Thank, God! All Normal :-)

At 22 weeks (roughly 4 months), I was offered the Congenital Anomaly Scan (CAS) and Fetal Biometry as mid-pregnancy ultrasound scan. 

The CAS takes a close look at the baby and the uterus (womb).  The sonographer will check that the baby is developing normally and look at where the placenta is lying in the uterus. This is usually done in between 24 and 28 weeks, though I had mine at 22 weeks and 1 day. 
Seeing our baby on a screen was a wonderful event. We could see the baby is more like a human, with head, hands and feet. My husband was allowed to be with me during the scan to share the experience with me. He was quiet while the whole thing is happening (I can sense that he was nervous) lalo na when the sonographer asked me, "Bakit ka pinapa-CAS? Nagkasakit ka ba? Meron ka bang ininom na gamot?" (Why were you ordered a CAS? Did you get sick? Did you take any medications?) 

I couldn't recall an instance when I got really sick (though I have allergic rhinitis since I was little) nor remember having taken any medicine (I never took anything except for supplements since I knew I was pregnant). 

Although it was lovely to see our baby, the scan's main purpose is to confirm that baby's developing normally.  The scan took more than 20 minutes.  I kept my eyes on his face, carefully watching his reactions as he performed the scan.  My heart was beating fast. Silently, I was praying everything will turn out good and normal. It was quite difficult to read him because of his poker face reaction. Parang gusto kong itanong: "Doc, okay lang po ba ang baby namin? Wala po bang problema?" But I tried not to be atat. I just kept praying.  Then he said, "Malikot 'tong baby mo, ano?" then, "Baby, huwag masyado umikot...Ang hirap niyang hulihin, mommy!" 

I just smiled.

After a few more minutes, the sonographer turned the screen toward us and showed us the captured views and images. He showed us the shape and structure of baby's head including the brain; the face which showed no cleft lip/palates; spine (length and cross section); abdominal wall and internal organs; the heart (chambers and valves), lungs, kidneys and bladder; and of course the arms, legs, hands and feet. He even counted baby's fingers and toes- "1,2,3,4,5 - 1,2,3,4,5 COMPLETE!". He also measured baby's body to see how well our tiny tot is growing by head circumference (HC), abdominal  circumference (AC) and femur or thigh bone (FL). My baby is also in a transverse lie. The reason why we didn't get to know (yet) if we're having a boy or a girl. 

Is it a boy or a girl??? We can only guess :D

Thankfully, the measurements matched up to what's expected of our baby, given the anticipated due date (EDD: Sept 14, 2012).

BPD: measures the head; FL: bones/longitudinal growth
Heart Rate: 159bpm

However, the sonographer said he needed to perform a transvaginal ultrasound since he needed to check the placenta, the umbilical cord and the level of amniotic fluid (AF). The umbilical cord is fine and I have adequate AF for baby to move freely. But he suspected I have low lying placenta. 

True to his hunch, my placenta (inunan) lied low reaching down to partially cover the neck of my uterus (cervix) or what they called placenta previa. Asked what I must do to correct it, he said: "Nothing. Just observe. You'll have to have another scan in the 3rd trimester (8th month) to check its position. By then, it's likely the placenta will have moved away from your cervix. But definitely NO CONTACT."

Scan showed I have partial placenta previa 

After the scan, I texted my OB of the results of the CAS. She didn't seem alarmed. And just what the sonologist told me, it usually corrects itself as the pregnancy progresses as the uterus expands so does the placenta as it moves up. I shouldn't be alarmed with my baby's current position/presentation as babies move a lot and they tend to position head first (cephalic) at approximately 32-34 weeks of gestation to prepare for birth. She told me to avoid strenuous activities and be alert of any discharge or bleeding. 

Despite the placenta previa thing, we were very happy that baby is fine and growing normally. That's the thing to be thankful about! God is good! :-)

Thump! Thump! Thump!

Gestational Age: 8weeks 6days 

Just like our first consultation, our next check up was nerve-wracking (honestly, I felt more anxious).
Today, OB's going to check our baby's heartbeat. She gave me another request for a transvaginal ultrasound as suggested in the previous one. This will determine the fetal viability.

MSD: 3.7 cm. with crown rump length (CRL) of
2.1 cm equivalent to 9 weeks

Since the day we knew we were pregnant, we've been constantly praying for this pregnancy to prosper and reach full term. 




