So I went in for my surgical follow up and came out with some unexpected news.....

The sex of the baby!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Can you believe they can tell this early? Since I'm seeing the perinatologist he has all the high tech machines which are so cool. They even did the 3D version for me!

So you wanna know what "it" is (that is the last time I will refer to "it" as an "it" LOL)

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BOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ok now the story! So the u/s tech is doing my u/s...as she's doing it I asked, "so when's the earliest we will know the sex?" and she says "at about 16 weeks" then she says "you're almost 15 now right?" I say yes and she says, "well let's take a look" so she's looking around for a little bit and then she says, "ok see this right here?" I say "yes" and she says "that's the umbilicol cord" then she says "now see this sticking out right here?" I say "yes" and she says "that's NOT the umbilicol cord, that's his boy part" She goes on to say that she's not 100% sure and we'll reconfirm in 2 weeks. I say ok and leave it at that. As she's doing the scan she says after a little while, "you know the longer I do this scan the more convinced I am that this is a boy" Then she says "and he's VERY photogenic" She explains that he's letting her get pictures of him from all sides as if he's posing! I tell her "he is his mother's son" :). After awhile the dr comes in and takes over. He takes one look at the u/s and says "do you know the sex yet?" I say "we think we know what it is, can you confirm?" and he says "oh yeah it's a boy" And types it on the screen next to the pic of his pee pee and prints is out for me :)

We are so estactic! Because it was a whim kinda thing, Nathanael didn't come with me to this appt. today so I called him at work and when I told him he said "Are you lying?" "Are you serious" Are you messing with me" about 100 times before he believed me :) Then he did the happy dance. Ok not really but he was as excited as Bubba the military man can be. Honestly. I don't think I've ever heard his voice that elated before :)

So as for the rest of the appt. Well Dr says the cervix is closed which is good. I asked why he had to put 2 cerclages in and he said that I had a very small cervix and that it was weak (please do not remind me of my raving blog post over my "supermodel cervix" ...so i was wrong...it happens). So there's reinforcement that this surgery was necessary. Then he explains that as of now I have placenta previa. Which means the placenta is covering the cervix and lying very low. If this continues until delivery I will have to have a c-section but that there is time for it to move. Let's pray it moves. I am soooo surgeried out at this point it's not even funny! Lastly he pointed out two bright spots in the heart that he referred to as "echogenic foci" in the left ventrical. He tells me that in "1 to 2% this is an indication of down syndrome." Ok really....1-2% and you just HAD to tell me this. This is the down side of modern technology.....sometimes there is just too much information you know what I mean? So he makes an appt for me to have a blood test done, the AFP panel i think it's called but that only tells in 60% of the cases. He also makes an appt for me to talk to the genetics counselor on the 13th and after that discussion I will have to let them know if I want an amnio done or not. UGHHHHHH! I hate being faced with decisions like this. I don't want an amnio but on the other hand do I want to know for sure now??????? Let me make this clear because I'm sure the thought might run through your head....no matter what I am having this baby. Ok there, done said it. Now with that said, do i want to be "prepared" if something is wrong? Is there even such a thing as "prepared" for news like this? Ok now you might be thinking now, "ummm Norina he did say 1-2%" and I know this but need I remind you...statistics and Norina are not friends. Here are some numbers for ya just for shits and giggles:

-At 6-12 weeks gestation liklihood of m/c is 5% ( I did this 3 times)
-After your first miscarriage, your likelihood of becoming a "recurrent miscarrier" or "spontaenous aborter" as my RE lovingly refers to people like me is 20%.
-A recent major study indicated the prevalence of uterine anomalies (such as a uterine septum) is 7%–8% in the normal female population.
-Compound heterozygosity for MTHFR C677T and A1298C was seen in 16.6% of the population (this is the blood clotting issue I have)
-10 to 20 percent of American women of childbearing age have endometriosis
- An incompetent cervix happens in only about 1 out of 100 pregnancies


Ok and I didn't even touch all my problems but I'll stop beating you over the head with this already. You get the point. Stats are not usually in my favor. Ohhhh and not to mention I am married to a man who developed a cancer usually known to 60 year olds and older at the age of 25. So again, I repeat. Stats are not our friends.

So I am off to utilize my google MD degree on this "echogenic foci" non-sense and drive myself into worry oblivian once again, determined to find the answers the Dr's won't tell you but by golly the internet will!


Ooops before I go a pic:

This is a 3d u/s they did.


Looks very strange here but still cute in a way only a mama could love LOL! Oh and I forgot to mention while we were doing the scan the baby grabbed his leg and lifted it and also yawned. It was so amazing to see something so tiny do things that "regular" humans do!