The second time around- Part 1

mom2 | Comments 1

“The second time around” is a journal of a second pregnancy. Mom2 has a beautiful, energetic toddler. Since only family and close friends currently know she’s pregnant, she’s keeping her identity under wraps until she’s ready to shout the great news from the roof tops at work, or until her belly gives it away for her.

Pregnant Again

My husband and I have always been pretty sure we wanted a second child we just weren’t sure when. We knew we didn’t too many years to go by in between.

So when I woke up one Friday morning about nine weeks ago with that familiar light-headed feeling, and the voice in the back of my mind telling me to go buy a test I listened.

Test is negative.

Next day, I watch the toddler of a friend, a girlfriend comes over to help, have dinner and wine (not a lot mind you, we were watching sleeping toddlers), during dinner after the babes are asleep, I say something to my friend to the effect of, ‘two are hard’.

The next Monday, take test again…very faint positive. Six tests later, I’m pregnant.

Every Pregnancy’s Different

My first pregnancy was a breeze. No sickness, no grumpiness, just some fatigue. This time, I experience my first sensations of sick, major hormone swings and tiredness that makes getting up to go to the bathroom a challenge.

Add to that mix an already active toddler who is fighting sleeping through the night does not make for a happy mom. I’m beginning to find it’s hard to work. Hell, it’s hard all around. I have no appetite. When I eat, I feel like puking. I never did throw up, just a couple of cases where I was pretty sure it was going to happen.

A good friend who is a veteran Mom and my source of all things, “what the heck do I do,” reminds me that feeling like you’re going to puke is a good thing. I try to remind myself of that.

The Toddler

While the above is going on, my toddler decides that now is the perfect time to start her clingy phase and that only Mom can hold her and make her better. Daddy is trying to help more, but toddler wants Mom after only five minutes with Dad. This is still going on.

First OB appointment

According to my doc, my uterus feels like an 8 week pregnant uterus, or, to quote him, “the size of a good orange. Not the kind you get at the Shop N Save, but the kind you get from Harry and Davids.” So, I’m an orange. That’s good.

Next month, I’m scheduled for the “Papp A” test. I’m told that the test uses an in depth ultrasound to measure the fold at the back of the baby’s neck, combined with a blood test to tell me if we have a higher risk of a Down Syndrome baby or a baby with Trisiomy 18, also know as Edward’s syndrome. The test also looks for a nasal bone in the baby. If present, the lower the chance of a baby with Down Syndrome.

During my last pregnancy, I had a funky Triple Screen blood test. The result of this blood test told us that we had a 1:2 chance (yeah, 50-50) chance that our child could have Edwards Syndrome.

Edwards Syndrome is a chromosomal disorder. It differs from Downs Syndrome in the fact that most fetuses don’t make it to term or if they do, pass away soon after ward.

I for one, am not the kind of person that can carry a baby that I know will die. Especially not with a 1:2 chance.

Amnio scheduled. Husband passes out at amnio. I start bawling hysterically as there is a large needle sticking out of my stomach and husband is unconscious.

Long story short, all was well in the end. Baby has the correct number of chromosomes, husband got smelling salts and juice and strict orders to eat. But this prior experience is making me nervous as hell about next month’s upcoming test.

If only I would have been able to hear the heart beat at the first appointment, I think I would feel better.

Have any of you had a scary test in pregnancy? Any advice to help quell my fears until July? Anything that will help peel the toddler off me?

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