Is knowing always a good thing?

So I have spent some time researching prenatal testing today. I have an appointment with my doctor at the end of the month (and prior to any meetings I have with midwives) to discuss the various screening testing that you can do. The thing is...not only am I not even sure I would do anything WITH that knowledge, but to me it seems a bit counter-indicative to agree to undergo tests that come with a risk of miscarriage. I can't even imagine how I would feel if I went into this test, only to have killed the fetus - how hideous would that be?

I guess the only option I have at first is to see about early testing (called the nuchal translucency test NT) which is done via ultrasound paired with blood tests. then, and only if the results indicate I am at increased risk for Downs or other issues, will I even discuss amniocentesis. I really don't feel like adding risk to this pregnancy, and the chances are already so good that there is nothing wrong, nor will there be...

But, I THINK my doctor said that if I want amnio, that (of course) you have to book early in order to get in. Lovely. There are certainly days when our health care seems woefully insufficient, and then others - like the day I found out that full midwife services are covered by OHIP - that make me feel that the money we pay is worth it and that we are all lucky.

So...maybe it is better not knowing. Maybe what you want to do is eat right, take care to get enough rest and sleep, and simply focus on your own health and creating as healthy a life as you can inside you - and let the chips fall where they may....

What do you think?

Bumps n Lumps

I can't believe it, but I am already showing! Only 7 weeks in (not even) and I absolutely have a belly that wasn't there before. And my weight has been consistent, since I dropped about 3 or so pounds initially - it isn't because I have assumed the food fairy has given me a free pass now that I am pregnant, either!

So, I have bumps where I never did before, and of course, as normally happens to pregnant women, I have two ever-growing lumps, too, that are kinda fun!

Now...if only I didn't crave a nice glass of wine on this lazy Sunday afternoon, all would be perfection!!!

Hitting the gym

Only to watch, though! Time to head to my husband's volleyball final matches. You know, this city has pretty exceptional sporting opportunities, and the sport of volleyball is so well organized that its biggest league, the OCVL, has hundreds of teams and is so big that up in the top tier, there are former national team players, and the finals are actually televised! That said, you have to have a full team of pretty exceptional players to be at the top, obviously, and both I and my husband, although very competitive players, are this year not in the top tier. His team finished near the top of the second, or B, division, and play their match just after the initial A division match. It is bloody good ball, and we know a lot of the players in a lot of the teams, so it should be fun to go and take in all the matches this afternoon. And I have to say that I find it incredibly sexy to watch my man play and see him smash the ball down or block an opposing hard hit. Am I wrong ladies? How sexy is it to watch the man you love play a sport with authority?

Or maybe my life has, for the most part, been all about sports, so it is a personal little turn on?

6 weeks today - the heart should already be beating

So I am officially admitting it. I am pregnant again, and so far all systems point to good health for both Mommy and baby, although it is still early. I love the perfect symmetry of the timing of this pregnancy. I got the greatest birthday gift ever when I saw those two simple pink lines on my pregnancy test, and husband is going to have the joy of seeing his first born come into the world during his birthday month in November.

It is also interesting to note that although we miscarried in November last year, before the year is up, we will have a baby. How cool is that, and how heartening to think in the big picture sense that it was only three months of waiting to be blessed once again.

So Mom and Dad to be are very happy, if a bit reserved. Mom and Dad of Mom and Dad to be are very cautious, and both sets of concerned couples are very much looking forward to the early ultrasound that my doctor has generously prescribed. If all goes well, as early at 7.5 weeks (just a few days away, really) the heartbeat can be heard, and if this is the case, the viability of the birth is high (in lamens terms, that means you don't have to wait until the end of the first trimestre to heave a sigh of relief, as the fetus is said to be developing well, and that is mostly all you needed to know). So for others who are anxious and praying for good news...just know that you CAN and you will get pregnant again...maybe even within a couple of months.

Now. What is happening with my body, you may ask (or perhaps you don't want to know, but since my body has become a vessel for growing another human life, it is a bit consuming, so, tough.)? Well, other than a bit of queasiness here and there, the big deal is the loopy, foggy, completely exhausted half-asleep semi-consciousness that constitutes my waking life these days. MAN, am I ever tired! And don't even come NEAR my boobs. They are big and luscious, but look and don't touch...at least for the time being. My poor husband...

Time for a glass of milk and an early trip to bed - I am SUCH a party right now!!!