Baby on the way update

Every time I get on here to update my blog, I feel like there is so much to write, as I just don't have ample opportunity to write and upload pictures. This blog entry is dedicated to our baby on the way, an update on how this pregnancy is progressing...
I am right at the beginning of my 14th week, which means...yay! end of the 1st trimester!! I am still feeling pretty exhausted but I am starting to feel a return of energy and motivation, and a little less nausea, though the heartburn continues and is kicking my butt! But overall I can not complain.
About 2 weeks ago we opted to have the first trimester triple "Nuchal Translucency" screen. This test assesses your risk for having a baby with Down Syndrome or Trisomy 18. I will be completely honest, I opted to take this test for selfish reasons, recognizing an opportunity to get an additional ultrasound, but in hindsight am thankful that my selfishness and attempt to pull one over on my insurance company resulted in me getting this test. I got the dreaded phone call as I was driving home from Richmond on Wednesday- when you hear "Hi this is _________, genetic counselor" you may as well hang up if you were hoping for good news. There was good news....my risk assessment for the Trisomy 18 was 1 in 10,000. The counselor assured me you can't get any better than that. However, my risk for Down Syndrome was not so hot. To help put it in perspective, a woman 31 years young as myself- looking at age alone- has a 1 in 522 risk in having a baby with Down Syndrome. Well, when they factored in my Nuchal Translucency, ultrasound and blood results, my chances for having a baby with Down Syndrome went from 1 in 522 to 1 in 58. Basically, according to one of the Down Syndrome Association websites I visited, I have the same "risk" as a 44 year old woman. I was blessed to have a lovely genetic counselor, who answered every question I had, and pleasantly took a phone call the next day to take more questions. Long story short, the reason my risk was assessed higher were for the following reasons: 1. Babies with Down Syndrome have a larger than average clear space in the tissue at the back of the baby's developing neck, due to an accumulation of more fluid. They do not like to see this space measure more than 2 mm. Our baby's was 1.7 and although that is within normal, they consider it to be high normal. 2. In the blood test they test for Inhibin-A and HCG levels. In a normally developing pregnancy, these levels should be at 1.0. My HCG is at 3.1 and my Inhibin-A is at 5.0. What does all this mean, if not Down Syndrome, and where are we going from here? I asked the genetic counselor what else the high hormone levels could indicate, given that the 1 in 58 assessment really means- out of 58 women who have the same test results as me, only 1 has a baby with Down Syndrome. This would indicate, at least to me, that there must be other factors that can contribute to higher than normal levels. Well, this was also not happy news. They are linking high hormone levels in the first trimester to a greater likelihood for preterm labor, specifically preeclampsia. Super! So hear we go again! In my second trimester screen with Brian, I also screened at higher risk for Down Syndrome, also due to elevated hormone levels. Could it have been indicator with him?
There is a silver lining to all of this (oh yes, really there is), anytime levels are over 3.5 women get two extra ultrasounds at 28 and 34 weeks...there are those ultrasounds again, lol...and we will keep a closer eye out for the signs that preeclampsia may be developing. The genetic counselor also noted that she would be recommending that they consider transferring me over to the Maternal-Fetal Medicine doctors (high-risk pregnancy specialists) from the General Obstetrics, though I already get all my testing and ultrasounds through them so they will likely not transfer me until I start showing signs of problems. I am relieved to feel that I will be listened to this time, unlike when I was pregnant with Brian and starting to swell up like a balloon by 28/29 weeks and the doctor's office told me that some swelling was normal, ignoring that my blood pressure was high for me. Or when I went to the ER and they sent me home, with very high blood pressure, proteins in my urine, and ankles the size of tree trunks, on a Friday night of Labor Day weekend telling me I should probably see my doctor ASAP, yet didn't bother to page said doctor. My current doctor was very reassuring, I am happy to have switched to her, she calmed my nerves and said not to worry about the risk of preeclampsia right now, as it doesn't typically develop until the third trimester and there is essentially absolutely nothing that can be done to prevent it. Fabulous! As for the original issue, we have an amniocentisis scheduled for November 13th, immediately following an ultrasound~ which will also be the U/S that tells us the sex of the baby (girl, girl, girl, girl)~ but feel that if the ultrasound does not give us those "markers" for Down Syndrome (heart defect, stomach and intestinal issues, etc), we will likely opt out of the amniocentisis. Frankly that test scares the heck out of me, in that there is always a risk for miscarriage, infection, complications. Oh yeah, and sticking a very long needle in through my stomach into my uterus to pull out a sampling of amniotic fluid just doesn't really sound like my idea of a good time....
On a lighter note, and much needed after this week, I woke up today with a baby bump! The growing belly is my favorite part of pregnancy and I can't wait to feel her (or him) start to move and kick. We got some really good ultrasound pictures and if I can figure out how to work the scanner, I will post them on here for your viewing pleasure. :)
Thanks for making it to the end of this blog post and for staying updated with the Yarbrough's! I can't wait to announce the sex of the baby!!!