I am 2 days away from hitting the half way 20 week point in my pregnancy! Wow!
Yesterday we had our big ultrasound. My doctor sent me to a high risk OB doctor because I am 35 now (advanced maternal age, aka: old) and to check on my uterine window situation...more on that later. The scheduler told me to allow 2 hrs and 45 min for the ultrasound, appt with the doctor, and consultation with the genetics counselor (something they do for all patients over 35). Luckily, my Dad was able to come down and watch the boys for us which was a HUGE help because we ended up being there for over 3 hours!
The genetics counselor basically just went over the increased risks for birth defects after you reach age 35 and all the tests and screenings that are available to couples. Michael and I have decided to not do any testing which is just our personal preference. It wouldn't change any of our decisions concerning the baby or change the way we treat or love the baby. And we are both too big of worry warts that we just feel like finding out about a potential problem would just worry us sick and take away some of the joy of the pregnancy when we can just wait about 4 more months to find out for sure.
Then came the ultrasound! I love seeing our sweet baby on the screen and see all the little body parts that have formed and developed over the past few months. And then the fun part when we were looking for the gender. At first baby had its legs closed and I was afraid we wouldn't get to find out, but then the ultrasound lady went back and checked again and there we saw it....a little "bulge" sticking out between the little legs. That's right we are having a BOY!!!!! I can't believe it! I don't think Michael and I were too surprised and part of me couldn't imagine actually having anything besides a boy. The reality is slowly sinking in that I am going to be a mom of 3 boys and I couldn't be more excited! What fun! And there will be less than 4 years between Joseph and this baby so they will definitely all be close in age and hopefully good little buddies!
After that, the high risk doctor came in and did some of his own pictures on ultrasound. Both he and the ultrasound tech had a lot of problems getting pictures of the baby's heart because of the way he was positioned and the spine was putting a shadow on the heart. So they spent a lot of time trying different angles to get the pics they needed. Michael and I were getting a little concerned they were seeing something but the doctor said baby looked great and they were just having hard time getting the right pics.
Now on to the uterine window thing. When I had my C-section with Andrew, when the doctor opened me up she could see Andrew through my uterus (which is supposed to be a thick muscle) which is called a uterine window. The risk with this is that my uterus could have ruptured. And with each additional pregnancy and C-section the uterus gets weaker and thinner. My last doctor apparently did a double layer closure on the window. So it's not guaranteed I will have it with this pregnancy, but we have to take precautions in case I do. Basically I have a 6% chance of the uterus rupturing...which is scary but I remind myself I have 94% chance of it NOT happening too. The doctor said that if the uterus does rupture the baby has to come out within 5 minutes and my risk is blood loss and shock. Sorry not to be too graphic but this blog is how I record a lot of things I want to remember.
So having said all this, this specialist doctor is advising to my doctor that I be delivered by 37 weeks. Whoa. It just seems so much earlier to us! The baby will be full term by then (but still probably a little small) and they are trying to prevent me from going into labor on my own in order to prevent the risk of the uterine rupture. So, according to my calendar, 37 weeks would be around January 29...so we will see what my doctor says next week as far as when we officially schedule things. I feel a little caught off guard about the thought of a possible January baby - I was expecting a February baby! But the upside is it would give baby and Andrew a little more distance between their birthdays (since Roo is Feb. 14).
Here are some new pics:
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| 17.5 weeks |
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| 19.5 weeks |
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| Little face and arms peeking through |
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| Nose and lips |
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| Sweet little hand, the thumb was hiding |
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| Love this little foot |
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| It's a BOY!!! |
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| I got so teary when I saw this profile. There is my new little boy and I already am so in love with him. |
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| They did a few 3D pics which we have never had. They turned out a little distorted because baby boy had his hands up near his face and she said that always distorts things a bit. But I love how you can see his little arms and hands folded so sweet by his face. Oh how I can't wait to hold and kiss this little baby boy! |
