Baby Update!

I am now 32-1/2 weeks pregnant!  I had my 2nd maternal fetal sonogram on Monday.  Madalynne is growing perfectly! Dr. Koster said she has plenty of fluid and is moving a lot....don't I know it!  LOL.  Her head and legs are tracking at 32 weeks and her tummy is tracking at 33 weeks.  I was worried that she was fat, but the doctor said she is just healthy and that is good news.  Both my mother and sister had preclampsia, which can be hereditary so I have been worried; but the doctor said her large tummy is a good sign.  Early warning signs of preclampsia is actually a smaller stomach because the baby is not getting enough nutrients so what she does get goes to her brain and limbs and anything left goes to her tummy...... a baby diet in essence.  These are her latest photos, profile shots of her forhead, nose, mouth and chin with her little hands raised up.  She has already turned and is correctly positioned to greet the world!  I am so thankful that everything is going so well.  We have been truly blessed!

Baby Madalynne Banner

  

I saw a similar banner at the Dallas CK Convention this year and fell in love with it.  I immediately bought everything to replicate the banner for our soon to arrive baby Madalynne!  Although I haven't been scrapping lately, I have been crafty and finished the banner this morning.  I love it!  I can't wait to hang it in her room, but we have to wait until there is some furniture. LOL!

Here is the banner:

And here are a few detailed shots:

 

 

 

   

Materials Used:

Cardboard box

Spell Binders Grand Calibur - Shapeabilities Nested Pennants, Nested Lacey Pennants, Fancy Tags Two

Paper - My Mind's Eye Lost & Found - Madison Avenue "Pretty" Polka Paper, "Girlfriends" J'adore Paper, "Girlfriends" Lovely Paper

Bling - Want 2 Scrap - Nested Pennants - PrinR, Fancy Tags Two - WhiteP

Ink - CTMH - Cotton Candy, Chocolate

Alphabet Stickers - Lost & Found - Madison Avenue "Sisters"

Twine - My Mind's Eye - Lime Twist - Life of the Party "Charmed" Twine

Brads - My Mind's Eye - Madison Avenue "Happily Ever After" 

Layered Stickers - My Mind's Eye - Market Street "Happy Birthday"

Flowers - Prima - Fabric Fancies - Quartz

Ribbon - Unknown

Tools - Crop A Dile

Buttons - CTMH & Unknown

Thanks for visiting!

My Baby's Heartbeat!!!!

I had my 16 week OB appointment today and we heard our little alien's heartbeat for the first time!!!!!  YIPPPEEE, my dr. said that is a big milestone and everything looks great. 

Baby Update!

Tomorrow I'm 13 weeks pregnant! We went to our OB last Thursday for the Nuchal Transluceny test.  This prenatal test (also called the NT or nuchal fold scan) can help assess our baby's risk of having Down syndrome (DS) (trisomy 21), Edwards syndrome (trisomy 18), and Patau syndrome (trisomy 13),  as well as major congenital heart problems.
 Trisomy 18 and trisomy 13 are genetic disorders that include a combination of birth defects including severe mental retardation, as well as health problems involving nearly every organ system in the body. Unfortunately, 90 percent of babies born with trisomy 18 or 13 die by age 1. It is important to note that 5 to 10 percent of babies with trisomy 18 or 13 do survive the first year of life. Therefore, these disorders are not universally fatal and, in the absence of any immediate life-threatening problems, accurate predictions of life expectancy are difficult to make. There are a few reports of babies with trisomy 18 or 13 surviving to their teens, however, this is unusual.


The NT test uses ultrasound to measure the clear (translucent) space in the tissue at the back of the developing baby's neck. Babies with abnormalities tend to accumulate more fluid at the back of their neck during the first trimester, causing this clear space to be larger than average. 
The NT scan must be done when you're between 11 and 14 weeks pregnant. (The last day you can have it done is the day you turn 13 weeks and 6 days pregnant.) We did it in combination with a blood test in what's known as first-trimester combined screening.
Like other screening tests, an NT scan won't give us a diagnosis. But it can assess our baby's risk for certain problems.
The sonographer first confirmed our baby's gestational age by measuring him from crown to rump to see if he's about the size he should be for his age. Our little alien was tracking right on schedule at 12 weeks, 4 days.  Based on our last sonogram it should be at 12 weeks, 5 days; but the OB was not worried about a single day discrepancy.  Then the tech positions the sensor, called the transducer, over my abdomen so that our baby's nuchal fold area shows up on the monitor and measures the thickness of it on the screen with calipers.Our OB was looking for 3cm or less measurement and our baby was 1cm!

Another item they look for is whether or not there is a nasal bone present. A nasal bone is a good indicator that all is well.  Our little one looked like an alien, but did have a nasal bone!
Our baby's chances of having a chromosomal abnormality are determined by the nuchal fold measurement, our age, and our baby's gestational age. Since we had the combined screening, the blood test results were also be factored in.

Our age is factored in because although anyone can have a baby with a chromosomal abnormality, the risk increases as you age. For example, your likelihood of carrying a baby with Down syndrome ranges from about 1 in 1,295 at age 20 to about 1 in 82 at age 40.  Both Juan and I are in the "increased risk range" with me at 35 and Juan at 50, so I have been very worried about the results of this test.

Our results were screen NEGATIVE!!!!

What does that mean?
Our odds for having a baby with DS were 1:250 prior to the screening; and are now 1:3118.
Our odds for having a baby with Trisomy 18 or 13 were 1:450 prior to the screening; and are now 1:9000.
 
Although a normal screening result (screen negative) isn't a guarantee that our baby has normal chromosomes, but it does suggest that a problem is unlikely.

Overall, this is VERY POSITIVE news and we are very thankful to God!  It seems we are hurdling each new step like pros.

Now for the big reveal!

I told you our baby looks like an alien!  :)