First Trimester Screening

It is morning, and I am now feeling well enough to be able to take the time to update you all properly about our first trimester screening. All I can say is that it was amazing and surreal, especially after everything we have been through on our journey to this point. The screening itself is to test for predictors of Down's Syndrome, Trisomy 18, or other neural tube defects. It is a three part screening: an u/s for NT measurements during the first trimester, a blood screen during the first trimester, and a blood screen during the second trimester. Well, the NT measurements done during the u/s came back just fine...so that is all well and good. We will have to wait on the blood screen results until they come back in the next week or so.

Outside of that, the tech gave a full u/s (my first abdominal u/s ever!). She measured the mini, who is now measuring approximately 5 days ahead! Go mini! She also took the heart rate of the mini which came back at 161 bpm. She told us that she wished every baby was so "good" for the u/s and that we had a great "poser". The baby cooperated fully so she was able to get all of her measurements very easily. She also said that it was nice that I was "so thin" because it made her job easy. Hey, I will take that "compliment" even if it means that every other woman she has seen is morbidly obese...it made me feel good in the moment!

The mini was extremely active during the scan, which was so fun for Matt and I to observe. He/she was dancing around, waving arms, and trying to stick a fist in its mouth. This was all such a huge feeling of triumph and relief for us, and we just kept commenting on how amazing it all really was. I think we left with perma-grins. How could we not???

The tech also took measurements of my ovaries and the corpus luteum cysts that are still sticking around. These "cysts" are the sacs from which the eggs were retrieved. They have been responsible for progesterone production leading up to when the placenta and baby could take over (right around now). The good news is, even though they are still large from me being hyperstimulated, they are breaking down. Hopefully they will shrivel up in the next couple of months.

I will go back on March 16th for the second trimester blood screen. That will be the last of the tests for this screening, and the results as a whole will give us a prediction for the odds of defects with 90% accuracy.

Lastly, the tech saved and printed off eight still shots of the u/s for us which we are gladly able to share with you all. Enjoy our little miracle!