Mommy update

Hi Family & Friends,

Jacquee here! I'm almost done with my first trimester (2 days to go!).  Crazy how the time has passed.  I always hoped if I got pregnant I wouldn't find out until later in the pregnancy. Like in the 2nd trimester. I'm so impatient- it's hard for me to wait! But of course, the universe has a cruel sense of humor. We found out we were pregnant when I was only 4 weeks along.

On Thursday morning I went to an OB appointment. During this appointment we went over the results of an ultrasound I did 2 weeks before. The ultrasound was to check to make sure the baby is forming properly- and to check for signs of physical or mental handicaps. The ultrasound results came back normal and good. They also did a blood test- but we have to do one more blood test (in 4 weeks) before we can have a better idea of if the baby may have downs syndrome. My OB is hopeful and says based on the development of the baby- its likely the baby doesn't have downs syndrome. It doesn't run in my family or anything, we thought we'd just do the non-invasive test so that if it turned out the baby might have downs syndrome, we could prepare. Because as some of you know, there are different things to prepare for when having a baby with a mental or physical disability. If the blood test in 4 weeks shows the possibility of Downs syndrome, there is another test we can do to get a definite result. It's where they get a big needle and stick it in my belly and then stick it in the uterus (and then stick in the baby, I think) and get chromosomes from the baby. Caleb and I decided that if the blood test in 4 weeks shows a possibility of Downs Syndrome - then that's all that we need. We're not so concerned about if it has a disability that we'd do such an invasive second test.

After going over the test results- we moved on to checking the heart beat of the baby. This was the first time I heard the baby's heart beat! If I remember correctly the heart rate was 159 beats per minute. Caleb was a little disappointed he wasn't there to hear it. He'll be the OB appointment on Cinco De Mayo though to find out the sex of the baby! yay!

And last night Caleb and I read a pamphlet about C-sections. I'm having the baby via c-section due to my hip condition. I discovered that I will have to have a catheter (a tube they stick in the urethra to drain your bladder!). That was just about the most terrifying part about the information I read. I have a very very traumatic memory from a childhood hip operation about a catheter. I had to have one put in every summer when I'd have surgery- but one particular time I remember it being excruciatingly painful. Oi! We'll see how that goes.... maybe if I tell them I am scared of the catheter, they'll give me the pain drugs before they do the catheter!!

Well- that's probably enough of an update. Kind of a downer update this time. Sorry!

Love,
Jacquee & Baby