I’m halfway thru this pregnancy already & it’s a little hard to believe! I guess it’s because we kept it quiet for so long & my husband & I were the only ones who knew for almost my entire 1st trimester. So it feels like we JUST told people but I’m already halfway there!
I finally feel like I’m out of the in-between stage & now people can look at me & say “ok she’s definitely pregnant, not just getting a belly”! I’m up about 10 lbs or so from pre-pregnancy weight. Headaches & sinus infections have kept me from working out as much as I’d like but this week I’m feeling good & I hope it continues so I can get my workouts in & stay positive. I’m trying to stay active & eat a healthy balance. Some days are better than others & that’s ok. I’m feeling little movements here & there which is also exciting!
I had my 20 week ultrasound this week at the High Risk Pregnancy Center of Kansas City. First of all, everything looks great! Baby is measuring right on track, weighs 12 oz, the size of a soda can & Jake got to see him for the 1st time. And he is still a HE ha ha, I saw the boy parts & all. I had to double check as I still think I’m in a little shock about having a boy!
I chose to have testing done at the High Risk Pregnancy Center. Since I’m 37 I’m technically considered “high risk” since I’m over 35. Luckily I don’t have any other factors besides maternal age to add to the high risk such as obesity, multiple births, or other existing health conditions. But with age comes a shockingly increased chance of having a baby with birth or chromosome defects such as Down Syndrome. (1 in 150 chance to be more exact) When you are 25 there’s a 1 in 1000 chance & at 35, 1 in 200. These are the numbers my doctor gave me which vary a bit if you look them up , but the point is you can see how much that chance increases as you get older.
Although I didn’t do any testing with Emersyn, I chose to this time around. Most women have a certain personal point of view when it comes to this testing. You usually decide by asking yourself what the outcome would be if you have the testing done & the results come back positive. Most women who decided the results would have no effect choose to not do the testing. That’s kind of how I always thought of it & I never did it with Emersyn. I have to say I look at it a lot differently now. Upon having a consultation with the doctor at the HRPC he explained that it was so much better to be prepared from a health stand point, for you & for the baby. He said if a test did come back positive for Down Syndrome or such than there were certain things they paid special attention to, monitored more closely & your care was more specialized so to speak. I never thought about it that way. I know personally this is something I would want to be prepared for but everyone has their own opinion & choice.
There are several testing options. I chose the “cell free fetal DNA” that was non-invasive. It consisted of a blood test that has a 99% detection rate for Trisomy 21 (Down Syndrome), 18,13 & Turner Syndrome. Also the baby’s gender was determined via this test which is why we found out early. I did another blood draw for spina bifida & then there were 2 ultrasounds involved, 1 at 13 weeks & this last one at 20 where they look for several things. Everything came back great which is wonderful news & now I have piece of mind knowing that my statistics have drastically decreased. I would highly recommend this office if you are getting further testing done and local to KC. Dr. Lu was very knowledgeable & personable & really took the time to sit & explain things & answer any questions I had. He wasn’t pushy in any way but just very informative. I had a great experience.
Here’s a fun photo collage of my bump progression! Please ignore my messy closet 🙂
We still haven’t picked a name but have a list going! I feel as though boy names are hard. I’m also in the stage of thinking about his nursery (which is Emmy’s play room currently) & what to do which is the fun part! I bought his first couple of outfits last week. This has taken me awhile as I’m still drawn to the girl clothes! I know I’ll get into it more but I’m so used to having a girl I feel like it’s second nature & a boy is so foreign to me.
The biggest thing on my mind is actually Emersyn. How is she going to react? Should I work on transitioning her to a toddler bed before baby comes? Is she going to be jealous or helpful? Do I NEED a double stroller? I have so many questions & worries. It’s hard when you are used to 1 & they’ve been your whole world & center of attention. If anyone has any advice of growing your family of 3 to 4 with a second little one, I’m all ears!
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