7-month Checkup (April 4, 2007)

Weight: 173 pounds, a 36-pound gain since the start of the pregnancy (!)
Blood pressure: 110/70

The fun news at this appointment is that Dr. Holden and his wife had their 2nd child - a girl - on Saturday (Mar 31st). He and his wife have a 2-year old boy too. We asked him how he and his wife got to the hospital, and he said they took a taxi -- same strategy as for their first child. He also said that another doctor delivered the baby; Dr. Holden was there as a husband/father only. He said his wife doesn't like getting advice from him when she's pregnant, which was funny.

This appointment went quickly. We listened to the Bean's heartbeat and it sounded good. The monitor that the nurse used this session did not provide a digital readout of the number of beats per minute, so I am not able to record that data for this entry, but in general, the Bean's heart rate is faster than mine.

He said I look good, all signs are good, and we can keep on truckin. Because Dr. Holden is part of a team of 6 doctors that takes turns being on call at nights and on weekends, I will meet each of the other doctors every couple of weeks so that regardless of who is on call when the Bean finally arrives, the doctor who assists will not be a complete stranger if the time comes and Dr. Holden is not available.

I received a shot of Rhogam in the rear end to prevent any blood incompatibility issues with the Bean, and then we all went back to work.

6-Month Checkup (Wednesday, Feb 28th, 2007)

25 weeks

Weight: 160 pounds (!)

Vitals: 110/60

Bean: 132 beats/minute

Visit went quickly. I took a sugar test -- will get results next Wednesday. Doctor said he thinks my risk of gestational diabetes is low, and although I'm heavier than I've ever been, he said I'm within 25 pounds of my original weight, and has no worries. I'm ok to travel to San Jose in March.

Bean's heartbeat was 132 and my blood pressure is low, both of which are positive.

Next visit is in April, and I'll get a shot of Rhogam (becuase of potential differences in my blood type vs Michael's). No other blood tests will be needed now until it's time to deliver. We will have one more routine ultrasound at week 36 or 38.

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Rhogam: Rh0 immunoglobulin, also called anti-Rh or anti-D immunoglobulin. An injectable blood product used to protect an Rh-positive fetus from antibodies by its Rh-negative mother. The idea underlying Rhogam is if anti-Rh antibody is given soon after delivery, it blocks the sensitization of the mother and prevents Rh disease from occurring in the woman's next Rh-positive child. Rhogam is now given routinely to Rh-negative women after pregnancies in which they carried Rh-positive fetuses to prevent the mother's immune system from reacting to the Rh-positive blood of any subsequent fetus. Rhogam was developed in the 1960s by Dr. Vincent J. Freda (1927-2003), professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Columbia University.Source: MedicalNet.com http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=11961

CVS Test (Thursday, 7 December 2006)

I returned to the Columbia-Presbyterian offices to get the CVS test. The first step was a level II sonogram. The radiologist was a woman who has worked with Dr. Wapner for years and was very easy-going. Because she was upbeat and calm, it helped me relax. She showed me the baby on-screen, and we saw legs and arms moving! She took measurements, confirmed we were at 12 weeks and 5 days, and performed Nuchal Fold measurements http://www.babycenter.com/refcap/pregnancy/prenatalhealth/118.html saying the baby looked normal and there were no indications of Down Syndrome. She gave me two copies of sonogram pictures.

The Bean still looks like ET.

After approximately 20 minutes, Dr. Wapner came in, and they agreed that the transabdominal version of CVS would be safest in my case, based on where the baby was located within my uterus (the alternative is trans-vaginal). Dr. Wapner looks like Dr. Who – tall with a lot of curly hair. He used a transducer to insert the needle, and in less than 60 seconds, was finished withdrawing material. We talked movies while he performed the test, and he recommended I see “The Queen” starring Helen Mirren, because of the years I lived in Windsor, England, near the castle.

The use of a topical anesthesia is not used for this procedure. At least half of women who have undergone CVS in the past indicated the pain caused by an anesthesia shot was not worth mitigating the pain of the second bigger needle used for the procedure. With my general phobia of needles, I was onboard with using as few needles as possible and willing to have more pain if it meant getting through the procedure as quickly as possible.

When the test was done, Dr. Wapner said the procedure could not have gone more smoothly and indicated I'd have no problems as a result of getting the test. Preliminary results will be available early next week, and final results within 10 days.

Because my blood type (Rh) is A negative and Michael may have a positive blood type (we don't know his), I was given a shot of Rhogam (1) in the rear end before leaving the office, and will now get a Rhogam shot around week 26 and once more after delivery. In this case, I received Rhogam during pregnancy because the CVS procedure (like Amniocentesis) introduces the slight risk that the baby's blood or DNA could interact with mine, and cause my blood to create antibodies against the baby's blood (if the baby has a positive blood type).

I got dressed and felt surprisingly steady on my feet. Took the subway home, laid on the couch, ordered pizza for dinner and watched TV. Slept soundly for the first time this week!

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(1) Rhogam: Rh0 immunoglobulin, also called anti-Rh or anti-D immunoglobulin. An injectable blood product used to protect an Rh-positive fetus from antibodies by its Rh-negative mother. The idea underlying Rhogam is if anti-Rh antibody is given soon after delivery, it blocks the sensitization of the mother and prevents Rh disease from occurring in the woman's next Rh-positive child. Rhogam is now given routinely to Rh-negative women after pregnancies in which they carried Rh-positive fetuses to prevent the mother's immune system from reacting to the Rh-positive blood of any subsequent fetus. Rhogam was developed in the 1960s by Dr. Vincent J. Freda (1927-2003), professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Columbia University.

Source: MedicalNet.com http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=11961