12 weeks 5 days ultrasound

Everything is still looking good!

The baby was kicking up a storm and waving its arms around. you could see it opening and closing its hands. it was quite something.

The OB didn't measure the heart rate or size this time - just showed me the baby moving around like crazy and answered my questions. She feels all is going well.

We asked about incompetent cervix. She said that she is not concerned by my history (four D&Cs after miscarriages and a cryosurgery in the 1990s) - that usually the women who have losses due to IC just have it happen out of the blue. "So I won't be considered high risk unless and until I lose this baby?" I asked. And she said, technically, yes. But that she would treat me as though I am high risk for incompetent cervix because she knows I am nervous about it. She said they would start monitoring me for it soon.

She also said that the cramping I'm experiencing is normal: the uterus is expanding. And that if I think I'm feeling cervical pain, I'm not, because the cervix doesn't have pain receptors. I didn't ask about rechecking my progesterone levels with her. I'll go back to my RE and have them draw it or have Will write me a prescription for the blood work tomorrow.

She asked what else I worry about with the pregnancy, and I told her my other concerns were potential cardiac issues (because they are relatively common), P-PROM, and pre-eclampsia (god, she must think I'm nuts). She said cardiac problems are not so common and that they will check everything thoroughly if we can get to 20 weeks (ok, she actually said "when we get to 20 weeks" but I can't bring myself to type it). She said  that in her experience, P-PROM is usually associated with second trimester bleeding, and is unusual and can't be prevented (so no use worrying). And she said that pre-eclampsia, while more common in older women and first-time pregnancies (me! me!), is something they'll be watching me for like a hawk. And she said there is some evidence that the lovenox I'm on may offer some protection against it. (Cool!)

I told her the reproductive immunologist is planning to take me off of the lovenox at 20 weeks, and she said that she will continue me on it (!) until 36 weeks and then switch me to sub-q heparin. I found this funny. I'm sure she would never have put me on it herself because I don't have clear indications I need it, but now that I'm on it, she doesn't want me off of it. That's fine with me.

She also told me that cooked sushi is fine to eat (I'd been wondering if it was safe or if it was a listeria risk). So things like California rolls and shrimp avocado rolls are back on the menu (with gluten-free soy sauce). Yay! I love those things. She said regular sushi should actually be fine too, because in NYC everything is flash frozen before serving, which kills any parasites. But she said I shouldn't eat it anyway, just out of an abundance of caution, given my history (bummer).

The OB shared at the end of the appointment that she was starting her day with me (six miscarriages, now pregnant at end of first trimester) and ending her day with a woman now 38 weeks pregnant after seven miscarriages. That she thought this was a great way to have a clinic day. That good things do happen sometimes. And that she looks forward to me being 38 weeks too.

Here's a picture of the yumster (that's what the OB calls him/her). Pic isn't very good quality, and the amniotic fluid looks really low in this shot, but believe me, this little one was doing the bicycle in there, waving its arms around like a maniac, and generally having a grand time.

Mo

Click here to subscribe