Baby Update!

Ernest and I went to Rob's house (one of my brothers) Tuesday night to get a blessing, since our ultrasound was on Wednesday.  We didn't get a lot of answers, but the experience was amazing we both felt so much more calm afterwards.  I love having the priesthood in my family and home!  I don't recognize it as often as I should.  But anyway, back to the baby.

First, in my head, he has a name.  Jacob Ernest.  It is so funny to me to have a name this early.  With Allyson we were so careful not to call her by a name until after she was born.  We were 99% sure she was going to be Allyson, but still, you never know.  This time though, I just keep referring to him as Jacob.  It was Ernest's suggestion as a name and I loved it.  Named after Jacob, Nephi's younger brother.  He is one of my favorite Book of Mormon prophets.  So our little guy has a name now and it seems so natural to use it when we refer to him.

So, on to the appointment.  Ernest got to go with me, which was nice.  In general I enjoy ultrasounds, since I feel like I get to "peek" into the baby's world. The doctor went through the list three times, each time with a "good" following what he was looking at.  "Heart - good.  Feet - good.  Eyes - good.  Mouth - good." and so on, each time getting more and more detailed.  Jacob didn't want to open his hands (which I found ironic since the previous tech made such a big deal about his hands being open).  Finally at the end, Jacob opened his hands and gave the doctor a great view of them.  To me, it looked like he was waving.  His hands/fingers were also good.  He's measuring 6 days ahead (approx. Dec 23), at 1 lb 1 oz and 11 inches long.  The doctor said that changed our chances of having a problem from 4 in 100 to 1 out of 301.  So much better.  Though I keep having that nagging thought that "there is that 1."  But then I go back to the blessing and remembering what I was told there and the feelings I had.

I am so grateful that everything looked good at the ultrasound.  The doctor said that we could do an amniocentesis if we wanted, to find out for sure if our baby has spina bifida, Down syndrome, or Trisomy 18.  He asked if it would make a difference to us if we had a positive result.  It wouldn't, other than possibly changing the amount of stress right now.  Amnios, in rare cases, can cause you to miscarry, even if the baby is perfect.  Our chances of having a baby with a problem were already made more favorable for us, I do not see the need to reduce those chances.  Again, the blessing that I had helped this a lot.  I have been feeling a lot less stress and more patience.  Since we declined the amnio, the only other thing that they can check that could possibly indicate a problem is to watch how the baby grows.  Babies with Trisomy 18 don't like to grow.  We have a follow-up appointment in 6 weeks where they will check how Jacob is growing, the status of the cysts, and how my amniotic fluid is doing.  We had low fluid during the third trimester with Allyson, which caused her growth to slow down.  She was still perfect, just a little smaller (6 lbs 9 oz) at birth, and they induced us 2 weeks early because of it.

Great news for us, and we are waiting to see how the rest of the pregnancy plays out.  I am getting so excited to have a little boy.  I'm beginning to remember what it was like to cuddle a new born baby and to nurse.  It was quite nice when Ally weaned herself from breastfeeding at 11 months, but I did enjoy the closeness and connection it allowed.  After the appointment, I met my sister for lunch and then we went shopping.  I got several little outfits (all newborn and 3 months), and mostly Sleep'n'Plays - all for little Jacob.  It was quite fun and I can't wait to get the room set up for him!