feet were visible...and he/she has very long legs like his/her brother. *LOL*
They want to do scans every two weeks from 16-26 weeks...just to check Nio's growth as well as the cervical length. There's nothing at all wrong, this is purely precautionary due to Thomas' pregnancy. We're perfectly happy to do this. :D
I'm sure I'm forgetting things, but I can't really remember much else right now. So, I'll end this...with a picture of our beautiful little Nio. <3<3<3<3
First things first...Nio looks wonderful!
He/She spent most of the time doing little rolls and jumps and kicks. Very much like watching a dragonfly fly around. :)
The important stuff...
They like the nuchal fold to be 3mm or less...Nio's was 1.5mm. All of the nasal bones were present as well. If the nuchal measures more than 3mm and/or they can't see the nasal bones clearly, it could point to chromosomal problems...such as Down Syndrome.
The heartrate was nice and strong at 151bpm and the CRL (crown to rump length) was 6cm. Measuring right on target! :) The skull, brain, spine, stomach, and abdomen all appeared normal. Both hands and feet were visible...and he/she has very long legs like his/her brother. *LOL*
They want to do scans every two weeks from 16-26 weeks...just to check Nio's growth as well as the cervical length. There's nothing at all wrong, this is purely precautionary due to Thomas' pregnancy. We're perfectly happy to do this. :D
I'm sure I'm forgetting things, but I can't really remember much else right now. So, I'll end this...with a picture of our beautiful little Nio. <3<3<3<3
Wednesday, 18 April 2012
Zofran = YAY!
I'm not going to jump the gun and say that Zofran has been a 'miracle cure' or anything, but...
I will say that El actually ate dinner with me last night...and it's been a while since that's happened. :)
Nuchal scan tomorrow. I'm wavering between being stupidly and annoyingly excited and completely terrified.
I will say that El actually ate dinner with me last night...and it's been a while since that's happened. :)
Nuchal scan tomorrow. I'm wavering between being stupidly and annoyingly excited and completely terrified.
Monday, 16 April 2012
All-Day Sickness Woes...
Poor El...she's been so very sick.
Luckily, she hasn't lost any weight...she lost 5kg in the first trimester with Thomas. But, she's been violently ill every night. She was pretty sick with Thomas too, but she wasn't feeling too bad during the day.
With little Nio, she wakes up feeling sick...fights the urge to vomit all day...vomits at night...and then goes to bed. :( Not fun.
So, she called Dr. Krishnan today and he's sending out a prescription for her. I would imagine it's for Zofran. Hopefully, it helps.
Ginger just isn't cutting it this time.
Hopefully, she had her last blood test to check her progesterone levels this morning. On Saturday, it was 83...they like to see it at 25 at the least. So, the placenta is doing what it needs to do. It could also be the reason why she's as sick as she is. We don't know what her progesterone levels were with Thomas, so I can't compare them.
Getting really excited for Thursday. :)
Luckily, she hasn't lost any weight...she lost 5kg in the first trimester with Thomas. But, she's been violently ill every night. She was pretty sick with Thomas too, but she wasn't feeling too bad during the day.
With little Nio, she wakes up feeling sick...fights the urge to vomit all day...vomits at night...and then goes to bed. :( Not fun.
So, she called Dr. Krishnan today and he's sending out a prescription for her. I would imagine it's for Zofran. Hopefully, it helps.
Ginger just isn't cutting it this time.
Hopefully, she had her last blood test to check her progesterone levels this morning. On Saturday, it was 83...they like to see it at 25 at the least. So, the placenta is doing what it needs to do. It could also be the reason why she's as sick as she is. We don't know what her progesterone levels were with Thomas, so I can't compare them.
Getting really excited for Thursday. :)
13 April 2012
I'm seriously considering getting one of these:
You can read more about it here.
Chances are that I normally wouldn't even think of spending this kind of money on a baby monitor, but...this can be accessed worldwide. Which means that all Mom has to do is download the software for it and she can check in on Nio whenever she wants. It also limits the number of users to 4, which I like.
At the end of the day...it's really not all that expensive for what it does. A few years ago, it probably would've cost well over $1,000.
In other news...
