Week 17 and 18: Stressful, much?

Hmm.. Where do I begin? At my last OB appointment, I was given the slip to go to the lab and have my blood drawn for the usual 16 weeks blood test. Something I wasn't worried about whatsoever and knew it was apart of the routine. Well, I just had my appendix removed and couldn't do it until this 17th week, a week after surgery. Well, I got one phone call at work that ruined the next two weeks. Dr. Shilling's office called me on Monday AT WORK and left me a voicemail to call them as soon as I could. They also called the house, so I had a text from Brent telling me to call them. I thought, "Hmm, I wonder what this is for?" That's when it hit me. I remember Shilling's office telling me at my last visit that "you need to go get blood drawn, if you don't hear from us, everything is perfect. We will only call you if something is wrong." So, I anxiously call them and I am told (in the first sentence of the conversation) that my lab test came back abnormal and that I tested positive for Downs Syndrome. I am in the bathroom at work and my stomach hits the floor. Everything the nurse said after that, I didn't comprehend. All I heard was that my son would have Downs Syndrome. She did say that there was a 1 in 300 chance and that just because my test came back positive as a risk, it did NOT mean he had it, just that I needed to have a further ultrasound to make sure he didn't (didn't hear this or understand the first time around). I call Brent and my mom freaking out, crying hysterically (please keep in mind I am at work teaching 3 year olds when this call was made).. Not one time did the nurse say "do you have a minute? are you able to talk?" NOTHING. Anyway, I probably would consider this one of THE worst days of my life. I have never prayed so much, and it was not that I was asking God to make sure he didn't have Downs Syndrome, it was more so asking Him to help me understand and give me the strength to deal with this. I get home and quickly go on the computer to research. I start reading the numbers and remember the nurse said something about 1 in 300 chance, but like I said, I didn't comprehend anything after her first sentence. I also read about how common FALSE positives occur and that this screening is VERY inaccurate, that most women go on to find out their baby is perfectly healthy. So, I decide to call that nurse back. She explained that my PERSONAL chance came back as 1 in 300, which was considered extremely low and that even some lab places would have considered that normal (she could have explained this when she first called). She reassured me this didn't mean my son at this, just that there was a small risk. So, she set up an appointment for me with Atlanta Maternal Specialist for the following Monday (my 18th week). The next week was the worst of my pregnancy yet.. I had terrible nightmares, was constantly researching, praying, etc. I didn't want stress to affect the two of us, but it was very difficult. I also didn't want to tell anyone about this until after the ultrasound. I lost nights of sleep until Monday.


Week 18: Today was the day. My mom and I went to the appointment together. I don't think I have ever been SO nervous in my entire life. I was finally called back, from what it seemed like hours of paperwork of mine and Brent's life history. Ashley, the ultrasound technician who called me back (can't believe I remember her name), said "Do you know why you are here?" I said, "Yes, because there is a chance my son has Downs Syndrome." She said, "Barely." She explained that 1 in 300 in other labs was actually considered NORMAL and that I would have never have gotten a call if it would have been somewhere else. She explained that it was my particular lab that cut off "normal" at 1 in 250 chance, thus this stressful process. She also explained the factors that could lead to the positive results, which could be the doctor being off even a day on gestational age or "stuff" in my system (I had just had surgery a week before my blood was drawn). My mom and I explained the phone call I received and Ashley was appalled. She couldn't BELIEVE the way it was handled and barely explained. She made me feel much better and proceeded with the ultrasound that would determine the results. She tested EVERYTHING from Brody's heart all the way to his pinkies! He showed NONE of the signs of Downs Syndrome and in fact, said everything was perfect. The doctor came in next to look at the results herself. She too said I missed the "normal" screening mark by a millimeter and that everything was fine.

Honestly, I thought having my appendix removed was the worst week of pregnancy so far, but this TOPS it completely. In fact, this was two of the worst weeks of my life. It could have been handled differently. Glad that we can move past this! WHEW.

