No, I’m not talking rugby - just the first 15 weeks of this pregnancy. I thought about breaking it into a bunch of posts, but there really wasn’t much to say.
I’ve been extremely fortunate, and this pregnancy has started off really easily. We were lucky to hit the jackpot on the first embryo transfer. And while I was tired from the first introduction of progesterone, the worst thing I had to complain about was that at 8:00 in the evening I was out like a light. I’m one of the lucky few who didn’t experience morning sickness (and I totally recognise the privilege of that). I think my sister (the mother of my absolutely genius and adorable niece and nephew) is a little grumpy that I wasn’t sick. Sorry Heather!
It has been a busy time, nonetheless. Before we had the scan at 7 weeks at the fertility clinic, I found an obstetrician to be my Lead Maternity Carer (LMC). I went with an OB as opposed to just a midwife and my GP like most women because of the additional risks associated with my age (especially gestational diabetes and preeclampsia). She works with a particular midwife practice and so following my appointment with her, I also booked in with the midwife.
I had my first appointment with the OB at 10 weeks. We talked through the care plan, the risks, and what we should do next. She also has ultrasound equipment so we had a quick peek at the wee one as well (I have especially loved that part - seeing the development at every appointment). She put me on a low dose aspirin and on calcium supplements in addition to the prenatal vitamins I was already taking. They will work to mitigate the risks with preeclampsia.
We also talked about the chromosomal risks. The egg donor is 35 and so she’s on the cusp of being in the higher risk for chromosomal anomalies. The traditional plan is to use the 12 week scan measurements and some of the bloodwork to come up with a risk profile. Then, if the risks are higher, amniocentesis or CVS are then used to collect cells for definitive testing. There are risks with that approach - the invasive procedures carry a risk of causing miscarriage. It also takes time, so if there is a problem, it can be another several weeks before complete diagnosis is available.
There is an alternative. In Australia and NZ, there is a non-invasive prenatal test (NIPT) available called Percept (this sort of test is available other places, it’s just called Percept here). Fetal DNA can be found in the mother’s blood in significant enough quantities from about 10 weeks to collect. This DNA can be tested for the three trisomie conditions (Down syndrome, Edwards syndrome, and Patau syndrome) with a greater than 98% accuracy. It is non-invasive to the fetus and the mother is likely having other blood drawn anyway. The results take 3-5 days. It’s not currently free in New Zealand though. As a result of the testing they do, they can also determine sex with a >99% accuracy. If you don’t want to know, and you’re having the test, make sure you tell your medical practitioner. We found out because one of the dads wanted to know.
Between that and my 12 week scan, I had a last minute work trip to Singapore and a planned work trip to Sydney. Hiding my pregnancy from work colleagues was a bit of a challenge - I’m normally the one up for a beer or two. I was able to claim jet lag to cover how tired I was. Plus 2 days and 16 hours in Singapore wasn’t enough time to really have to hide much.
I also had my 12 week scan. Jim (the working name I’m using for this creature in my belly and how I’m likely to refer to her from now on) was quite wiggly and was sucking her thumb. That was amazing to see. That scan takes heaps of measurements to ensure that morphologically everything is happening as it should (spoiler alert: everything was as it should be).
Our next appointment with the OB was at 14 weeks. We had another look at Jim and then chatted about my midwife appointment, booking in the next OB appointment and scheduling the 20 week scan. It was a pretty quick visit.
The afternoon after this appointment, I booked a meeting with my manager to bring him up to speed. I work with one of the dads so we told him together. He said it was the best thing he’s heard this year. It was good to hear. I know that it won’t be easy to work around us both being off for a while but it is what it is I guess. I also posted the announcement on my blog/facebook/twitter.
Mentally, it’s been … interesting. In the early days, I developed a real aversion to being touched (let me tell you that makes things like Dr visits and blood tests very uncomfortable). I’m one of those people who will pop into a nail shop for a cheeky mani/pedi but the idea of someone touching even my hands was too much. I’m a hugger and even that was a struggle for me - and I know some really great full body huggers. I think I was adjusting to my body not being just mine (and at my age, I’m used to it being mine to do with as I please). Every decision I was making involved thinking about another person. It was an odd experience for me. Happily, I’m past that point, and pedicures are back on the menu.
I’ve also been curious about my overall moods. When I was about 6 or 7 weeks along, one of the apps I have on my phone pointed me to an article about hormones and moods. (It had some “Daddy, remember that mommy is feeling off” BS in it that I’ll probably talk more about in another post.) It also said that I was at a point where I would become emotionally unstable and at risk of bursting into tears or rages at the drop of a hat. I didn’t _think_ I was particularly unstable, but I was curious. So, I sent to Megan (my sainted flatmate and platonic soulmate) what would, to most people, be the most frightening email they’ll ever receive:
Overall, I’ve been #blessed with an easy first trimester. As I approached trimester two, I started getting my energy back - I can even stay awake until 10:00 some evenings! I’ve started pregnancy yoga (the fitness of my pelvic floor is of utmost importance). I’m keeping my fingers and toes crossed that we continue down this textbook cruisy pregnancy route (knock on wood and every other superstitious thing).