| ~~~~~~Mommy's Notes~~~~~ |
 |
|
| July 2004 |
| Doctor's Visit, ECU 07.08.04 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Unexpected Dr's visit happened yesterday. I went into the Naval Hospital ER the night of 7 July, because I was having some severe headaches. (This is a concern because it is a sign of preeclamsia.) After I got there, a little boy with his parents checked in. The little boy was there with chicken pox, and they put him in the waiting room with all the other patients. Now, not only did I have a splitting headache, I was exposed to chicken pox, and I have never had them. Chicken pox are highly dangerous to an unborn child. So, after the doctor looked me over, he determined that I am having headaches from the increase in my blood pressure due to the pregnancy. Technically, my blood pressure isn't 'high' by normal standards, but I have such low blood pressure, that even the 'high range normal' is extremely high for me. So, I get to see a neurologist for the headaches, and the doctor ordered a varicella antibody test ordered on me. (The results came back as I had had exposure to chicken pox, but I was immune to them, thank god!) So, I have to go back in two weeks for a follow up, and my 16 week check up. My next scheduled appointments are on 19 July, with OB and Genetic Counseling. |
| Add-in Note: Cody's Deployment Status 07.10.04 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Forgot to put in here that Cody didn't deploy in June. He was able to get transfered to another unit that isn't leaving. So, for a while, we are safe from deployment! (Of course, this could change really quick.) The unit that he is in right now is supposed to deploy in January. I don't know if he's going to go back to his old unit when they get back, (which is right around the time the one he's in is leaving), or if he's going. Hopefully, it won't be till after the baby is born that he deploys. I'm not looking forward to giving birth alone if he goes before hand! |
| Appointment, OB, Genetic Counselling, and Level II Ultrasound 07.19.04 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ This was a LONG day! I went into my OB appointment at 9am, and managed to stay in appointments from then till 12:30, then back again at 1pm! My OB appointment went well. The doctor had a bit of a time trying to find the heartbeat...because the baby kept moving! She'd get it, then lose it...then find it, then lose it again! Finally, she was able to get it, and the heartbeat was at 150/bpm. We went over any concerns that I might have had, which there really weren't any. Genetic Counselling was at 10am. Now, I will say that this appointment was EXTREMELY informative. I found out a lot about my von Willebrand's disease that I didn't know. The doctor and genetic counselor were both extremely knowledgable about my condition, and let me know exactly what it was that we were looking at as far as passing the disorder onto my baby. (Which, by the way, is a 50% chance; the odds are, the baby will end up with it.) I also found out that the type of von Willebrand's disease that I have is an extremely mild case. Therefore, unless Cody also has the disease, our child will most likely NOT have a case more severe than myself. They gave me a very informative book about my disorder, and gave me a website address for more information on it. (For those that are interested, the link is right here.) I feel better now knowing more about what is going on as far as what I might be 'giving' our child. To look at it in a different light, at least I'm not going to give him something 'worse'. My Level II Ultrasound was at 1pm. This type of ultrasound is different than a 'regular' ultrasound in the way of it shows in depth details of the baby's body parts. We were able to see each finger in the baby's hand...the facial structure, the spinal cord, and even some of the internal organs and the blood flow to them. It was INCREDIBLE. However, about 10 minutes into the ultrasound, the baby expressed extreme distaste for this invasion of privacy by giving me really bad heartburn! Our little one swiped a hand at the transducer, as if to say 'GO AWAY! You're bothering me!' When the technican went to look at the feet, those were a constant blur. So, giving it a rest, she asked us if we wanted to know what our baby was...and of course, we wanted to know! At this time, the tech went to look...and the baby just rolled over and the little legs were wide open. (No modesty there, I tell you!) Cody and I are having a little boy!!! Our little guy is developing normally, and at last measurement, he was approximately 6 inches in length, and weighing approximately 7 ounces. His gestational age at this ultrasound was 16 weeks 4 days, but the ultrasound is dating him at 16 weeks 6 days. Not that much of a difference! He's a big boy in there...and I can't believe how much he's grown. Because of the early date of the ultrasound, his little heart was tiny...a bit too tiny for us to see all the details. I am scheduled to go back to OB on 16 August to have my 20 week check up, and another Level II ultrasound. The doctor we spoke with in ultrasound told us that our son is developing normally and is doing well. I look forward to seeing him again on 16 August! After the ultrasound, I went to the lab, and had my Alpha Fetal Protein blood test drawn. This is not a conclusive test, but it can show if there are any genetic problems with a baby in-utero. The nurse that counseled me on it told me that even if something DID show up, that didn't necessarily mean that something was wrong with the baby. Also, she told me that no news is good news...so if I didn't hear anything, that was a good thing. |