i am officially thirteen weeks and this last one has been a doozy. as a woman of 'advanced maternal age' (at least that's what the doctor's office keeps calling it) i have to do a few additional tests to make sure my body is handling the pregnancy without complications. one of those additional tests is that i have to have two glucose screenings, one in the first trimester and one in the third. i have failed ALL of my one hour glucose tests in the past and have always had to do the three hour screening with each child. the three hour test usually ends up with me in a puddle of tears curled up in the fetal position in the doctors office. this time my doctor decided to forgo the one hour test and skip to the longer test to avoid the hassle of having to redo the glucose test. hopefully i won't be seeing that test again until the third trimester.
another test i decided to do was Informed Pregnancy Screen. this is a non-invasive test to determine the genetic formation of child's chromosomes. this includes Trisomies, Microdeletions and Sex Chromosomes. the most well known Trisomy is Down's Syndrome. women at the age of 25 have a 1 in 1,200 risk for having a child with a Trisomy and women at the age of 35 have a 1 in 350 chance. this test will screen for these chromosome abnormalities and doesn't have the risk and invasiveness of a amniocentesis. my doctor recommended it from his experience as a physician. he felt most parents appreciated knowing these risks prior to the babies arrival. this will in no way change the way we feel about having a baby, but i appreciate my doctor's advice on being emotionally and mentally prepared. the good news is that the testing will allow us to know the baby's sex earlier than the ultrasound screening at 20 weeks.
being in and out of the lab for blood draws last week was a little bit overwhelming but it is done and i look forward to smooth sailing for the next few weeks. in the meantime, i am trying to find that delicate balance of how to stay active during pregnancy without over-doing it. there is such a fine line between being active and overactive and i am still determining where that is. i walk a few miles one day and feel great. i do it a few days later and can hardly move by evening. i am going to keep experimenting to see what works best for me.
on a more positive note there is something about being pregnant and knowing this is your last pregnancy. i am trying to enjoy every moment. i am trying to appreciate the beauty and the miracle of my growing body and the delicate, precious body growing inside of my womb. with Mother's Day being celebrated on Sunday i really counted my blessings. i have been given the greatest gift of three healthy children and one on the way. being a mother to them is truly the sweetest the thing. i watched them sing a Mother's Day song to me from the pulpit at church and i couldn't help be filled with gratitude.
with my bump growing by the day i am excited to face the challenge of dressing a pregnant body. to highlight its beauty and enjoy these few months i have ahead. i have partnered with a few maternity brands to bring you some posts featuring maternity items and i can't wait to get started.
xo,
kristie
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