We have a heartbeat!

Today was our first appointment. It was a bit early at 6 weeks 3 days, but based on my LMP, I should have been 8 weeks. When I made the appointment, I tried to explain that I ovulated late and wasn't that far along. Of course, they just ignored me. Thankfully, I was prepared and didn't expect the ultrasound to show I was 8 weeks.

We were so nervous headed into the ultrasound because that's where we learned I was going to miscarry the last time. Luckily, the ultrasound tech was able to find the heartbeat right away. It was 118 bpm. It was a little slow, but that's because the heart had just started to beat. Their measurement of 6w 2d was only one day off of my calculation, so I was happy with that. It was really hard to see the heartbeat, but when the tech placed the wand correctly, you could see the rhythm on the screen.

There's a baby there, but it's hard to see.

The doctor was very happy with the way things looked and she expects everything to go perfectly this time around. She said now that we've seen the heartbeat, the chances of another miscarriage have dropped from 20% to about 5% and that it was probably safe to tell the rest of the family. I was so relieved to hear that. I was disappointed when she said I wouldn't get another ultrasound until 20 weeks and that I would have to wait 5 weeks for my next appointment since I was in two weeks early. Other than the usual food to avoid and some work-related restrictions, the only restriction that was added was not to lift over 20 lbs.

Due to my cousin having Down's Syndrome, she suggested that I might want to have a quad screen done to determine the risk of having Down's. I'll have to ask her about the NT scan at my next appointment. From what I've read, the NT scan is a better predictor and has a lower rate of false positives. The NT scan is done using an ultrasound while the quad screen is just a blood test.

The doctor also gave me the option of going to see a geneticist at UAMS (University of Arkansas for Medical Science) because of Christopher's Marfan's Syndrome. Leonard and I will have to discuss whether this would be of any benefit. I've already seen a geneticist before and they found that I didn't have any of the symptoms of Marfan's.

I came out of the office with an arm full of goodies. There were several samples and lots of magazines and a book. It was nice to see Leonard looking through all the magazines. He said he already had a dream about saving for college.