1st Trimester screening results are in!

I got a call from the genetic counselor from GW Hospital. She told me that the results for the 1st trimester testing are in and everything is NORMAL. This means that Baby Jarbs has very small risk of having chromosomal abnormalities, including Down’s Syndrome Trisomy-21 and Trisomy-18. We also do not have to have further genetic testings such as the chorionic villus sampling (CVS), or second trimester amniocentesis which are more invasive. Great news!! Hooray for Baby Jarbs :-).

Baby Jarbs looks like a baby now...

Daddy Jarbs and I started the day with a daycare tour at Bright Start Child Care Center in Petworth. We really liked the center and have signed Baby Jarbs on their wait list. More than likely, Baby Jarbs will have to go to this daycare before we switch him/her to the daycare downtown. I will write more about how the daycare tour went in a separate post.

The highlight of our day was our appointment for the first trimester screening. Mothers who are age 30 and above are recommended to have this non-invasive genetic screening to assess the baby's risk of having Down syndrome and some other chromosomal abnormalities. Not all health insurance covers this screening. I am lucky that my insurance covers it so we decided to go ahead and get it. The screening includes an NT scan (nuchal fold scan) which uses ultrasound to measure the clear space in the tissue at the back of the baby's developing neck. They also have to take a blood test.

For our first trimester screening appointment, we had to go to a medical facility across from GW hospital. I was advised to come with a moderately full bladder. On the way to the appointment, I drank about 16 ozs of water. By the time we got to GW, I had to go to the coffee shop to relieve myself :-). Daddy Jarbs bought me another liter of bottled water to drink to refill my bladder. Worried that my bladder would not be full by the time we have our ultrasound, I finished drinking the whole liter of water in like 15 mins! By the time my name got called to see the genetic counselor, I was ready to go to the restroom again! :-/ However, I HAD to hold my pee since I can't have an empty bladder for the ultrasound. It was torture to say the least.

Long story short, we got to see Baby Jarbs again and now he/she looks like a baby :-). At first, we thought we would have to come back for another ultrasound appointment since the baby was not measuring as big as what they would need for the test. However, a few minutes later, Baby Jarbs stretched and the technician was able to do the test that she needed to do. Smart baby! :-). I guess Baby Jarbs was getting smooshed by my full bladder. The technician said that next time I do not have to drink THAT much before an ultrasound! LOL.

 Here's the photo of Baby Jarbs at 11w2d. 

Daddy Jarbs thinks he's a boy. He said the arms are flexed so he's showing his muscles! LOL

Overall, the appointment went great! Baby Jarbs looks like a baby now and not like a big blob during the 8 wk appointment. We got to see  him/her move. We also got to hear the heartbeat which was 163 bpm! What a strong baby :-). The technician said Baby Jarbs' nasal bone is already formed which is a great sign. Most of the time, the absense of nasal bone is an indicator of down syndrome. Baby Jarbs' nose was also very prominent. Perhaps, he/she will have Daddy Jarbs' nose and not take after Mommy Jarbs' Filipino nose :-). Here is a video of the ultrasound. Pardon Daddy Jarbs' shaky hand. 

http://vimeo.com/10724685 from Mommy Jarbs on Vimeo.

This day could have not gone any better :-). What a great day!