11 weeks today and, according to a website that compares the baby's size with fruit and vegetables, Nio is the size of a lime. :-)
You can read more about it here.
Chances are that I normally wouldn't even think of spending this kind of money on a baby monitor, but...this can be accessed worldwide. Which means that all Mom has to do is download the software for it and she can check in on Nio whenever she wants. It also limits the number of users to 4, which I like.
At the end of the day...it's really not all that expensive for what it does. A few years ago, it probably would've cost well over $1,000.
In other news...
11 weeks today and, according to a website that compares the baby's size with fruit and vegetables, Nio is the size of a lime. :-)
10 April 2012
El had to go in for a blood test on Saturday to check her progesterone level. It was 56 (up from 40 the previous Monday!), so they said for her to drop down to one pessary a day and to come back on Monday for a repeat test.
On Monday, we got up and headed back in for another blood test. El called for the results that afternoon and it was 80! This is good...this means that the placenta is taking over and doing what it's supposed to do!
She goes back in on Saturday for another blood test...and if that looks good, she'll be able to come off the progesterone altogether because the placenta will be producing enough to sustain the pregnancy.
All going well so far.
Except for the morning sickness...which is not restricted to mornings at all. :(
On Monday, we got up and headed back in for another blood test. El called for the results that afternoon and it was 80! This is good...this means that the placenta is taking over and doing what it's supposed to do!
She goes back in on Saturday for another blood test...and if that looks good, she'll be able to come off the progesterone altogether because the placenta will be producing enough to sustain the pregnancy.
All going well so far.
Except for the morning sickness...which is not restricted to mornings at all. :(
30 March 2012
El called and made the appointment with Dr. Mangos (the obstetric medicine specialist). We see him on 11 April.
That just so happens to be on the same day as the Subsequent Pregnancy Support Group and SIDS and Kids. We're both taking the day off and going to the group for the first time. I'm nervous and excited about it.
Nervous because we've been members of the Stillbirth Group since March 2011. So it's that 'venturing out' kind of nerve thing. Excited because...well, we're FINALLY able to move into the 'having another baby and scared to death about it' phase. :-)
We know a couple of people who are either already in the group or will be going in soon, so that makes it a bit better.
That just so happens to be on the same day as the Subsequent Pregnancy Support Group and SIDS and Kids. We're both taking the day off and going to the group for the first time. I'm nervous and excited about it.
Nervous because we've been members of the Stillbirth Group since March 2011. So it's that 'venturing out' kind of nerve thing. Excited because...well, we're FINALLY able to move into the 'having another baby and scared to death about it' phase. :-)
We know a couple of people who are either already in the group or will be going in soon, so that makes it a bit better.
29 March 2012
Today was the first appointment with the obstetrician...and it went great.
We had a chat with the doctor (more about him in a minute) and then he said "Let's do a quick scan and have a look..."
No pictures, but we saw how much little Nio has grown (saw legs and arms!) and HEARD the heartbeat. It was measuring perfectly at 140-150bpm (he didn't measure, but he listnened). It was the most beautiful sound I've heard since we heard Thomas' heartbeat. I nearly cried.
He wants El to see a specialist concerning the medical side of her pregnancy (mainly because she's on so many blood thinning drugs) and gave us the form to fill out to book into the hospital. We'll be going to the same hospital where Thomas was born because Dr. Krishnan confirmed that this pregnancy is going to be considered high risk (which we're completely happy about) and the other hospital isn't really good for high risk pregnancies.
Our technical due date is still 2 November, but we'll be having the baby at 36-37 weeks. We're okay with that too. This means that we only have 28 weeks until we're holding our baby!
Now about the doctor...
He's the doctor we saw when we found out that El had retained product following Thomas' birth. He ordered the D&C and he was so lovely that we decided at that moment that he would be our doctor for our next pregnancy. He referred to Thomas by name today...and that makes me realize that he's the right doctor for us.
So...that's where we are at the moment. Our next appointment is on 19 April and that's our nuchal scan. We'll see Dr. Krishnan again on the 30th.
El's morning sickness is in full swing and as bad as it is...I'm so very happy that it's there. :)
There will be more to follow. :D
We had a chat with the doctor (more about him in a minute) and then he said "Let's do a quick scan and have a look..."