I know I have some condition which will make this pregnancy quite difficult and sensitive. My OB was even more "praning" than us, constantly reminding me to inform her of any pain, discharge or bleeding.


This picture to the left shows my baby @ 8w6d measuring 2.1cm or about the size of a kidney bean! (below) :)  

Finally, the ultrasound confirmed a single intrauterine pregnancy at 9 weeks by CRL with good cardiac activity. Yay! Thank, God! Happy thoughts! :'-)

My baby's heart beating at 160 beats per minute! That was fast! :)

We're pregnant! Now what?

"Congratulations, kudos, and woohoo – we're pregnant!"
  

In those rare moments when you're not dancing on air or completely freaking out, you may be wondering what you need to do next. That was what pretty much what we felt when we found out we're about to become parents in less than 40 weeks time. 

I was having mixed emotions. The moment that I saw those two purple lines, my heart skipped a beat. I was happy, excited, nervous and anxious all at the same time. Understandably, happy because finally after almost 2 years of TTC, fervently praying for a child-- this is it... I'm a step closer to my ultimate dream: becoming a mom!

On the day that we knew we were expecting, I immediately sent a text message to my OB. She was ecstatic! She recounted the period when we were just treating my endometriosis. It was quite an achievement on both sides. Primarily because we didn't need to go the usual tedious and draining route of work ups unlike most of her patients.  Thank, God!  She asked to me to see her soon. :) Read about our first consultation here.

Being first time parents, we were so very excited (!) to meet our little bundle of joy.  I thought it was a must to load up on good pregnancy (and parenting) knowledge. I registered with Baby Center so I can make use of their online tool: an estimate of my baby's development week by week. I also started compiling photos on the milestones page :)

But I find this site neater since it's in the Philippine context so expectant Filipino moms and dads like us can better relate to.  Plus it's got a simpler layout you can easily navigate among its pages making it an easier read.

Firstly, it's very important to prepare for an A+ Pregnancy.  Everyone benefits from a balanced diet, but pregnant women especially need extra nutrients because of the role these play in fetal development. For 9 months, our baby's nourishment will rely solely on what we eat. 

(For first time moms like me, you may also check out these interesting topics.)

Our journey has just begun and we hope and pray to make the best out of this wonderful path we have decided to take.

This is it!

Gestational Sac @ 4w6/7d

On our first pre-natal consultation, my OB had to check my baby's implantation- since in several cases, endometriosis results in ectopic pregnancies.

While performing the transvaginal ultrasound, I was quite nervous and praying everything will turn out okay. I was alone in the examination room while my husband waited outside. Though I could sense his nervousness, I kept on praying, whispering to God how we waited and wanted this precious gift.

The moment OB caught a glimpse of the GS (gestational sac), she exclaimed: "There's your baby" pointing to the monitor. "Everything looks good! It's not ectopic."

I was very happy with what she said and let out a loud sigh of relief. Thank God, it's intrauterine! meaning it implanted on the wall of my uterus.

Based on the TVS, my baby is about 5 weeks old and a teeny-tiny one: about the size of a pumpkin seed!

After seeing the result of the TVS, I was advised to take folic acid once a day and because I have adenomyosis and endometriosis, my OB prescribed Duphaston and Duvadilan tablets both to be taken 3x a day.

Duphaston (left) is a brand of synthetic hormone (dydrogesterone) that is similar to the naturally occurring female steroid hormone progesterone. Progesterone plays an important role in regular menstruation, the development of a healthy uterine lining and maintaining pregnancy.

Duvadilan (below) on the other hand, is a brand of Isoxsuprine (used as isoxsuprine hydrochloride) used as a vasodilator which causes direct relaxation of uterine and vascular smooth muscle. It is used in humans for treatment of premature labour, i.e. a tocolytic. 

Here's the result of the ultrasound:

Within the gravid uterus is a well-formed gestational sac measuring 1.45cm., equivalent to 4 6/7 weeks age of gestation. No fetal pole is noted in the present study. No retrochorionic hemorrhage is seen.
The previous noted adenomyosis is still noted, 2.5 cm thick. No adnexal masses seen.

Impression: Early intrauterine pregnancy 4 6/7 weeks by gestational sac.
Follow -up scan suggested to determine fetal viability.

EDC: 9/14/2012

This marked the beginning of our 9-month journey.