Week 16

We are contemplating middle names for our little man.. We have decided on Brody as a first name, but Brent wants Jett as the middle name and I want Lee.. I wanted Brody in the first place, so I may have to compromise. Brody Jett Philmon is a catcher though! :)

Something very exciting this week: Brody got his furniture thanks to Grandma Phyllis!! It is precious! I have always loved black furniture, so we got a crib and chest. The crib actually will grow with him! It turns into a toddler bed, day bed, and into a FULL size bed.. so cool! Now, I am carefully looking at bedding.. Decisions, decisions!

Have to go for the most dreaded OB appointment: blood work! Yuck!

From BabyCenter.com: Get ready for a growth spurt. In the next few weeks, your baby will double his weight and add inches to his length. Right now, about the size of an avacodo, 4 1/2 inches long (head to rump) and 3 1/2 ounces. His legs are much more developed, his head is more erect than it has been, and his eyes have moved closer to the front of his head. His ears are close to their final position, too. The patterning of his scalp has begun, though his locks aren't recognizable yet. He's even started growing toenails. And there's a lot happening inside as well. For example, his heart is now pumping about 25 quarts of blood each day, and this amount will continue to increase as your baby continues to develop.

Week 15: The WORST yet

Ok, I have had a smooth sailing pregnancy so far, but the start of this week was HORRIBLE. Saturday, Brent and I took the kids to Helen for a day trip with Kasey and her family. We went tubing and went to the water park. I was a little tired from doing some activity out of the norm, but not bad. We headed home about 5pm and ordered us a pizza. We ate and watched "The Crazies." I of course fell asleep during the movie and woke up on the couch about 9pm. I felt like I had been kicked in the stomach! I thought maybe I had pulled a muscle or something and didn't think too much of it. Well, we headed to bed and about 30 minutes later is when it all began. From this point until 9am the next morning, I vomited every 30 minutes. It was like clockwork.. It had Brent and I VERY worried. By 2am, I was just dry heeving.. I was actually drinking water, just so I wouldn't have to dry heeve when the next 30 minutes were up.. It was almost if I had food poisoning. I got ZERO sleep and began to worry because I wasn't keeping anything down to keep the baby and myself hydrated. So, about 9:30am Sunday, July 4th (the next morning) I decided to call my OBGYN.. The abdominal pain by this point tripled.. I could barely walk. Dr. Shilling was out of town, but I was transferred to Dr. McIntosh from Women's Healthcare. I described all of my symptoms to her and she informed me to head straight to the ER because the pain I was describing was where my appendix was. OH MY GOSH, I thought.. that NEVER occured to me and opened up all kinds of worries. The boys were still sleeping and we headed to Henry. The ER wasn't packed at all (it was July 4th so I wouldn't think so) and I was seen almost immediately. I was taken into an ER room where we met with a doctor and he wanted a CAT scan immediately. I was VERY scared because radiation to the baby is NEVER good.. and they didn't help by reading and going over all of the risks to having a scan while pregnant. But, they said there was no other option to finding out what was going on. I had to drink this dye that had to settle for 2 hours.. I couldn't take it thru an IV because I am pregnant. I went in for the CAT scan about 2pm and within 15 minutes of being done, the doctor informed us that I had Appendicitis and my appendix had to be removed immediately. EMERGENCY SURGERY, pregnant?! I had never been SO scared in my entire life. They called the team in to do the surgery because it was a holiday and they didn't have any surgeries scheduled, only call-ins. The surgery lasted about an hour and everything went great.. Whew. The surgeon told Brent that my appendix was close to rupturing. They put me in Labor and Delivery for recovery so they could monitor the baby and I. That was a relief. I went home the Monday evening and told the nurses I did NOT want to see them again until December! :) What a scary and hectic experience..

I have been recovering well. The first couple of days I slept mostly and by Friday I was moving around. After all, I had my very important interview with GSU to get into the Early Childhood Education program.. Am I dedicated to teaching or what?? Hehe. That went well and I should know something by July 23.

