CVS & Gender

As I sat yesterday and thought about how I've been documenting this pregnancy, I felt badly.  Classic sign of the baby of the family getting the shaft already??  yikes!

On April 2, we had our CVS {chorionic villus sampling} testing.  We also did this testing with Lily back in 2010, so we had a clear understanding of what to expect.

A few days before I had called the hospital to find out who the doctor was that would be performing the procedure, hoping it was the same one as before.  No such luck.  I researched the doctor they told me would be doing it, considered rescheduling when the original one was available, and prayed about it.  Ultimately I decided that I didn't know the first doctor and trusted in him. This doctor is the head of the department and I would trust that too.

At first there was a little counseling about numbers with the genetic counselor before going in for an ultrasound to determine which way the procedure could be done.  The choices are either transvaginally or abdominally like an amnio.  I had no idea the needle through the belly was an option ack!!!!  It was all determined on the location of the placenta.

The ultrasound tech was awesome and made me feel comfortable by telling me that she'd want this doctor to be doing this out of all of them. 

Through the ultrasound, I learned that I have an anterior placenta. All up front.  Also, that it's really thick.  That bodes well for this procedure, but not for feeling the baby move.

With the placenta location where it was, they were able to do the procedure transvaginally.  I was relieved since that's what I was familiar with and knew what to expect with it.   The doctor showed me on the ultrasound screen where the needle would go exactly and what I would feel, what sounds I might hear.  His voice was kind, gentle, and comforting.  He told me what to expect and said although he knew I'd had this procedure before, he would explain it as if I hadn't. I appreciated that a lot.

I shared with him that my first experience the dr. hadn't gotten enough of a sample and had to come back to get more. He said, "I hope to beat Dr. Emery and get it the first try."  haha    He left to look at the sample under a microscope and came back in shortly and said, "Well, Stephanie, you're two for two. We have to get more."

The ultrasound tech checked the baby's heartbeat before the procedure and it was at 167.  Immediately after the first attempt it was 181, but after the second it was back to 164. 

I measured 12 weeks, 2 days, but was actually 11 weeks,5 days, so I'm curious to see if she measures a few days ahead the rest of the pregnancy.

Procedure complete.  No bleeding. Just told to take it easy for 24 hours and not to lift anything other than Lily.   Another fantastic experience.

They said I'd get initial results within 48 hours.  I said, "Well, last time I got them in 24, so I'm hoping for that this time too!"

Sure enough the next day, a little before 3pm, the phone rang.  {thankfully}

The genetics counselor said, "I have good news."  and that was enough for me!  The relief that flooded my body was indescribable.  I honestly didn't realize I was as worried as I truly was.

She said the baby had none of the trisomies and within the next week, we'd have the full results for all the chromosomes.  She asked if we wanted to know the gender and I said we did and learned we are having a girl!!

George was just as relieved as I was that everything was good!  That was the important part for us.  Learning the gender was just the icing.

About a week later, the genetics counselor called again and shared that everything is good! Only 2 sets of each chromosome!  Last time with Lily, we had "placental mosaicism," so learning we didn't even have this time was phenomenal!!

Yay for our new baby girl!!