A Busy Week

Hi everyone. We hope ya’ll are enjoying the holiday season. Matt, Ziggy, and I had a busy week as we near the second trimester. I was wrong last week because I thought Week 13 marked the beginning of the second trimester, but it’s actually Week 14, which means we have just a few more days to go. I forgot that it’s calculated on a 40 week timetable vs. a 36 week timetable – I’m no math whiz .

Last week, we had our genetic counseling at the IU Med Center in Indy. We made our first “real” parental decision. We had to choose which screenings to have performed. The risk of getting a false positive on most of these tests was actually higher than the average risk and the genetic risk of Ziggy having any type of disorder. I had asked the genetic counselor if there were any advantages to Ziggy if we discovered any problems now rather than at the 20 week ultrasound. He replied that there was no advantage whatsoever, and any positive result would be reexamined at the 20 week ultrasound. So, Matt and I discussed it, and we decided that it would be best to wait for the 20 week ultrasound rather than have me worry about results, etc. The genetic counselor was great, but he did begin to annoy me toward the latter part of our meeting. He kept reminding me that any risk went up at age 35, but he wanted me to know that since I was close to that age and “getting older” (his words, not mine) that I could essentially have those same risks. It’s just odd to hear someone say that I’m older – over and over and over again . Regardless, the risks are all pretty much fewer than 2%, so we are really hoping those odds hold. We did schedule that 20 week Level II Ultrasound – it’s Jan. 23rd. We also decided to have a screening for cystic fibrosis. Matt and I would both have to be carriers for Ziggy to be at risk, but again, odds are on our side. This is a simple blood test, and the results should be in soon.

On Sunday, I had some bad cramping and a few other issues, but all is well. I was a little unnerved, but Matt was his usual laid back and relaxed self. We had our monthly check up with Dr. Trippel on Monday, and she assured me that all was normal. She also told me that I might have these goofy symptoms for awhile since Ziggy was growing. She mandated a flu shot for me. I HATE shots. When I was little, the nurses would have to tell me elaborate stories and try to get me to look away just so they could give me my shot. I caught on to this fairly quickly, and the stories became more detailed until they eventually wore me down. I had told Matt this story, and he told me that they used a gun like contraption to administer the flu shot. So, for about 10 minutes, I am trying to find an escape route out of the exam room. I have never had a flu shot and didn’t know any better but to believe Matt. So, when the nurse came in, my face was red and I was sweating. She asked about my allergies, and I was tempted to lie so I would not have to have the shot. I didn’t lie, and as it turns out, it’s just a regular needle. I hardly felt it so I wrote the nurse’s name down so she can give me all my shots .

We saved the best part for last. We heard Ziggy’s heartbeat on Monday. It was very cool and very reassuring. Dr. Trippell said the heartbeat was strong and at a perfect pace. Dr. Trippell is a no nonsense type woman, so there was really no time to ooh and ahh over that perfect heartbeat. She heard what she needed to hear and it was over in about five seconds. But, that was just long enough to be logged into our memories forever. I told Matt how cool it was, and Dr. Trippell (who has her own kids) told us that it would be the coolest sound we hear until we hear Ziggy’s cry. I am sure this is true – until Ziggy won’t stop crying .

So, all in all, a good week and a half. We’re ready for Week 14 and that second trimester. The risk of any problems carrying Ziggy dramatically decrease then, and it also brings us one week closer to the 20 week ultrasound where we also learn the gender. We’ll continue to keep you posted. Thanks again for everything! Take care!