22 Weeks & Ultrasound Results

Wow, we had a busy day today! We had two different ultrasounds done today. For the first ultrasound we had to travel to the University of Maryland Fetal Care Center to have the fetal echo done. Noah was his usual anwry self and was stubborn when it came to showing the tech what she needed to see. But after a stern talking to from me (and me doing a couple of jumping jacks for good measure) he finally decided to behave. The tech said that all of his little parts look perfect and his heart looks perfect too! He is still currently breech, sitting head up, feet down. His little head is up by my belly button and his little feet, ankles crossed, are sitting directly on my cervix (which explains the pain when he kicks.) We also learned that he weighs one pound! The second ultrasound that we had was at Kaiser and was a follow-up to the "big" ultrasound. This tech was much much nicer and did let Shawn in the room. She also explained everything she saw and what she was doing. Noah was wired during this ultrasound and moved all over the place! He kicked me several times in the cervix during the ultrasound which made me jump off the table and scare the crap out of the ultrasound tech. He waved his little hand at us and let us see his little fingers and his little feet (too cute!) He also let all three techs that looked at him see his "boy parts" so he is definitely a boy! I will have to go back to the Fetal Care Center every month for ultrasounds to keep track of his growth but for now everything looks perfect. Anyway, I know you really came here to see pictures so here they are:
This first one is a picture of his "boy parts." It was much clearer when they were showing it on the screen but you get the idea.
This one is a picture of his face looking forward. You can see his little eye sockets and nose.

This one is a picture of his little legs and feet. You can see his thigh to the right of your screen and his little ankle and feet to the left. Too cute!

This one is one of my favorites! This is a picture of one of his little legs and foot. He was hugging the placenta like a pillow and if you look closely you can see his little fingers too!

This is a profile shot. Hopefully this one is self explanatory.

This is another profile shot. If you look closely you can see that his mouth is slightly open almost like he is smiling, you can also see a little leg too!

Here is one more profile shot of the little one with his arm above his head.

What else can I say ladies, I am so in love!

I can't think of a title...17w6d

Hmmm…where to start. Well, I am extremely glad that we got to have the u/s at the Genetic Center a couple of weeks ago because my experience yesterday for our “big u/s” was nothing like I imagined it to be. First and foremost let me reiterate what I have been saying ever since I started blogging, I HATE my insurance company. The whole experience was nothing like I expected it to be and was honestly flat out infuriating. Let me make a list of the reasons why the ultrasound experience sucked:

-They wouldn’t let Shawn come in the room with me! What ultrasound tech does not let the husband and father of the child in the room during the ultrasound?

- The tech was rude and very hard to understand with a thick accent. He was very to the point, didn’t describe anything he was doing unless I asked. He did things so quick and went zooming around I had no idea what was what.

- The ultrasound machine must have been manufactured in 1950 and the picture was so blurry I couldn’t even make anything out.

- The baby was sitting straight up, butt down facing my spine. Not my fault the position he is in, I guess he likes that position. He was in a similar position last time only he was facing forward. The tech repeatedly said things like “this baby is not cooperating” or “this baby is difficult.” First of all, this is the first time I became a bit defensive, don’t call my child “this baby,” makes him sound like some sort of animal or sub-human. He doesn’t know he is supposed to be posing for an ultrasound for crying out loud! He kept on saying “this is a difficult examination” and “I am not pleased.” We couldn’t get the baby to turn. He asked me to get up and walk around to see if he will turn. I told him I would but I didn’t think he would turn. He asked why and I told him because if this is my child he will be stubborn and if that’s where he wants to be then he will stay there until he decides to move, and I was right, he didn’t budge. I don’t blame him, the tech was pressing so hard on my belly I was crying out from pain. So basically the tech gave up. He measured a few things which all measured right on track (not because he told me but because I watched the calculations on the screen.) I asked him if he could peek between the legs and confirm it is a boy and he said the baby wasn’t in a good position. Hello? He had just got done taking a picture of his legs sticking straight out, but he couldn’t look between them? I asked him if he could at least try and he said no.

- He continually told me that 18 weeks is too early to do the ultrasound because the baby is too small. I told him he would have to talk to my doctor who put the order in for the u/s to be done between 16 and 18 weeks.

At the end he told me we could call Shawn in for a minute “but there is really nothing to see because ‘this baby’ isn’t cooperating.” So I said yes please call him in while I was trying to refrain from throwing the u/s monitor at his head. When Shawn came in the tech asked me if I was going to explain the “situation” to him. There was no “situation,” the baby was just not in a good position so we have to come back, no big deal. So he told us we have to come back in 4 weeks. So when I see my doctor on Friday I have to ask him to put another order in. And you better believe that I am not going back to that center or that tech and I will let me doctor know what an ass this guy was and how the policy to not allow my husband in the room makes no sense.

