I did a home pregnancy test today and it showed, much to my surprise, a positive result! I may be 10 weeks pregnant already.
I went to my family doctor to confirm my suspicision, but all he could do was to suggest that I go see an OB/GYN. The first available appointment is on July 5.
I went to the OB/GYN today and all looks well. The baby is 5.1 centimeter (exactly the average for 12 weeks) and is due on January 17. I have two pictures of the ultrasound and I heard his/her heartbeat. I have an appointment with the gynaecologist next Monday to decide on which tests I want to have done and in four weeks I see the OB/GYN again.
I went to the OB/GYN today and all still looks well. The baby grew one centimeter over the past week and is now 6.1 centimeter (exactly the average for 13 weeks). On the right are the images of the ultrasound of last week (on the lower image you can see a dotted line from head to bum). Today I had a much nicer ultrasound showing the arms/hands/fingers, the legs/feet/toes, the brain, the spine, the heart, the placenta, and the spinal cord. I will scan and include that one shortly. My next appointment is on Wednesday, July 28 for an amniocentesis test.
On the left you find much clearer ultrasound images. The top image shows the baby with the head to the right and the knees bent. The bottom image shows the bottom of the feet.
Since I do not have a partner with whom to share this, you have to suffer again. The baby is now 16 weeks and on the right ultrasound from yesterday you can see the placenta on the left and the baby on the right with eyes, nose, and a "high five". The heart is beating fast and strong. A week and a half ago I had some blood loss, which turned out to be a false alarm after a four-hour visit to the hospital. A week ago I had an amnio of which I will learn the results in two weeks when I will also find out about the gender. On Wednesday, September 1 I will have an extended ultrasound and after that the OB/GYN tells me to start detoxing concerning ultrasounds (this was #5)! I am wearing my first maternity skirt today.
August 13, 2004
The baby's father informed me in an email message that he feels
unable to be part of our baby's life. Sadness over this development hangs
like a dark shadow over my excitement about our baby-to-be.
It will be a ... daughter! That is what I learned when the amnio results came in this weekend. More importantly, no abnormalities were found. I'm sooo relieved.
Gender
Face
This morning I had an extended ultrasound and all looks well. The baby is now 25 centimeters tall (head to toe) and weighs 335 grams. All measurements were about average. She was moving a lot, but I have not felt her yet, unfortunately. To the left and right are ultrasound images showing that she is a girl ("gender" -- left), that she has two eyes, a mouth, and a heart ("face"), that she is attached to an umbilical cord ("cord" -- left) and that she is practicing the first (foot) position with (leg) plier from ballet ("balletdancer"). I will get one more ultrasound because the spine could not be seen completely because of her position. She arranged that quite nicely for her mom!
Cord
Balletdancer
Spine
Monkey?
Face
The day before yesterday I saw my OB/GYN again and yesterday we had our probably last ultrasound. From now on the uterus will be measured and it is 20 centimeters long, which is normal but seems so tight for the little girl. Attached are ultrasound images in which you can see the spine she hid last time ("spine"), that make one wonder whether I have a monkey in my belly ("monkey?" -- skull right), and on which one can see the entire head again ("face" -- right). Now you will no longer be bothered by our ultrasounds and I can enjoy her kicking in my belly as a sign of life. Overall I feel great.
I saw my OB/GYN again today. The uterus is now 27 centimeters long and my belly is a little small, so we squeezed another ultrasound out of it (no pictures, unfortunately)! This showed that the little girl is somewhat below average when it comes to the perimeter of her head (and a little less when it comes to the perimeter of her belly and the length of her lower leg). The baby weighs 1500 grams and I have gained almost 20 pounds during my pregnancy so far. Mom to be has to take it easy the next two weeks, which will not be easy, and then come back for another ultrasound and the results of the glucose and iron test. This Wednesday we also have an appointment for a 3D ultrasound. If it is successful, I will share some images. We now have 30 weeks behind us and 10 to go. Unfortunately, it does not look like I can move into my new home before January 2.
Baby Sent -10 weeks did not really want to cooperate with the 3D ultrasound. She almost constantly had a hand in front of her face, which is also deep in the bottom of the uterus. Still I am showing a few of the pictures we got today on the right:
3D_2 = chin on chest (not very flattering)
3D_5 = some hands and feet in front and the face in the back
cord = umbilical cord
And there are more below.
3D_2
3D_5
Cord
Face
Gender
Heartbeat
Leg
Nose
Another update, and this time with the news that the baby did not grow extra, despite the fact that I tried to slow down. The head (pictured on the left) grew a little more than the belly and the leg, which apparently often happens with babies with a growth deficiency. An ultrasound was made to register the blood flow through the umbilical cord and that looked good, fortunately. If there had been a problem, I would have been kept in the hospital. They also did a heart film, and that looked good, too. We did have to sit attached to the machine for almost 90 minutes, because she must have been sleeping comfortably and only started moving after 75 minutes and a cup of tea with lots of sugar. In addition, the uterus is now 30.5 centimeters long, my blood pressure is excellent, and so are the iron and glucose levels in my blood. If only my baby felt as good as her mom! I am a bit worried. On Wednesday, December 1, I have another extended ultrasound with measurements and heart film, and from now on I have to visit my OB/GYN every week. I will try to slow down even more.
December 1, 2004
I visited the OB/GYN today. The baby grew hardly at all, the placenta
works less well, and the amniotic fluid has decreased. Besides this, the
baby looked good, the heart film was good, and my blood pressure was fine.
