Praise God! 12 Week Checkup

We had a checkup at Maternal Fetal Medicine today. This appointment was very important because it was an initial screening where they did a Nuchal Translucency sonogram. This is where they measure the fluid on the back of the baby's neck. They want to see a thickness of fluid less than 2.5 mm. We had the same Dr. who delivered Thad and it was comforting to see her again. The entire staff makes you feel so welcome and comforted even though they are doing all kinds of testing. This baby's thickness was .97 mm!!!!! Yep that is less than 1 mm! The Dr.'s were very optimistic and reassuring that this was a very good measurement. This is a good sign that there could be no heart defect. We are not completely out of the woods but this is a good start! Just to compare numbers- Thad's measurement at this same time when I was 12 weeks was 2.2 mm so it was up there by the 2.5 measurement where they didn't want it to be. Baby's heartbeat was 156 today- a strong heartbeat. The Dr.'s said it is very unlikely to have babies with the same heart defect. Emma's was the most severe, Thad's was in the middle and this baby hopefully will be NOTHING!!!!

We will have another sonogram on January 14th were they will also be able to look more closely at the heart. About 2 weeks after that when I am 20 weeks we will have a fetal echo with our Cardiologist Dr. Brames. At that time they should have a pretty good feeling if this baby will be born with/without a heart defect. It was so nice to go to an appointment and get some good news. We aren't letting ourselves get completely comfortable but it's definitely a good start and something to be thankful for. I dream of the day we can take this little one home straight from the hospital without any surgeries or oxygen tubes!

Prayers have been answered and we have an awesome God! I also have to give praises to St. Jude Thaddeus. I have said his prayer every morning since we found out we were pregnant. He is the Saint for hopeless cases- not that having a baby is hopeless but we prayed for a healthy heart and not having the same situation with this baby. I also believe Emma had a little say in this as well and she knows who to talk to in Heaven!

Here are a few pictures of our little guy! Baby was very active today on the screen- arching his back and kicking his feet! They did a 3D ultrasound and the baby has both hands up by this eyes. It was neat to see the baby in this view.

It is so amazing how human life forms. Our baby already has fingerprints at this stage and is such a true blessing. We are so thankful for your prayers and kind words. We have an amazing family and friends who support us. My coworkers had a little celebration for me today with yummy cupcakes and pretty yellow roses. We are blessed to have you all in our lives! We will definitely keep you posted on our journey.