It might be just my imagination, but I might be starting to have food cravings and aversions. In the last week or so, I'm finding myself getting bored of Caucasian style food, at times even a bit nauseous after eating certain things. My husband is the cook in the family, and he has always made dinner that has a French influence. And while I don't want to seem ungrateful for having a husband that cooks for me, I find myself not appreciating the food he makes as much as I used to.
On the other hand, I'm finding myself craving sour candies and Chinese food. I am volunteering to make dinner a few times a week now just so I can make food that I crave. I've been calling my mom long distance to ask her how to make some childhood favorites (much to her delight!).
To date, I have bought 3 maternity items, all pants. With my mom visiting me in a month, she will be bringing some maternity hand-me-downs from my sister-in-law. But in order to survive the next month's worth of hot and humid weather, I needed some maternity capris and shorts, STAT! I never realized how comfortable maternity pants are until I tried them on a couple of weeks ago. Everyone should wear maternity pants, seriously. I was at the store with my husband. I'm not showing yet, but my usual jeans were starting to get a bit tight. So I went into the changing room, and came out with a pair of maternity jeans and a pregnancy pad underneath! I got a kick out of my husband's face when he saw my sudden protruding belly. I have to admit it's quite fun trying on maternity wear with the pregnancy pad, which puts you at about 5-6 months in bigness. I have to attend a wedding in a few months (near the end of my 2nd trimester). It will be fun trying on maternity dresses for that occasion. My personal preference for maternity pants is the full coverage band that covers my full belly. I find the low band uncomfortable. I ended up buying the 3-in-1 from Thyme Maternity. I highly recommend Thyme. Their sales people are very knowledgeable and friendly. Being a first-time mom, I was able to ask questions without feeling stupid... questions like "Do I need to buy maternity underwear?" and "When do I need to buy a new bra?"... neither of which I have had the need to buy yet. They did try to talk me into buying their stretch mark cream. I have to do some research on that before I make my judgment.
Wednesday, May 26
13 Weeks 5 Days
Today I went to get an ultrasound and blood test for the first round of IPS testing. I made the deadline with 1 day to spare (they don't do IPS testing once you're past 13 weeks 6 days). I had to arrive at my appointment with a full bladder. My appointment was at 11:15am. There was no wait, and I was in the exam room by 11:20.
The lab that I went down had a sign at the front reception: Baby ultrasound pictures available for $10. Please notify your technician before your exam. So when she called my name to go into the exam room, I immediately told her I wanted copies of the ultrasound. She said I can pay in cash when the exam is done.
I laid down on the table, anxious for visual confirmation on my baby on the screen. But I realized that I was there for IPS screening, so I stared off into space as the technician moved the ultrasound round and round on my abdomen for what seemed like 10+ minutes. At one point she told me "You have a very active baby!". So active in fact that she couldn't get the measurements she needed for the test. She told me to turn away from her to attempt to get a better angle, and when that didn't work, told me to turn the other way, equally with no better luck. Finally with my laying down on my back normally, she seemed to be able to get what she needed for the test, and she finally said "OK, let's see if we can get you some good pictures."
Turns out my baby didn't want to cooperate at all today. The technician said the baby is basically upside down, standing on his/her head. After fiddling around with different angles, I was able to get 2 pictures in the end, but the technician gave them to me for free because they were not the best pictures. To me, the pictures were perfect. I can see the head, the body, the legs, and most importantly, the beating heart. A big relief to SEE visual proof that there is a human baby growing inside me, safe and sound.
Here is my baby at 7 weeks:
And here s/he is again at 13 weeks 5 days:
It's human! What a relief!
After my ultrasound, I was sent downstairs to the blood lab for my blood tests. Having done some basic research online, I snuck a peek at the results that the technician wrote down on the lab work papers. The technician had written: CRM = 75.8MM, NT = 1.36mm.