No pictures, but we saw how much little Nio has grown (saw legs and arms!) and HEARD the heartbeat. It was measuring perfectly at 140-150bpm (he didn't measure, but he listnened). It was the most beautiful sound I've heard since we heard Thomas' heartbeat. I nearly cried.
He wants El to see a specialist concerning the medical side of her pregnancy (mainly because she's on so many blood thinning drugs) and gave us the form to fill out to book into the hospital. We'll be going to the same hospital where Thomas was born because Dr. Krishnan confirmed that this pregnancy is going to be considered high risk (which we're completely happy about) and the other hospital isn't really good for high risk pregnancies.
Our technical due date is still 2 November, but we'll be having the baby at 36-37 weeks. We're okay with that too. This means that we only have 28 weeks until we're holding our baby!
Now about the doctor...
He's the doctor we saw when we found out that El had retained product following Thomas' birth. He ordered the D&C and he was so lovely that we decided at that moment that he would be our doctor for our next pregnancy. He referred to Thomas by name today...and that makes me realize that he's the right doctor for us.
So...that's where we are at the moment. Our next appointment is on 19 April and that's our nuchal scan. We'll see Dr. Krishnan again on the 30th.
El's morning sickness is in full swing and as bad as it is...I'm so very happy that it's there. :)
There will be more to follow. :D
15 March 2012
Slight scare this morning...which led to two panicked mothers in the EPAS clinic.
The lovely midwife who runs the EPAS clinic sent us for another ultrasound...just to make sure everything is okay.
We saw Nio immediately again...as well as his/her heartbeat. It was registering 157bpm, which is excellent.
I really want to enjoy this pregnancy, but I'm so scared and nervous. Don't get me wrong, I'm so happy and excited about everything. It's just...I wish I had that ignorance back that I had with Thomas' pregnancy. You know...where you just trust that everything's going to be okay because it is?
The important thing is..little Nio is just fine at the moment. :)
We have our first OB appointment on 29 March and we scheduled our nuchal scan for 19 April. The reason we did that is because at the hospital where we had this morning's scan, they have a medical study going on. They collect data from the nuchal scan to see if they can work towards pinpointing certain genetic problems at 12 weeks instead of the current 19 week scan. As a result, there is no cost for our nuchal scan and our data will be pooled with everyone else's...and hopefully help make some advances in fetal medicine.
I'm looking forward to seeing little Nio again. :)
The lovely midwife who runs the EPAS clinic sent us for another ultrasound...just to make sure everything is okay.
We saw Nio immediately again...as well as his/her heartbeat. It was registering 157bpm, which is excellent.
I really want to enjoy this pregnancy, but I'm so scared and nervous. Don't get me wrong, I'm so happy and excited about everything. It's just...I wish I had that ignorance back that I had with Thomas' pregnancy. You know...where you just trust that everything's going to be okay because it is?
The important thing is..little Nio is just fine at the moment. :)
We have our first OB appointment on 29 March and we scheduled our nuchal scan for 19 April. The reason we did that is because at the hospital where we had this morning's scan, they have a medical study going on. They collect data from the nuchal scan to see if they can work towards pinpointing certain genetic problems at 12 weeks instead of the current 19 week scan. As a result, there is no cost for our nuchal scan and our data will be pooled with everyone else's...and hopefully help make some advances in fetal medicine.
I'm looking forward to seeing little Nio again. :)
14 March 2012
We had our first scan this morning.
Nio had a perfect heartrate of 122bpm and was 7mm long. Right on target for the gestational age (which is 6 weeks 5 days)! Estimated due date is 2 November, but I suspect we'll have an October baby.
Green arrow = head
Red arrow = heart
Blue arrow = bottom
Green arrow = head
Red arrow = heart
Blue arrow = bottom
14 March 2012
It's ultrasound day!
I'm terrified and excited. Hoping like hell we see a heartbeat.
There's nothing to make me think we won't, I'm just...nervous.
:)
I'm terrified and excited. Hoping like hell we see a heartbeat.
There's nothing to make me think we won't, I'm just...nervous.
:)
13 March 2012
In 26 hours, we should be in the scanning room getting ready to see our little one.
