Sugar Rush.

You know what you can expect after your glucose tolerance screening? To eat nothing but complete and utter crap all day long.



I have really been doing well, practicing self-restraint and such, but after the 50g of dextrose I ingested at 8:30 yesterday morning, my entire day was practically shot. As you all know, I log what I eat/what nutrients, etc I get at Babyfit.com, and knowing that lying will only end up hurting me in this situation, I am painfully honest about it. Those four jelly bellies I found and ate? Logged. That yogurt pretzel that turned into two cups and about 800 calories? Yep. Better to be honest and know how/where to compensate then, oops, accidentally pull a Kate Hudson and put on 70lbs to have one 7lb child, ya know?

Anyhow, yesterday went a little something like this:

Breakfast: 50g dextrose drink (which I logged as the equivocal orange soda per my calorie conversions - yeah, I 'm a nerd.)
Snack: 2 mini Mr. Goodbars, 2 mini Hershey's Dark, 4 jelly bellies (damn dogsitting! I would never have access to this kind of shit in my own house!)
Lunch: Sonic Chicken Strip Dinner & Diet Sprite
Snack: 1 mini twix, 1 mini M&M's. Stupid Halloween basket left at door for girls.
Dinner: Chicken Enchilada plate from Santa Rita
Dessert: Amy's White Chocolate Ice Cream with Bananas mixed in.

GROSS, B! I am so disappointed with my eating yesterday, but frankly, when you start your day with pure sugar, what else can you expect to have a taste for all day? Anyhow, today I'm being 'good' to balance it out, and drinking tons of water to attempt to flush my system and try to curb these damn carb cravings.

On the upside, at least my glucose tolerance test wasn't following on the heels of a day of eating like THAT!

GREAT News!

Yesterday, I got such great news!

Dr. Allen, my MFM Specialist that did my NT Screening and will do my gender/anatomy scan to determine if my fifth disease affected the baby's heart at all, called to say that my results had come in from the NT Screening. For someone my age (25), the risk of having a baby with Downs Syndrome is 1/1250. After reviewing my AFPF and HCG levels and the measurements taken during the ultrasound, the risk of this baby having Downs is 1/8,600, and the risk of the baby having trisomy, a serious and usually terminal genetic condition, is 1/10,000. I'll take those odds! I'm SO glad I did the screening!!!!

That great of news makes bonuses and money and anything else, really, just not seem to matter :)

NT Screening!

First things first, here are pictures of the baby:

(Baby lounging back with hand by face and other hand by head - he/she looks very comfy! Don't worry - those are knees - feet are out of view!)

(A closer shot of baby's profile. I think he/she looks like me ;)
(That's an aerial shot of the top of the baby...those five dots to the far right side are the fingers on one hand. This shot refused to come out any clearer on my camera, but you can see one foot w/ toes and the other hand slightly also!! The butterfly-wing shape looking into the head is the two lobes of the brain developing! How EXCITING!)

OK, more to come later. I'm far too busy today for my own good.

Important points:

*Nuchal measurement/nasal bone were on target for the gestational age, which means my risk of having a baby with downs (prior to the bloodwork coming back, which will come in next Weds and will give me the best overall picture) are less than .01%. SWEET.
*Baby measured 12w4d, rather than 12w2d, which gives me two of my long lost days back. That coincides with when I am 99.9% certain I conceived, so there ya go. Due date moved up to 1/2, despite the fact that baby is coming in 2009 if we can help it! Someday, when I realize how to edit my lilypie baby countdown settings it may reflect the change, but they change my due date often enough I'll probably just leave it.

My bloodwork comes in next Weds, but I'm feeling very confident after the ultrasound. Hopefully all is well in there - he/she looks comfortable enough at least!

FINAL NT Screening Update!

Ok, so final verdict: NT Screening WILL be taking place, Wednesday, June 24th at 10:30AM...

Now that I've gotten my way, naturally I'm nervous as all hell, and having second thoughts. Hormones, OR just plain me?! I'll play the hormone card. I'm not above that.

Anyways, stayed tuned for major updates this week after my 12-wk ultrasound on Monday, and the Nuchal Translucency Screening on Weds!! I'm very excited for such detailed and frequent looks at baby, but nervous just the same. Here's hoping (and mainly praying!) all goes well this week!!! Hopefully, though, they'll set my due date back to 12/31!

NT Screening Update

Just when I had finally made a decision and called my doctor last week, I got a call from the Maternal-Fetal Medicine Specialist (MFM) informing me that my insurance only covers the ultrasound and not the ~$100 bloodwork that accompanies. Damn. Upon hearing that, I decided to cancel, since it wasn't 'necessary' and it was yet another expense.

I have since reconsidered. I was pretty set on doing it at the time I called my doctor about the referral, and so I was disappointed at the thought of not doing it after all. I would gladly pay to find out the sex - why shouldn't my baby's health be of the same tantamount importance to me?

I called just now to see if they still have the appointment open that they ere going to give me for next Tuesday at 11. If they do, ill take it as a sign that I should do it and schedule/pay accordingly. And if not, then ill let it be.

I'm supposed to hear back today or tomorrow, so ill know soon!

Nuchal Translucency Screening.

Anyone have any thoughts or experiences with this first trimester screening test that they could share with me? I have to decide by the end of this week if I am interested in it, and I have mixed feelings. Here is the description.

While I wouldn't want an amniocentesis, since the procedure brings an increased risk of miscarriage (which I'm already concerned enough about!), and I wouldn't want to terminate if I found out I was having a baby with special needs, I am a bit of an information junkie, and would like to be forewarned as to give me time to prepare and research, etc. The test is not at all risky: In fact, it's just another look at baby! It would put me at four ultrasounds for my first trimester! SWEET.

The only thing that really concerns me and puts me off is the high rate of false positives. While expecting a special needs newborn and delivering a healthy one is a better surprise than the other way around, I am already experiencing ever-increasing levels of stress about this whole ordeal! Also, I'm not in a high-risk group, seeing as how I was 24 at the time of conception, and most mothers that opt to do screenings are in the 35+ group.

Thoughts? Opinions? Bad or good experiences with this test? ALL opinions/insight welcome! I have to decide within the next three days :/