When I returned home, I googled "normal NT measurements" and found out a normal NT measurement for a 13 week 6 day fetus is 2.8 mm. My measurement of 1.36mm seemed to indicate my baby is low risk. I am by no means a doctor, nor do I claim these research numbers to be accurate. But from this preliminary glimpse, at least my mind is slightly reassured until I hear the definitive test results.
I have to return to my OB for the 2nd round of IPS testing (another blood test) in 3 weeks, which puts me at 16 Weeks 6 Days. I hope that's not too last minute again for these tests. But I figured the doctor knows what he's doing when he asked me to come back in 3 weeks.
In the meantime, I will keep looking at my baby's ultrasound picture on my refrigerator door.
The lab that I went down had a sign at the front reception: Baby ultrasound pictures available for $10. Please notify your technician before your exam. So when she called my name to go into the exam room, I immediately told her I wanted copies of the ultrasound. She said I can pay in cash when the exam is done.
I laid down on the table, anxious for visual confirmation on my baby on the screen. But I realized that I was there for IPS screening, so I stared off into space as the technician moved the ultrasound round and round on my abdomen for what seemed like 10+ minutes. At one point she told me "You have a very active baby!". So active in fact that she couldn't get the measurements she needed for the test. She told me to turn away from her to attempt to get a better angle, and when that didn't work, told me to turn the other way, equally with no better luck. Finally with my laying down on my back normally, she seemed to be able to get what she needed for the test, and she finally said "OK, let's see if we can get you some good pictures."
Turns out my baby didn't want to cooperate at all today. The technician said the baby is basically upside down, standing on his/her head. After fiddling around with different angles, I was able to get 2 pictures in the end, but the technician gave them to me for free because they were not the best pictures. To me, the pictures were perfect. I can see the head, the body, the legs, and most importantly, the beating heart. A big relief to SEE visual proof that there is a human baby growing inside me, safe and sound.
Here is my baby at 7 weeks:
And here s/he is again at 13 weeks 5 days:
It's human! What a relief!
After my ultrasound, I was sent downstairs to the blood lab for my blood tests. Having done some basic research online, I snuck a peek at the results that the technician wrote down on the lab work papers. The technician had written: CRM = 75.8MM, NT = 1.36mm.
When I returned home, I googled "normal NT measurements" and found out a normal NT measurement for a 13 week 6 day fetus is 2.8 mm. My measurement of 1.36mm seemed to indicate my baby is low risk. I am by no means a doctor, nor do I claim these research numbers to be accurate. But from this preliminary glimpse, at least my mind is slightly reassured until I hear the definitive test results.
I have to return to my OB for the 2nd round of IPS testing (another blood test) in 3 weeks, which puts me at 16 Weeks 6 Days. I hope that's not too last minute again for these tests. But I figured the doctor knows what he's doing when he asked me to come back in 3 weeks.
In the meantime, I will keep looking at my baby's ultrasound picture on my refrigerator door.
13 Weeks 3 Days
We finally saw my OB for the first time at 13 Weeks 3 Days. I didn't have any OB before I found this doctor based on extensive internet research. So I had to ask my family doctor for a referral to my OB. My husband went with me to the OB appointment. I was expecting to get my first ultrasound in 6 weeks, and I wanted my husband with me to see it. But little did I know my OB didn't even have ultrasound equipment in his office. Nor did I know that my family doctor was supposed to make an appointment for prenatal screen testing. By the time we saw the OB, I was already at 13 weeks 3 days. We wanted to have screen testing done, and our OB told us that in order to get IPS done, the first round of tests must be done before I reach 13 weeks 6 days. I only had 3 days to make the deadline. (Note to you first-time moms: If you're getting a referral to an OB like I did, make sure to ask your family doctor about screen testing before the IPS deadline.)