So anyway, we have no pictures because he wouldn’t give us any and the quality sucked anyway. But, I am not as upset as I would have been had we not had the earlier ultrasound. The tech at the Genetic Center said she was positive it was a boy so until we get our next u/s at 22 weeks we will assume it is a boy. I’m still registering on Saturday though. If for some odd reason it turns out to be a girl we will just switch the gender specific items on the registry to girl items. I’m actually kind of proud of our little baby, shows that he is stubborn just like his Mommy and doesn’t take crap from anyone. I was actually hoping he would give the tech the finger! So, no miraculous amazing big u/s story from me, but the important thing is that he is still in there, heart beating away, measuring right on track. I’m not really concerned about any issues with him structurally because the Genetic Center u/s was very detailed and everything was fine there. That’s all for now folks. If you have any advice for registering I’d be happy to hear it.

Genetic Center Results (16w1d)

First of all, I apologize for not writing this blog post sooner. I didn’t get to work until 1:00 so I didn’t take a lunch. Anyway, when we arrived at the genetic center we first spoke with the genetic counselor, who seriously did not look old enough to be doing that job. She explained the results from our quad screen and went over exactly what DS is and what causes it. She explained that the quad screen is just a screen and not a diagnostic test. She went over our family history and explained that the only way to know for sure is to get an amnio which we declined. Then we went into the ultrasound room. They had a huge screen on the wall which showed everything so we didn’t have to stare at a little screen. She checked the baby from head to toe. Everything measured right on target and there were no markers for downs (cyst on brain, spot on heart, enlarged kidneys, enlarged bladder, etc.) Baby was wiggling all around (which I still can’t feel!) and drinking amniotic fluid (aka baby pee.) Baby was stubborn and sitting almost Indian style at first so I had to get up and go pee and shake things up a bit and then she was able to get the measurements she needed. We do need to go back in three weeks so she can look at the heart because baby is still a little too small for that. All in all I am extremely relieved and feel like I got the reassurance I needed. Obviously there is always some remote possibility that something could still be wrong but I am not interested in the amnio.

So, I suppose you are wondering whether we were able to get a look at the goods huh? We got a quick peek at first and then baby crossed its legs. After I got up to go pee the legs opened back up and we were able to get a pretty good look at the goods. And…I was right, we have ourselves a baby boy! We saw his little baby “pee pee” and are pretty confident it is a boy. The tech said it was definitely a boy so hopefully she is right. We still have our big u/s for the 11th so we will double check then. So, without further ado, let me introduce our little miracle Noah Michael Vollmerhausen.

Profile shot.

Front view (alien picture)

The “money” shot (this one is not of the "pee pee" itself, just his little "jewels".

We picked the name Noah because we just like the name. The name Michael is special to us both because Shawn and his dad’s middle name is Michael and my father’s name was Michael.

We did tell our parents the sex and we will tell our grandparents tonight then we will tell everyone else in the family/friends.

Thank you a million times over for all of your love and support. The past couple of days have truly been some of the roughest days in my life. I am a believer and I know that God would never give us more than we can handle and I will love this baby no matter what. Hugs and kisses to you all and let me know what you think of the name!

So Cute!!!

What more can I say, I am so in love!The doctor's appointment went great. Of course I was a nervous wreck waiting in the waiting room. They had me fill out the registration paperwork to deliver at GBMC. Hello! I am just trying to get past the first trimester here! Then they had me fill out a depression screening thing as well. Then they called me back and took my blood pressure which was perfect. Then we met the doctor who asked us a few questions about our history and did the pelvic exam and breast exam. Then they wheeled in the u/s machine and my heart started pounding. It was still a t/v u/s but I was okay with that, after all I am used to being wanded. Right away the doctor turned the screen towards me and said "there's your baby and there's the heartbeat." I was amazed at how much our little Doozer had grown! He actually looks like a little baby now! So cute! As we watched him he did a little wiggle and I let out a loud awwwwwww! He showed us the umbilical cord and we could still see the yolk sac although the doctor said the baby is getting what it needs from the placenta now. Doozer measured at 9w4d which the doctor said was fine for 9w6d. I wanted to see him move again so the doctor poked him a few times and we saw a little arm fly up as if to say "talk to the hand, I'm sleeping!" Just like his mommy! The doctor changed to a front view and we got watch the baby that way for a bit. We saw a little arm go up and were even able to see little tiny fingers. The u/s machine was really clear and the doctor said it was brand new. Finally we decided that Doozer was sleeping and wasn't going to give us more than a few dismissive arm waives so we ended the u/s. Then I got dressed and the doctor came back in to talk to us. He kept of saying he was excited because he loved to see a couple that tried so hard to get pregnant finally get their wish. He knew a little about IVF and he also knew a lot about PCOS. He warned me of all the things I already knew like the increased chance of getting GD and high blood pressure. We loved the doctor, he was nice and funny and really understanding. He congratulated us again and asked me to make an appointment to come back in 4 weeks. Then we headed to the lab for blood tests. They took a gazillion vials of blood from me and asked me to pee in a cup and then we got to leave. I can't believe we have to wait 4 weeks! Seems like an eternity! Whew!

