Well I was going to moan and complain about how awful this nausea has been but I just finished eating lunch with another pregnant colleague who said her morning sickness was so violent, it caused her nose to bleed. She was literally throwing up on calls and had to be put on Zofran. Sooooo, I’ll take my “non-throwing up nausea” over that any day!! Good old Google says that nausea is a very good sign as it means the body is producing all the necessary hormones to maintain the pregnancy. There is also an old wives tale that states nausea most often occurs when carrying a girl...and/or Multiples! Wouldn’t that be something? To find out at the next ultrasound that another bean was hiding?! My OB said the nausea should start to subside in the next couple of weeks as the placenta takes over. She offered a prescription for some sort of medication (wasn’t Zofran) which I graciously refused. She said it was safe....but that’s what they thought about Thalidamide!
As with my first pregnancy, I have been offered the Integrated Prenatal Screening (IPS) test to look for chromosomal abnormalities. Basically the IPS test just gives you an “odds of” something being wrong. Like 1/100 chance based on proteins found in the blood and “soft markers” seen on the Ultrasound. (Like white spots on the heart, no nasal bone, thickening at back of neck ect) Unfortunately the risk of problems has increased exponentially from age 37 to 41. Sigh. In fact my OB suggested skipping the Ultrasound & blood work, and going straight to the amniocentesis. She did mention the risks involved with the procedure and said I should really ponder what I would do with the knowledge anyways?! Why risk a miscarriage if I would never terminate a pregnancy to begin with?! There is also a new blood test, I think it’s called “Harmony”. Apparently there are fragments of fetal DNA in my blood which can be assessed for abnormalities with 99% accuracy. I believe the cost is $800 and out of pocket UNLESS the IPS test comes back with a positive. (Positive means anything less than 1/40 I believe.) Then the Harmony test is covered by OHIP. Anyway, my IPS scan is scheduled for Dec 1st unless I change my mind an decide to skip right to amnio. (The bonus of amnio is sex determination before 20 weeks.)What's happening with baby this week? "Most of your baby's joints are formed now and he is using them. Baby is flexing and stretching, but it will be a couple of months before you can feel it. Your baby is now almost one inch long and weighs just .07 of an ounce, about the size of a grape. Growing more human like from his early embryo days, your baby has finally lost his embryonic tail. This 8th week of pregnancy, your baby is being nourished by the placenta, rather than the yolk sac. The placenta is an amazing structure, as it provides nutrients to your baby, along with providing a filter for your baby’s waste. Your baby is now fascinated with his hand, and he actually has a grip. If you were to place a very small object in his hand, he would wrap his little fingers around it. Speaking of fingers, your baby’s fingerprints are also forming, and they are like nobody else’s. Your baby’s eyelids are now fused together at 9 weeks of pregnancy and will remain that way until about 27 weeks. This gives his eyes a chance to do some developing of their own. Your baby’s ears, nose tip, and tongue have also formed. All major organs are now present, but need a lot of further development to function properly.
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