My OB visit was fairly short. He took my family history, asked about genetic disorders that may run on either side, any history of miscarriages, allergies, early pregnancy symptoms, etc. Near the end of the appointment, he had me lay down on the exam table with a Doppler machine in his hand. At 13 weeks, you'll be able to hear the heartbeat with the Doppler, but he said he usually only finds the heartbeat at this stage of pregnancy 50% of the time. "If I can't find it, it doesn't mean anything is wrong," he reassured me. My husband and I looked at each other and thought the same thing: with our luck, we are the 50% that won't hear anything.
I laid down on the table, cleared my clothes out of the way (to make life more comfortable, I was already wearing maternity jeans at this point), and hoped for that sound I've only heard on TV shows. The doctor squirted that cold jelly stuff on me, and put the Doppler down on my abdomen. Immediately, we heard this weird noise that sounded like a freight train from a distance. He moved the device around for a few minutes, not finding the heartbeat. At one point, he paused, but then said "Nope, that's your own heartbeat." About to give up, he maneuvered the device around again (I didn't think there was a spot he hadn't covered by this point) and suddenly, I heard it. That familiar rhythmic "whooooosh-whooooosh-whooooosh" sound that I've only heard on TV shows where they were doing a prenatal exam. I turned to my husband immediately and said "There it is!". The doctor confirmed with "Yep, that's your baby's heartbeat... 155 beats per minute, very healthy." I couldn't help but smile. I hadn't had any reassurance for 6 weeks that the baby was OK in there, and finally I know I have made it through my first trimester with that beautiful sound. Even though I didn't have an ultrasound that reassured me VISUALLY, that sound was the most beautiful sound I could hear. I was really thankful that for once the odds were WITH us that we found the heartbeat.
I am scheduled for the first round of IPS testing in 2 days. Now that I know the baby is in there, I can't wait to see it on the ultrasound. The last ultrasound I had at 7 weeks showed a pea-sized dot that had no human resemblance. In 2 days, I'll get to see an actual human baby!
My OB visit was fairly short. He took my family history, asked about genetic disorders that may run on either side, any history of miscarriages, allergies, early pregnancy symptoms, etc. Near the end of the appointment, he had me lay down on the exam table with a Doppler machine in his hand. At 13 weeks, you'll be able to hear the heartbeat with the Doppler, but he said he usually only finds the heartbeat at this stage of pregnancy 50% of the time. "If I can't find it, it doesn't mean anything is wrong," he reassured me. My husband and I looked at each other and thought the same thing: with our luck, we are the 50% that won't hear anything.
I laid down on the table, cleared my clothes out of the way (to make life more comfortable, I was already wearing maternity jeans at this point), and hoped for that sound I've only heard on TV shows. The doctor squirted that cold jelly stuff on me, and put the Doppler down on my abdomen. Immediately, we heard this weird noise that sounded like a freight train from a distance. He moved the device around for a few minutes, not finding the heartbeat. At one point, he paused, but then said "Nope, that's your own heartbeat." About to give up, he maneuvered the device around again (I didn't think there was a spot he hadn't covered by this point) and suddenly, I heard it. That familiar rhythmic "whooooosh-whooooosh-whooooosh" sound that I've only heard on TV shows where they were doing a prenatal exam. I turned to my husband immediately and said "There it is!". The doctor confirmed with "Yep, that's your baby's heartbeat... 155 beats per minute, very healthy." I couldn't help but smile. I hadn't had any reassurance for 6 weeks that the baby was OK in there, and finally I know I have made it through my first trimester with that beautiful sound. Even though I didn't have an ultrasound that reassured me VISUALLY, that sound was the most beautiful sound I could hear. I was really thankful that for once the odds were WITH us that we found the heartbeat.
I am scheduled for the first round of IPS testing in 2 days. Now that I know the baby is in there, I can't wait to see it on the ultrasound. The last ultrasound I had at 7 weeks showed a pea-sized dot that had no human resemblance. In 2 days, I'll get to see an actual human baby!
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