12 weeks: An amazing ultrasound..then a scare the next day!

On Monday September 27th we had an ultrasound appointment with Dr. Butt in Fredericton.  It was a VERY positive day!  As the nurse touched the ultrasound to my stomach, and the first pictures started to appear, my DH (dear husband) said "Oh my!  It is fully formed?!?".  Our little one was in there, and using my uterus as a human trampoline.  We watched as he/she JUMPED from one end of my uterus to the other.  The baby was sitting breech, with its bum and feet nestled in my pelvis.  The little one was also not cooperating when it came time to have measurements taken.  The way he/she was positioned it was difficult to get a crown to rump length, and therefore predict gestational age!  They took MANY pictures of this measurement and I think the final verdict was approximately the same as my predictions according to my dates.  The little one actually seemed to look at us at one point, and the hand started waving! 

The specialist then got down to business and checked the development, and so far, so good.  Baby's heart was beating between 149 at one measurement, then 158 the next (they were poking my tummy and asking me to cough to try and get the baby to move around and change positions, so that irritated the baby).  Dr. Butt measured the nucheal fold so that they can combine the measurement with my Maternal serum screening results and give a prediction for Downs syndrome.  She took a look (and pictures) of the brain, heart, bladder and stomach.  She then went to where the bowels would be and highlighted the hip bones.  She then pointed to where the bowel would be and said "I don't see any brightness yet".  Now this does not mean that the bowels won't become bright...it just means they are not bright right now. 

At the end of the appointment we talked about an early induction and she said that would depend on a lot of factors when the time comes.  We would have to consider the baby's size, lung development, and other issues (like positioning).  So we'll wait and see for that.  She said that at 36 weeks they could do an amnio and test to see if the lungs are developed.  An Amnio at that stage wouldn't hurt anything at all, and at worst could induce labour or break my water.  She also asked about genetic testing for CF, and we refused at this point.  We know our odds, we knew them when we conceived, an amnio now wouldn't change anything and is too risky.

So we came home...pictures in tow!  The doctor couldn't tell if it was a boy or a girl, since they both look very similar at this stage.  She said "for a boy, it points up..and a girl it points down..and I can't really tell with all that umbilical cord there!"  The only bad news from the appointment was that the placenta is located on the front wall (anterior) of the uterus.  This means that I may not feel movement as early, or as often since it is like a giant sponge between the baby and my tummy.  At least I know that, and it will hopefully provide some reassurance when I do start to feel the movement!

So Yesterday (Tuesday Sept 28th) I woke up and went to the washroom.  I wiped and there was blood on the toilet paper.  I immediately brushed my teeth and woke up my DH and we headed to the hospital...absolutely terrified.  Thankfully, one of the nurses who taught my prenatal class was on in labour & delivery, and she took us right into a delivery room and called the doctor.  The doctor came in and tried to settle us down and talked about the circumstances surrounding the blood.  Then she checked the baby's heartbeat.  There were a few tense seconds, and then....there it was.  At 12 weeks we could hear the heartbeat with a doppler... a strong 141 bpm!    They then examined me and discovered that the blood was not coming from the uterus, but rather the outside of the cervix.  She said my cervix was "fiable"...or irritated.  They then talked about my urine dips which showed blood in my urine and they were going to send my urine for a urine culture to determine where the blood was from.

The doctor then told me that I should go home and rest, and gave me a note for bed rest until Monday Oct 4th, when I have another doctor's appointment.  They will re-evaluate then.  After I got home, I started thinking, and called the hospital again around 1pm and asked about a Rhogam shot.  My husband is A+ blood type, and I am A-.  This is called Rh incompatibility, and if the baby has positive blood, I can develop antibodies and reject future babies.  So they gave me a Rhogam shot in the hip to prevent this from happening (I had these shots with Kheri).  I'll have to have another shot at 28 weeks...and then after the birth.   While I was up there they told me that my urine cultures showed I have a bladder infection..or a UTI (urinary tract infection).  They are quite common in pregnancy, and I may not have noticed the symptoms because..well.. you pee a lot when you're pregnant!  So I am on antibiotics to treat that now. They said that the UTI can cause the bleeding because it effects the pelvic organs and can cause inflammation.  If allowed to progress long enough it can cause a kidney infection which is very serious. 

So here I am... at home until next monday on bed rest, and hopefully the cervix will heal.  Today I had a few traces of blood this morning, but it seems to be stopping.  I don't want to say it has stopped, for fear of jinxing it!  I'm drinking LOTS of water, since I've read that extra fluids can help flush out the infection.  I won't be able to go to the CIBC run for the cure this Sunday.  But I am still going to go and sit in the chair and donate my hair for locks of love on Friday! So I sit here...journal...and research hair styles!