When we were in NY on 11/26, I had another immune blood panel drawn, and we got the results on 12/6. Unfortunately, there were a couple things that looked not-so-good, and -- long story short -- I had to have an IVIG (intravenous immunoglobulin) treatment on December 7th and 8th. The IVIG is a blood product, it's sort of a step up from the intralipid infusions in terms of its ability to calm down my overactive immune system. It wasn't too bad, just a lot of laying around because they have to pump it in really slowly. Also, before the treatment you have to take a bunch of Benadryl to prevent an allergic reaction, so it was just kind of a groggy two days for me. We'll do another immune panel on 12/26, and Dr. Braverman will determine after that whether I'll have to do another IVIG or not.
After our 11/26 appointment with Dr. Braverman, he recommended weekly ultrasounds just to make sure things were still OK. I talked it over with Dr. Kaler and we decided maybe just every 10 days or so would be enough. So I had my second sonogram on Thursday 12/6 at a high-risk maternal-fetal medicine clinic here in DC. They do a good job and have very high-tech machines, so I got a great view of Howie that day (they have a big TV hanging on the wall over the exam table so the mommy gets a good view!). That day, I was 7 weeks 4 days pregnant, and baby measured 7 weeks 5 days, was 1.47 cm long and had a heart rate of 167 beats per minute (50 beats faster than just 10 days before!). They said everything looked good, and we got this shot:
You can just begin to see the little arms and legs sticking out... I think this is looking at him from behind.
Next up was our third -- and final! -- trip to New York to see Dr. Braverman. We were there this past Monday 12/17, and he was really pleased with everything he saw. He said that all of the blood flow looks great, Howie is developing nicely and looks healthy. Howie measured two days ahead, was 2.62cm long and had a heart rate of 178 beats per minute. Here's the pic from that day:
Howie is curled up with his head on the right and his legs on the left. It was very cool in person to see him wiggling around in there -- very reassuring. And the sound of his heartbeat -- seriously the greatest thing I have ever heard in my life.
A couple things that we did not expect also came out of that meeting with Dr. Braverman. First, he said that once I finish my first trimester, I will NOT be considered "average risk" but will still be high-risk. That was a big disappointment because we were planning on doing midwife care and a low-intervention birthing-center delivery, which Dr. Braverman said was "not happening." So, we've had to scramble a bit to figure out who our new doctor is going to be, as Dr. Kaler doesn't see patients past the first trimester (though I would LOVE to stick with her if I could). I found a doc who delivers at the birthing center who looks promising, and we are scheduled to meet with him on 12/26 for an interview. So, hopefully that will work out!
The other thing he said is that I have to stay on Prednisone and Lovenox, both of which I thought I'd be done with at the end of the first trimester. The Lovenox isn't a big deal except that it's unpleasant to give myself a shot every morning, but nothing I can't handle. Dr. Kaler told me that patients on Lovenox are usually induced at 38 weeks, which I definitely do NOT want. Then Dr. Braverman said that he'd switch me to Heparin at 36 weeks so I wouldn't have to be induced, but Dr. Kaler said that docs around here are hesitant to prescribe Heparin because of some other risks... so we shall see. The Prednisone is definitely a bigger deal, I don't feel very good on it and it has some unpleasant side effects. Of course, I will do what Dr. B says and am happy to do whatever is best for Howie.
One other interesting thing: We are planning to find out Howie's sex via sonogram when we can, but of course before then it's fun to guess and hear other people's guesses. There is a method of prediction called the Ramzi method, which suggests that there is a correlation between the baby's sex and which side the placenta is implanted on. They say if it's implanted on the left side, it's more likely to be a girl, and the right side, it's more likely to be a boy (you can read about the study here if you're interested). Well, according to Dr. Braverman, we're implanted on the left side, so -- GIRL. BUT, this morning I had an appointment with my acupuncturist and I asked her if she could tell the sex from my pulse (I had heard this could be done from my good friend L, whose acupuncturist correctly predicted the sex of her twin girls). She said yes, and explained that they get a sense of it from the strength of your pulse on your right wrist versus your left wrist -- left is boy, and right is girl. Well, guess what -- my pulse has been stronger on the left side for my last four appointments, so -- BOY. They can't both be right! I guess we'll just have to wait and see.
So, next up: meet with potential new doctor on 12/26, then we're off for vacation in California over New Years. We get back on 1/3 and then have our first trimester scan and NT screen on January 8th. Hopefully some even better pics of Howie at that point!
J and I wish you all a very happy holiday season and a joyous new year! We are grateful, as always, for your love and support.