From BabyCenter.com: Your growing baby now measures about 4 inches long, crown to rump, and weighs in at about 2 1/2 ounces about the size of an apple. She's busy moving amniotic fluid through her nose and upper respiratory tract, which helps the primitive air sacs in her lungs begin to develop. Her legs are growing longer than her arms now, and she can move all of her joints and limbs. Although her eyelids are still fused shut, she can sense light. If you shine a flashlight at your tummy, for instance, she's likely to move away from the beam. There's not much for your baby to taste at this point, but she is forming taste buds. Finally, if you have an ultrasound this week, you may be able to find out whether your baby's a boy or a girl! (Don't be too disappointed if it remains a mystery, though. Nailing down your baby's sex depends on the clarity of the picture and on your baby's position. He or she may be modestly curled up or turned in such a way as to "hide the goods.")

Hellooooo Second Trimester!

Amy's cute little outfit she got for him!
I will post the actual ultrasound pictures when I finish scanning them onto the computer!

It's a BOY!!

Who would have thought?? We went yesterday (7/2) and found out the sex. I was 14 weeks, 6 days. I read and researched about what to do to help before an ultrasound to better see. I filled my bladder up with lots of water and sipped on a coke 30 minutes before to get the baby moving. Brent, my mom, Kasey and I went to the appointment.. They looked like we were crazy when the four of us walked in! Amy came to meet us before her and Sean left for Oregon to give a key to Kasey and brought the baby's first gift! So sweet! I had two to choose from, a boy and a girl gift.. Thank you Amy! I have never had to pee SO bad in my life, but I had to hold it! We went back, and Dr. Shilling's wife Denise was the one who did the ultrasound. I had heard many great things about her, so I wasn't too nervous about not being able to tell. As soon as I looked at the screen I knew. He was squirming around and and I could have sworn I saw his "third leg." I didn't say anything, everyone just knew it was a girl! She said, "Are you guys ready?" She changed the view to be between the legs AND... there it was!! It was SO obvious.. I cried! Of course we talked about girls way too much, but I cried out of happiness.. it just made it so real! It's a BOY if I had ever seen one before! :) I guess my husband isn't capable of producing girls, hehe.. but we can try later on down the road (wink). Anyway, we got to the fun part of just playing around and he was just a waving! His hands are huge! I guess the coke helped because he was putting his hands on his head, waving, and kicking his feet. We even got to take a look at this heart, which was cool because they usually don't do that until 20 weeks. His legs are measuring to be 3 weeks ahead of what I actually am.. he is going to be tall like his daddy! Also, Denise said that she had been doing ultrasounds for 20 years, and at this week in pregnancy, she had never seen feet that big! He was measuring at about 4 ounces, and she said his feet were alteast an ounce of that! WOW! Oh, this has been the best day of my pregnancy yet. It was so real!

And let the SHOPPING begin! I first opened THE cutest little outfit from Amy! Then, Kasey and I headed to Tanger. I got some outfits from Carters and then headed to Target to buy a baby book.. I can't wait to write in there! I decided to stop and just look in Marshalls and that's when I emptied my wallet.. I couldn't believe all of the name brand CUTE boy clothes in there! I am getting so excited about meeting my little man!

From BabyCenter.com: This week's big developments: Your baby can now squint, frown, grimace, pee, and possibly suck his thumb! Thanks to brain impulses, his facial muscles are getting a workout as his tiny features form one expression after another. His kidneys are producing urine, which he releases into the amniotic fluid around him — a process he'll keep up until birth. He can grasp, too, and if you're having an ultrasound now, you may even catch him sucking his thumb.In other news: Your baby's stretching out. From head to bottom, he measures 3 1/2 inches — about the size of a lemon— and he weighs 1 1/2 ounces. His body's growing faster than his head, which now sits upon a more distinct neck. By the end of this week, his arms will have grown to a length that's in proportion to the rest of his body. (His legs still have some lengthening to do.) He's starting to develop an ultra-fine, downy covering of hair, called lanugo, all over his body. Your baby's liver starts making bile this week — a sign that it's doing its job right — and his spleen starts helping in the production of red blood cells. Though you can't feel his tiny punches and kicks yet, your little pugilist's hands and feet (which now measure about 1/2 inch long) are more flexible and active.