Nervous, excited, terrified...yep, that's me. *LOL*
Nervous, excited, terrified...yep, that's me. *LOL*
10 March 2012
25dp5dt...
Soon, I'll start counting in weeks properly. But, not until we see the heartbeat.
But, today we had our fourth and final beta. The number jumped from 1,039 to 15,000...which is absolutely perfect!!!
Everything seems to be looking good and El's symptoms are reflecting the jump in numbers, which is also good. :)
Ultrasound is Wednesday the 14th!
Soon, I'll start counting in weeks properly. But, not until we see the heartbeat.
But, today we had our fourth and final beta. The number jumped from 1,039 to 15,000...which is absolutely perfect!!!
Everything seems to be looking good and El's symptoms are reflecting the jump in numbers, which is also good. :)
Ultrasound is Wednesday the 14th!
3 March 2012
El went for the blood test at the clinic on Wednesday and the number came back at 1,039. This is pretty much perfect. She's still doubling at 51 hours, and I'm quite happy with that!
It seems as though full-blown morning sickness is right around the corner.
I feel a little bad about feeling excited about El being sick.
Next bloods are next Saturday, 10 March. Unless we request another one. I think the clinic realizes that we're overly aware of everything, even if it's normal by their standards. They're being very very good and understanding.
I really like the nurses at our clinic. :)
And I think we've decided what we're calling this little baby. You may remember that we called Thomas 'Four' because he was the fourth transfer.
This little one was been nicknamed Nio. Nine in Swedish. El suggested it last night on the way down to Nowra for the Mums Like Me Trivia Night and I really, really liked it.
It seems as though full-blown morning sickness is right around the corner.
I feel a little bad about feeling excited about El being sick.
Next bloods are next Saturday, 10 March. Unless we request another one. I think the clinic realizes that we're overly aware of everything, even if it's normal by their standards. They're being very very good and understanding.
I really like the nurses at our clinic. :)
And I think we've decided what we're calling this little baby. You may remember that we called Thomas 'Four' because he was the fourth transfer.
This little one was been nicknamed Nio. Nine in Swedish. El suggested it last night on the way down to Nowra for the Mums Like Me Trivia Night and I really, really liked it.
28 February 2012
Slight scare yesterday, though to be honest...maybe it wouldn't have been as scary if we hadn't lost Thomas.
There was a slight bleed. I freaked out, El freaked out, the clinic was pretty much 'oh, these things can happen...come in on Wednesday for a blood test'.
Wednesday?!?
I asked El to call our GP to see if she could do a test that afternoon...just so we could check the numbers.
Got the results today.
The number should double within 48-72 hours. So, I was looking for a 570..to be safe.
It came back at 580. I was stoked! It doubled in like 51 hours, which is perfect. Both numbers are above the median scores for their respective dates on betabase.info as well.
El will have blood taken again tomorrow (might as well, since they're doing it!), so hopefully her numbers continue to rise appropriately.
We also got the paperwork from the clinic today.
She was scheduled to have her second beta on 10 March. ?!? Two weeks apart? I think that would've driven me crazy!! I really do think that we had another test not long after the positive that we got for Thomas. I don't think we had to wait 2 weeks...I could be wrong though. I didn't really know anything about the numbers back then, so I wasn't looking for them.
Anyway...more bloods tomorrow, then on the 10th. Ultrasound on the 15th and more bloods on the 31st.
I'm really hoping that things go smoothly from here on in.
In regards to the bleeding...
When I sit down and really think about it, I shouldn't be surprised. She's on a high dose of progesterone pessaries (which can cause bleeding), plus daily Clexane injections (which is a blood thinner), plus an aspirin a day. Chances are really good that this is the culprit of the bleeding. The fact that yesterday's number was so good tells me that this little one has made itself a cosy home.
I'm much calmer than I was yesterday. :)
There was a slight bleed. I freaked out, El freaked out, the clinic was pretty much 'oh, these things can happen...come in on Wednesday for a blood test'.
Wednesday?!?
I asked El to call our GP to see if she could do a test that afternoon...just so we could check the numbers.
Got the results today.
The number should double within 48-72 hours. So, I was looking for a 570..to be safe.
