More Testing

We got our first blood tests results back and so far so good. No cystic fibrosis, syphilis, HIV, and all that kind of stuff! My cbc came back negative (no infections).

Today, we had a sequential screen done. Babies accumulate fluid at the back of their neck (nuchal) during the first trimester. As a result of this fluid, the baby's nuchal fold increases in thickness each day of gestation until the fluid disappears around the 15th week. Researchers have established an average or "normal" thickness for each day during the three weeks you are eligible for the screening (between the 11th and 14th week of pregnancy). If the baby's nuchal fold is thicker than average, he or she is considered at a higher risk for an abnormality (such as Downs Syndrome, trisomy 13, or trisomy 18); if it's thinner, his or her risk is lower. It cannot diagnose an abnormality; it only determines if you are at high risk for an abnormality and can help you decide if you want to undergo more invasive and riskier diagnostic testing such as Chorionic Villus Sampling or amniocentesis. Unlike these diagnostic tests, nuchal translucency screening is painless and involves no risk to mom or baby.

The technician had some trouble getting measurements today. Seems the baby was in a playful mood and danced all around. She called him a "class clown." He threw his arms up and his head back as if he was laughing! Then he would turn and look directly at us! It was WEIRD!

He is the "normal" size for this point in gestation (despite everyone's comments about how huge he is!) and his heart beats 147 times per minute. Below is just one of the still frames from today's ultrasound. We go back for more tests on March 26. I'll keep you updated!