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Week Eleven
Published 04.02.2008 | Permanent Link | Comments (6)
Your Baby:
- Is the size of a small lemon or large lime. With a twist! Yeah, we're done with the bean and nut comparisons and have moved onto fruit. Next stop, small household appliances!
- Is officially a fetus, and is downright human-baby looking with non-webbed fingers and toes, although s/he needs a lot more cooking and fattening up.
- Is moving and kicking and dancing and even hiccuping, although you won't be able to feel the acrobatics for a few more weeks (sometime between weeks 16 and 20).
You:
- Please, it's just all more of the same. The pregnancy books are all yapping about how much better and less sick/exhausted/crabby we should be feeling by now, and I spent a very productive morning hurling several particularly annoying tomes at the wall.
Okay, this week's entry will cover several things that I am in no way qualified to cover. But considering this is the Internet, I'd like to see anyone try and stop me.
We already sort-of covered some of the typical first-trimester tests, or at least the ones tied to your family's genetic history. Now it's time to start thinking about all the other ones. If you're over 35, your doctor may be a little more pushy about genetic testing. Conversely, if you're under 35, your doctor may just assume you're not interested in them. No matter what your age, the tests are entirely optional, so it's obviously best for everybody to educate their own little selves about the available tests and decide which ones (if any) they'd like to pursue.
With Noah, the only test I was offered (and likewise accepted) was the triple-screen or multiple marker test, which is a simple blood test performed between weeks 16 and 18 that screens for neural tube defects, Down syndrome and Trisomy 18. I'm not sure what we would have done if we'd gotten a positive result -- usually further testing like an ultrasound and an amniocentesis is next. Our results were negative, however, and I was able to stick with my plan of only accepting the tests that offered absolutely no risk to the fetus (even though I knew these tests also had higher rates of false positives, bah!).
There are now two tests offered during the first trimester -- the nuchal fold scan (or nuchal translucency screening) and chorionic villus sampling (CVS) -- that check for Down syndrome and other chromosomal abnormalities. CVS is usually suggested for women over 35, while the nuchal fold scan is a newer test that can be performed on women of any age, but isn't quite considered "routine" yet, although it's definitely growing in popularity.
Why? Well, it's simple, non-invasive and painless. And squeeeee it's an ultrasound! Pregnant women love them some ultrasounds. And unlike CVS, which carries a slight miscarriage risk (1-2%), the nuchal scan carries none. It's simply the measurement of the clear space at the fold in the back of your baby's neck. Babies with chromosomal abnormalities tend to have extra fluid in this area during the first trimester, so the ultrasound (sometimes combined with a finger-prick blood test for mama) can actually give you a decent heads up on potential problems.
Of course, they've yet to invent a test that is both "non-invasive" and "totally accurate," so the nuchal scan is NOT a diagnostic tool. But it IS a nice option for anyone on the fence about testing. If the results are suspect, you can move on to CVS, but if everything looks great, you can breathe a nice sigh of relief and skip the rest. The nuchal scan is done between 11 and 14 weeks. (Although the brochure I received from my doctor says 13 weeks, 6 days is the latest it can be performed.)
Chorionic villus sampling examines fetal cells collected from the placenta -- specifically, from these tiny fingerlike spidery things called chorionic villi. Your doctor will use a thin catheter through your cervix or a needle through your abdomen to collect the cells, depending on the position of your placenta. I'm pretty sure it hurts a bit. It's generally done between 10 and 12 weeks, and is considered more than 99% accurate.
Again, these tests are completely optional. I admit I'm mostly going for the nuchal scan because 1) I like ultrasounds, 2) my insurance pays for it, and 3) I suppose, if I am going to have a child with disabilities, I'd like to know as soon as possible so we can prepare ourselves for it. I tentatively believe I'm one of those "I'll have this baby no matter what" people, but I also admit to being rather spoiled and blase about the whole thing, because I don't have any reason to believe my child would even be disabled. I'm only 30, have no family history, my first kid turned out all right, etc. Ah, hubris.
(Trust me on this, though: about 10 minutes before my appointment I will fuh-REAK the eff out over the test and panicpanicpanic because THERE IS SOMETHING WRONG WITH MAH BABY I KNOW IT.)
You might have some mitigating factors that make the whole genetic testing topic more of a minefield for you, and if that's the case, it's best to read as much information about the various tests as you can, and have several talks with your partner about your options and the potential outcomes. We (thankfully) have many, many choices available to us -- and it's funny how I actually value those choices even more after having a baby, because it honestly never occurred to me that those choices are extremely relevant to WANTED pregnancies as well.