It came back at 580. I was stoked! It doubled in like 51 hours, which is perfect. Both numbers are above the median scores for their respective dates on betabase.info as well.
El will have blood taken again tomorrow (might as well, since they're doing it!), so hopefully her numbers continue to rise appropriately.
We also got the paperwork from the clinic today.
She was scheduled to have her second beta on 10 March. ?!? Two weeks apart? I think that would've driven me crazy!! I really do think that we had another test not long after the positive that we got for Thomas. I don't think we had to wait 2 weeks...I could be wrong though. I didn't really know anything about the numbers back then, so I wasn't looking for them.
Anyway...more bloods tomorrow, then on the 10th. Ultrasound on the 15th and more bloods on the 31st.
I'm really hoping that things go smoothly from here on in.
In regards to the bleeding...
When I sit down and really think about it, I shouldn't be surprised. She's on a high dose of progesterone pessaries (which can cause bleeding), plus daily Clexane injections (which is a blood thinner), plus an aspirin a day. Chances are really good that this is the culprit of the bleeding. The fact that yesterday's number was so good tells me that this little one has made itself a cosy home.
I'm much calmer than I was yesterday. :)
25 February 2012
And it's confirmed...
Blood test earlier today.
hCG = 287!!
Anything over 20 is considered pregnant by our clinic.
OMFG!
I'm over the moon. Seriously, over the moon!
Blood test earlier today.
hCG = 287!!
Anything over 20 is considered pregnant by our clinic.
OMFG!
I'm over the moon. Seriously, over the moon!
24 February 2012
We were both feeling nervous today, so I kind of talked El into going to the pharmacy to get another test. She did and then called me a while later and said that she'd messed up. I started to panic, but then she continued.
She had bought a different brand, but assumed (as I would've too) that the directions would be the same. The tests last night needed to be in the urinary stream for 5 seconds. The one today needed 10 seconds. Ten?? Really??
Anyway, here's today's 'messed up' test:
Considering that the test was only halfway done, I'm pretty stoked with the result. :-)
Blood test tomorrow!
She had bought a different brand, but assumed (as I would've too) that the directions would be the same. The tests last night needed to be in the urinary stream for 5 seconds. The one today needed 10 seconds. Ten?? Really??
Anyway, here's today's 'messed up' test:
Considering that the test was only halfway done, I'm pretty stoked with the result. :-)
Blood test tomorrow!
23 February 2012
Last year, we did four transfers. All were BFNs.
Between 3 and 4, El had some genetic testing done just to rule things out. Turns out...she has a compound heterozygous mutation - c6777t and a1298c. Basically, this condition can cause placental abruption, as well as making it more difficult for embryos to implant. The treatment is simple: extra folate, Clexane injections from day of transfer, and an aspirin a day.
On 14 February 2012, we transferred this little one:
It had thawed perfectly, retaining 100% of the cells and expanding beautifully.
For the first time ever, decided to do an HPT tonight...9dp5dt (9 days post 5 day transfer).
This was the result:
Yeah...2 lines. TWO lines!
Just to be sure, we did another one:
In under a minute, we had another positive result.
Official blood test is Saturday, 25 February.
For now, we're expecting little Raffe...Thomas' little brother or sister.
Our little Dragon Baby.
I don't even know how to explain how I'm feeling right now.
Suffice to say, I'm not feeling bad. :)
Between 3 and 4, El had some genetic testing done just to rule things out. Turns out...she has a compound heterozygous mutation - c6777t and a1298c. Basically, this condition can cause placental abruption, as well as making it more difficult for embryos to implant. The treatment is simple: extra folate, Clexane injections from day of transfer, and an aspirin a day.
On 14 February 2012, we transferred this little one:
It had thawed perfectly, retaining 100% of the cells and expanding beautifully.
For the first time ever, decided to do an HPT tonight...9dp5dt (9 days post 5 day transfer).
This was the result:
Yeah...2 lines. TWO lines!
Just to be sure, we did another one:
In under a minute, we had another positive result.
Official blood test is Saturday, 25 February.
For now, we're expecting little Raffe...Thomas' little brother or sister.
Our little Dragon Baby.
I don't even know how to explain how I'm feeling right now.
Suffice to say, I'm not feeling bad. :)
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