First OB Appointment

Today I finally met with my obstetrician for my initial exam. I've been through this same exam 5 other times, so there weren't really any surprises.

Until the end.

I thought that since I was 11 weeks, she'd just listen to the heartbeat with the doppler.  NOPE! The ultrasound machine was wheeled in and she looked around really quickly. Dash was moving around a LOT, and I could feel some of the movements at the same time, which was pretty neat.

I've had ultrasound from 5 weeks to 8 weeks, and then from 13 weeks and beyond.  This was my first "late first trimester" ultrasound and I was really surprised at how much she's grown since the beginning of the month.  The legs were the biggest surprise: they were so much longer than I would have expected! They appeared to be as long as the rest of the body and most of the head combined.

It was a really sweet treat for me to see and I really look forward to seeing Dash again on Wednesday when I see Dr. Hamersley again.

On the more medical side, my Anti-Xa levels came back at 0.83.  The recommended range is listed as 0.3-0.7, so I'm technically out of the range.  However, the value was circled and and arrow drawn with the words GOOD! in female handwriting was there.

I will absolutely be taking my vegan DHA supplements daily until my dose becomes twice daily, which I suspect will be at my next appointment.

A couple days ago some questions came up about vitamin K and lovenox, which nobody I have asked has known the answer to.  Mainly, does an increased dose of Vitamin K have any impact on Lovenox, clotting, or an impact on placental health?  The second question is that if a baby has inherited a clotting disorder from its mother, can the Vitamin K shot, generally administered within a few hours of birth, cause clots in the baby?

Next week, the Vitamin K question will be at the top of my list of questions.

There is one test I have the option of doing next week.  It would tell me, with 99% accuracy, the gender of our baby as well as if s/he has any genetic problems. It is, essentially, a full genetic screen.

I am trying to decide if I want to do the test or not.  We have had no known genetic issues with our other pregnancies, but at the same time, it would be wonderful to know in advance and prepare if something isn't entirely "normal".

Would you run the test?