Oh Yeah, THIS: I have zits all up in my hairline. I suppose that's significantly better than getting them right on my nose, or something, but MAN, this is annoying.
New This Time Around: (whispers) The puking has stopped. Last time I puked straight through week 14, and still couldn't really eat anything until week 16. I'm still not loving food and food smells, but oh, dear God, I think the puking has stopped.
Pregnancy Video for the Week:Pregnancy Diet-- What types of protein dishes and how much should I consume?
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About this column
Zero to Forty is a week-by-week guide to the miracle of pregnancy and all the various indignities that come with it. New installments will be published on Wednesdays, with other pregnancy-related content and ramblings to be published whenever the columnist can stay awake long enough to type themzzzzzz.
The column is well-researched but not written by a health care professional. Consider it your internet BFF pregnancy guide. See our legal disclaimer below.
About the author
Amy Corbett Storch, aka Amalah, is a freelance writer and professional blogger from Washington, DC. She is currently knocked up with her second child, due in October. Her first child is still currently wearing diapers. Amy is currently wondering what she has gotten herself into now.
Amy also writes Alpha Mom's Advice Smackdown.
About the illustrations
The Zero to Forty masthead and illustrations were created by the artist Brenda Ponnay aka Secret Agent Josephine. Brenda is very talented and these images are copyright-protected. You should hire her!
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This column is only for entertainment purposes and is not written by a health care professional. Any recommendations or information provided herein should not be used as a substitute for advice by a trained professional. For a full statement of our site policies, please click here.
Comments (6):
Wallydraigle said:
I'm at week fourteen and still with the uncontrollable rage. This is wonderful, since I work in a restaurant. It's only a matter of time before I throw hot coffee on an annoying customer (and by annoying, I mean someone who has the nerve to ask me for more coffee). It's bewildering, all this anger. I have, so far, managed to hold it in, but there have been a few close calls; and a few times, I've gone to a more private place and just started throwing things. My poor husband doesn't know what to do. When he came home from work last night, just the sound of his breathing made me cranky.
Posted on April 2, 2008 14:45
Tricia Theis Rogalski said:
Ah hubris, indeed. I was once the same way: only 30, no family history...I did not yet have a first kid, but whatever. That ultrasound was alluring. All I am saying is read up and be prepared everyone. I hope all is ok with your baby(ies) and chances are it will all go fine, but just know those numbers can surprise you. I am now the mother of an almost 16-month-old firecracker who happens to also have Down syndrome. You don't know what you'll do until you're in the situation.
They tried to pressure me into going forth with CVS or Amnio when our NT scan showed some abnormal findings. Since we were of the "keep the baby either way" mindset we opted not to do the invasive tests. But you may need to make a snap decision and you ought to think about what you want while you are rational just in case. If they tell you something like '1 in 8' and use words like 'mortality' and 'defect' chances you're going to be going, "holy heck, what do I do now!"
A lot of info out there is outdated and the best way to know what you would is to spend some time cruising some current info.
Posted on April 2, 2008 15:08
Adele said:
Am loving these updates. I'm a few weeks further on (wk 13) so I try and add a bit to the 'baby is now the size of a lemon/small hamster/princess leia play figure' in a very technical way. Like perhaps imagining a large lemon. Hmm what could 2 weeks add to a lemon? A twist of lime perhaps?
(The illustrations are fabulous too)
Posted on April 3, 2008 16:31
thatgirlkelly said:
I'm 39 so we have opted to do the amnio at week 15. We are of the intellectual mindset that we would terminate if there were genetic issues. I've noticed that this opinion is not the most popular on many forums and often, I think not mentioned for fear of the ire it may cause. It's an intensely difficult thing to contemplate, so heres to a lack of chromosomal deficiencies for all.
Posted on April 4, 2008 12:41
AmyG said:
Amalah - did you recently write about cheese and the fear that it strikes in pregnant women everywhere? I was reading back, trying to reference the cheese section, but cannot find it (could be my pregnancy brain acting up). Can you help me out and direct me? I need to show my husband that I will not die when I want to consume some delicious cheesey goodness. Thank you!
Posted on April 8, 2008 12:15
MissAndera said:
I am still nauseous. I can't eat chicken. Oh God, I can't even TYPE the word without gagging! I am so cranky that my jaw literally aches from clenching it. Also? I am exhausted All. The. Time. Come ooooooon 2nd trimester!!!
Posted on June 27, 2008 14:18