This is Howie Dubin

Today was a fabulous day! We had our six-week appointment with Dr. Braverman and our first ultrasound. We were (and especially I was) pretty nervous going in, as our previous ultrasound experiences have not been so good and we were just so hopeful that we would see/hear a heartbeat. Sure enough, it took the ultrasound technician about 7 seconds to find our little bean and she immediately saw the tiny little heart beating. We were even able to hear it, beating at 117 beats per minute, exactly where it should be at this stage of the game. Here is Howie's first picture:

They are pretty specific about all of the measurements, and our little guy was 5.8mm long. They even gave us an updated due date of July 19, 2013 -- two days earlier than we thought. All blood flow looked good, which is a sign that the immune issues that have troubled us in the past are not having the same negative effect they've had in my previous pregnancies (the immune cells function by inhibiting proper development of the placenta, basically choking off its blood supply -- but my blood supply looked really good). We are not quite out of the woods yet, but things are looking as good as they can for where we're at right now.

Dr. Braverman wants to see us again in three weeks, so we'll head back up to Long Island on December 17th. That will probably be the last time that we see him, and soon after that I'll be released from his care on sent on my merry way to be a regular pregnant lady. In the meantime, I'll have another ultrasound here in DC in about 10 days, just to keep an eye on things.

I am feeling nauseous and SO happy to feel that way! Every pregnancy symptom feels like a little victory.

Thank you for your continued support and prayers!

Good and Pregnant

Yes, this post is about what you think it's about. I'm pregnant! We found out on Tuesday and so far things look really, really good. I went to my doctor's office on Monday to get my progesterone checked, and my doctor snuck in a pregnancy test without telling me. By the time she called me on Tuesday to tell me that my progesterone was high (yay!) and that my beta test was positive (YAY!), I had already gotten a positive home pregnancy test that morning. So it was an exciting week! I went back for a repeat blood test Wednesday morning, and my beta had gone from 10 on Monday to 62 on Wednesday. They look for a doubling time of 24-48 hours, and my doubling time was just 17.1, which is a very good sign. My progesterone was also up even higher. Both doctors are very optimistic and we're feeling great about it so far. I am convinced that the acupuncture is a huge key for me! I am also still doing the daily Lovenox injections and had my second intralipid infusion on Thursday.

Just so you have photographic evidence, here is a great looking test from today:

A very clear positive! So, if all goes well, we should welcome our little bundle in July of 2013. I'll see Dr. Braverman for a six-week check-up appointment on Monday 11/26, and then for a ten-week check right around Christmas. All prayers, good thoughts, crossed body parts, etc. are welcome, and we'll keep you posted!