And, here is the diaper cake I made, let me know what you think.

Doozer- 8 Week Ultrasound

Does anyone else think Doozer looks like Casper the ghost in this picture? He he! It almost looks like we can see eyes and a mouth although I don't really think that is what we are seeing. But if you look closely you can see little arm buds and tiny little flipper feet! Too cute! I had some trouble uploading the video but you can find it Here on our Babysite. The video is blurry but you can see the heart beating! Too cool!

Graduation Day (8w0d)

Well, today is the day I officially said goodbye to my RE and became a "normal pregnant woman." Who am I kidding? I'll never be normal. Everything looked great, Doozer grew, we could more clearly see little arm buds and his/her little head. Hb was 167 bpm and RE said Doozer measured right on target. I will scan the picture tonight. We also took a video of the u/s and if I can figure out how I will put that on here too. During my lunch today I need to call and make my first OB appointment. My RE said I should see my OB within the next couple of weeks. I don't know how I am going to wait that long until I get to see/hear Doozer! I am amazed and thrilled that we made it this far and I thank each and every one of you because you were, and hopefully will continue to be, such a big part of our journey. I am so busy at work, I wish I had more time to update but expect a cute little picture of our Doozer tonight!

***Updated to add, I know I may be jinxing myself (Although Dh assures me that there is no such thing) but I made a babysite, check it out Here and feel free to sign the guestbook if you wish!

7 Week u/s Picture

Little Birdie

Our u/s was amazing! Doozer grew so much in just one week! We could actually see the heart pumping this time. The RE said everything is perfect and Doozer is measuring right on target. He did measure the hb but didn’t tell me what it was and I forgot to ask. I have to go back next week for one last u/s and if all is well I will graduate. They gave us a picture but it isn’t nearly as good as what we saw on the screen. In the picture Doozer looks like a baby bird, hence the title. I will scan and post the picture tonight! Thanks for all of your thoughts and prayers!

U/S Picture

Hey this is Shawn dropping in to post our picture.

Here's our u/s picture of little Doozer.I labeled the picture above wrong. I put egg sac instead of Yolk Sac. Egg Sac, Yolk Sac there one in the same right? Oh well. :)

All is well! (6w0d)

Whew! We just got back from our u/s! I was so nervous in the waiting room that by the time I got up on the table I was shaking. Dr. Osheroff came in and immediately congratulated us and gave me a big hug. He seemed so excited so that was nice. He immediately turned the screen towards me and explained everything he was doing. He found the sac quickly and I could see the yolk sac. Then I saw it, a little tiny flicker of light. He explained to us that it looked like a diamond ring, the round part being the yolk sac and the top part of the ring being our little baby. It was amazing to watch the heartbeat! Doozer was so small compared to the yolk sac. The Dr. measured everything and said everything was measuring right on track. I asked him to measure the heartbeat and it was 90bpm. It was hard to measure since Doozer is so small but he said it was perfect for 6 weeks. He did look at my ovaries, which were huge as usual but he didn’t say anything so I guess they are fine. He asked me to sit up and told me to make another appointment for next Wednesday for another u/s and gave me another big hug and told us how happy he was for us. They gave us a picture of our little Doozer to take home. I do have the picture but I’m at work so I will have to scan it when I get home. I am relieved and amazed that there is another heart beating inside of me. Of course I am still cautious and scared, and probably always will be, but I feel like we hit an important milestone by seeing the heartbeat. I can’t wait to see our Doozer again next week. I want to thank all of you for keeping me sane and for all of the wonderful comments and support, it means more than you will ever know. I will update later with Doozer’s picture!!