The baby appears to weigh around 1650 grams. From now on I have to visit
my OB/GYN twice a week to have my blood pressure and uterus measured and
to have a heart film made. Once a week the blood flow through the umbilical
cord (and with it the functioning of the placenta) will be measured and
once every two weeks the measurements of the baby (head, belly, and upper
leg) will be taken. If the blood flow through the umbilical cord worsens
further, I will be admitted to the hospital to keep a better eye on it
and to induce labor if it becomes critical. Needless to say, I am quite
stressed while I should try to relax!
December 3, 2004
I will no longer include an update with every visit to the OB/GYN, since
I now have an appointment twice a week, but today a few things became
clearer, and I would like to share those. The baby is growing very little
because the placenta is functioning less and less well. This can have
a large number of causes, amongst which genetic ones. This process can
be slowed down a little by resting, so I called in sick and canceled as
many appointments as possible. There is no reason to panic, because the
process of deterioration takes place very slowly. This is checked via
heart films of the baby and Doppler wave forms of the umbilical artery.
As soon as the OB/GYN has the slightest concern that the child is in danger,
I will be admitted to the hospital. Once the functioning of the placenta
falls below a critical threshold, the baby will be delivered via Cesarean
section. We shall have to wait and see what happens, but it is likely
that the baby will be delivered early. We are now 33 weeks and 4 days
along, so she should be able to survive in an incubator. From 38 weeks
onwards, she should be able to survive on her own. I feel much more relaxed
now that I know that it is not the case that I would carry a dead baby
from one day to the next because of these problems.
December 4, 2004
I now have an update without having visited the OB/GYN, which is that
I seem to have lost the mucous plug. Also, I have experienced terrible
back aches these past two days, which may be a sign that the baby has
moved down into the pelvis. Labor and delivery could still be weeks away,
but it seems like little Luna is moving faster than expected!
December 5, 2004
Last night I lost the mucous plug and just now my membranes ruptured.
No contractions yet. I am on the way to the hospital!
December 5, 2004
False alarm. My membranes did not rupture. The watery substance
that I lost turned out to be part of the mucous plug. It could be weeks
until labor starts. My next OB/GYN visit is tomorrow, Monday.
December 5, 2004
One of Luna's grandmothers-to-be, Alie, sends this sweet "Sinterklaas"
rhyme on behalf of the baby-to-be (in Dutch):
Voor mijn lieve mammie,
Ik kijk je met mijn oogjes aan,
En denk is het tijd om eruit te gaan!!!!
Maar het is nog zo lekker warm bij jou,
Vooral buiten nu met die kou.
Ik ben nu al een kleine dondersteen,
En heb zo lekker iedereen op de been.
Ik trappel en beweeg, wanneer ik dat wil,
En dan krijg ik ook nog zo'n suikerpil (MET THEE).
Het komt allemaal wel goed met ons,
Als het mijn tijd is, geef ik de baarmoeder een bons!!!!
Iedereen kijkt wel naar me uit,
Ik heb hier al zo'n lekkere tuit!!!!
Nu mag je niet meer zoveel doen, want dat is niet goed voor mij,
Maar als ik er straks ben, nou dan kijk je blij.
Je zorgt nu al zo goed voor ons beiden,
Wij zijn twee dappere meiden!!!!
Hou het nog even vol,
Voor jou deze wensen van je lieve kleine drol!!!!
The updates just keep coming! This one is the result of my OB/GYN visit today. I learned that the baby's head has indeed dropped behind my pubic bone. I also found out that the fact that I lost the mucous plug says nothing about how long the baby will remain in my belly. New measurements were taken of her head, belly, and upper leg and of the blood flow through the umbillical cord, and these were much less negative than the ones of a week ago. It seems like very much depends on who takes the measurements. The heart film also looks fine. The baby's organs were checked again and no abnormalities were found. Mom has a higher blood pressure (140/90), but that may be because I felt bugged by the OB/GYN who seemed disorganized and in a hurry and who had not read my file properly. Further tests showed that my kidneys are functioning properly and that the iron level of my blood has increased. The baby appears to weigh around 1900 grams and I have gained about 10 kilo (22 lbs) during the pregnancy so far. The next appointment is on December 10.
December 7, 2004
One of Luna's grandmothers-to-be, Erna, sends this sweet rhyme for the
baby-to-be (in Dutch):
Je moet nog even wachten...
het is nog nieuwe maan!
Maar weldra zal jouw lichtje
aan onze hemel staan!
Yet another OB/GYN visit, with not much to report this time. The baby's heart film looks fine and my blood pressure continues to be on the high end (140/90). A few blood samples were taken to check my liver and kidney functions and to check for possible viruses. The OB/GYN felt my belly and the baby did not seem small to her. New ultrasound measurements will be taken in a week or so. It feels like my belly grew a lot over the past week, so perhaps the extra rest is helping the little lady. I dreamt last night that I slept through the baby's delivery! Wishful thinking, eh? The next appointment is on December 13. The baby is certainly keeping her mom busy!
I lost some blood and am on my way to the hospital again.
December 19, 2004
Luna Mimi Sent was born on Monday, December 13. It was a new moon on Sunday,
December 12, the day labor started. It was the day of Santa Lucia, the
saint of the light, on Monday, December 13, the day Luna arrived. And
it was Mo(o)nday as well, so the stars were lined up for the arrival of
my moon baby! I spent six days in the hospital and Luna is still there.
A birth announcement will follow as soon as Luna is home and her website
will soon be updated.