Wow. Wednesday was a tough day, but we were able to get through it. We talked to a couple of people Wednesday, mostly family and a few friends. The first person I wanted to talk to was one my best friends Gretchen. Gretch just went through all of this literally TWO WEEKS ago. On a side note of coincidences between Gretchen and me, and our lives and pregnancies, let me highlight the following.
- We were married one week apart in 2005. I actually had to miss her wedding because we were on our honeymoon.
- We are due the same week. Gretch is due with a boy November 15th. So far my date range is November 15th-21st. I am hoping our kids get married!
- We will both deliver at University Hospital. We're hoping to high five each other in the hallways.
- We just bought a Honda Pilot, and she and her husband are looking at them (we had no idea and found this out by running into each other at the dealership!)
- And finally, we both had to go through the Amnio process. I am hoping our results are the same. Gretchen received her final amnio results this week and everything is perfect. Thank God for that.
Gretchen was fabulous on Thursday. She helped calm me down a bit and knowing that she just went through everything was twice as comforting. She told me what to expect and how she felt, etc. She was also able to talk to David and answer some of his questions. She recommended doctors in case the Clinic couldn't get us in Thursday and offered to sit with us during the process.
Later Wednesday evening my cousin Janet hooked me up with a friend of hers, Maureen, who has been a mid-wife for 18+ years and is also skilled at Ultrasounds. Maureen was great! She answered my random questions, and gave me some good questions to ask. This was awesome! Not only did this help me tremendously, it allowed me to avoid Googling, which I highly recommend. Maureen also reminded me that the doctors we saw are considered "Level II" and that there sole purpose is to look for abnormalities. This is what they focus on because it is their specialty. So it is better to be safe then sorry. So far, I have done ZERO Googling and it has allowed me to keep my sanity. David Googled just a bit and went right to Wikepedia. The only thing he highlighted for me was how minimal our risks are based on age, family history, etc. This was reassuring.
Wednesday night, David and I crashed. I think both of us slept very well. I know I did because I had goofy dreams :) We got up around 7:00 AM so I could shower and make my phone calls at 8:00 AM. The Clinic told us to come in anytime after 9:00 AM. I just needed to have some paperwork faxed over from my regular doctor’s office.
Our families have been AWESOME. My Mom and Lori, and David's Mom met us at the Clinic for the appointment. Lori came back with us to be the note taker and an extra set of ears. Because we had some prepared questions, our doctor stopped and reviewed all of the statistics, benefits and risks of the amnio to ensure we knew what we were doing and what the risks were. Once we started the process again, David and I tucked our heads together to keep our eyes away from the needle (this is recommended by the doctor). David did awesome. You have to know that David has a strong sensitivity to needles and blood, and he was a champ. How can you not love someone so much who mouths “I love you” right before the doctor starts and is squeezing your hand?
Lori was great too! She gave us the play-by-play of what the baby was doing on the screen. Apparently she was air boxing. This helped the time go by and kept me laughing and smiling. The only thing I can relate the discomfort of the process to is donating blood.
I just have to say that our family and friends have been so caring. People have called to check on us, emailed, left voicemail or sent us text messages. All of them letting us know we were in their thoughts and prayers and sending positive thoughts. All have offered to do anything we could possibly need, talk to or listen to.
Our doctor yesterday was very positive and easy to talk to. A little friendlier then our doctor Wednesday night, but she had a bit of an accent and was a little brisk. I guess blunt is better. Plus, she just kept repeating things over and over again, and you can only handle so much. It doesn’t change that she’s considered one of the best though, and that is what is the most important.
We’re going with the positivity of the doctor yesterday and keeping that in our back pocket. The good thing about the amnio is that it is 100% accurate. No wishy washy percentages or second guessing. The doctor yesterday told us the odds were in our favor and that if we were betting people, he would put the odds on normal results. That the odds are 90-95% in our favor. That’s VERY good.
I know this is long. But this is for our benefit too, to write all of this out and share how we’re doing.
I didn't mention in my post on Wednesday that the only thing I was nervous about for our appointment on Wednesday was that I would be a little "exposed" infront of our Mom's. For some reason, this cracks me up. That the fear of them seeing me in a compromised position could have kept them from being there with us. What a difference that would have made in the day if I had elected not to invite them because of something so silly. As I said before, we are so grateful to have had them with us.
Thank you all again and please keep us in your thoughts over the weekend.
Hugs & Kisses,
Susie and David
PS. For inquiring minds.
Our Ultrasound Doctor on Wednesday was Dr. Jassani (Cleveland Clinic)
Our Amnio Doctor Thursday was Dr. Muise (Cleveland Clinic)
Our Quad Screen results were negative (ie. Normal)
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