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Hi again! Yes Perl - TENS does sound interesting doesn't it? I'm just a__suming that the electrics don't mix with the water (ouch!! LOL!) but I've no idea what you do then for pain relief (except for the water support of course) I'll try and read more into it. I'm very nervous about Monday and the NT scan so I'm trying to keep myself busy at the moment to stop myself worrying but that is easier said than done. It's been over 2 weeks since my last scan and I've just been feeling too good and that concerns me. Oh well - we'll see. Is there anything I should do to prepare for this scan - empty / fill my bladder, avoid eating beforehand etc. etc.? If you've had one - can you let me know what you were asked to do on the day? Thanks so much. Speak to you soon and I'll update you as soon as I can.

Hi Hopeful, Sorry to crash this thread..But I just wanted to tell you not to worry to much about Monday's NT. Of course easier said than done. I remember being so nervous that I was shaking and I had chattery teeth. But within moments of the scan beginning and the tech taking measurements my little one looked great. Even the sonographer said oh what a healthy little baby she siad see how clear and active the litte one is. This was music to my ears. I remember last time the tech seemed a little alarmed and the pic seemed more fuzzy. This NT I asked her to tell me what the NT was as soon as she was able to read it...because of my past.. I believe mine was 1.4. I knew that was a good reading cause my doctor had told me anything under 3.5 was good...and well anything under 2 in my opinion was amazing. The ultrasound tech told me the reading so non chalantly..asked me if this was my first and that everything looked great..as simple as that. My dh was there with me and we were given several little pics..which I stared at for hours, days, and weeks after the fact. I also had a blood test the day of and they combine the NT with the bloodwork for a ratio, for people in Canada another blood test is done at 18 weeks to check for open neural tube defects..after the 2 bood tests and the NT I was given a final result for any defects or abnormalities. The sonographer will also take the CRL which is the crown rump length to make sure your baby is measuring with the dates you have provided..and well as another standard measurement which I can hardly remember what it was but I know it was standard...I think it was the fundal height or something like that. She also listened to the heartbeat and gave me a reading for that. IT truly turned out to be an exciting day as the NT is immediate, and the pics are great memory for taking home. I wish you all the best with your NT. Think positively..it's alright to be scared but your little one is going to be just great!! You will be in my thoughts Hopeful. XO Kristin

Oh P.S. you do need a full bladder for the ultrasound I think the idea is 6 gla__ses of water to be finished one hour before the scan..this is the worst part of the whole thing..agony of trying to hold it..I usually have about 3-4 before I leave the house than I continue on my way there and finish just befor checking in with secretary...Sometimes they will let you empty a bit of your bladder if you really have to go. ALL THE BEST HOPEFUL!!!!!

HOPEFUL: I remember how anxiously I was counting down the days to my NT scan. But once I got there I felt so much better because having knowledge whether good or bad always makes me feel more at ease. One of my biggest fears has always been the unknown. Just go in with the att_tude that you'll walk away from your NT scan a lot wiser and visualize that everything will be alright!! For my NT scan I did NOT need to have a full bladder. I even called them the morning of to ask if they wanted me to drink water and they said no. If they did not tell you to fill your bladder you probably don't need to but if you can, it wouldn't hurt to call at least 2 or 3 hours before your appointment to be sure. Let me know what you find out about TENS. I'm curious since they didn't really emphasize it in any of my cla__ses. I bought a battery operated ma__sager yesterday to bring along to use during labor since we aren't allowed to use any electrical outlets at the hospital. ****TRYING: Sorry I misunderstood your previous reply about c-section. Scoliosis on the lower spine----I can see how it might be difficult to get that epidural in. It great that your back didn't bother you more during the pregnancy! My spinal curve is much higher so I guess I should not be concerned but I'll still mention it. Good idea on the pads. I bought some recently thinking I'd take them to the hospital because I don't like using those huge bulky ones that bunch up. I didn't think to stock up that many for afterwards. I know we're all different but would you say I need about 3 or 4 pads per day for afterwards like when I'm on my period or is the flow of blood much heavier than that? ****SANN: you're in the 2nd trimester now right? Congratulations!! Are you still feeling those little b___terfly feelings? I remember vividly when I felt my first baby movement (b___terfly) on Father's Day at 5:30 am. Such a good feeling!! Now my little b___terfly feels like a couple of baseb___s that I can see and feel rolling around right under my belly skin. I feel like my belly is the pinball machine and the baby is the pinball bouncing side to side. : )

Oooh - baby movements - how fun!! :-) I am lost on the NT test - what is that measuring? "Flo" was pretty heavy for me during the first few weeks, wore night-time pads...but had bought a couple of different kinds so some were less bulky , so switched to those later. Now on regular pads, light (tmi) discharge, kind of orangish...sometimes clots still show when I go to the bathroom (almost 5 wks now).

Hello Kristin and Perl! Thank you so much for your advice and rea__surance about the NT scan. To be honest - I'm not so worried about the results but more worried that our bean isn't progressing as it should and that it is a repeat of last time. You'll remember I had a missed miscarriage before and that time had no idea until a check up that something was wrong (well actually, I think I did have a "feeling" that something wasn't right - which I don't have this time thankfully - but as I had no previous pregnancy to go by I just tried to push that negativity to the back of my mind. It's all to do with the fact that I'm feeling so much "better" in the last few weeks and that worries me but I do keep telling myself that I'm only a week away from the 2nd trimester so maybe that's why my symptoms are less. It's all silly I know and I can't control it anyway so there's no point in worrying - trouble is I can't seem to help it. Sorry to be such a pain in the backside. Thanks so much for listening and giving advice - I'll try not to be so silly!! (LOL!!!) Re. the full bladder thing - they haven't told me to fill my bladder so I'll a__sume that I shouldn't I think - I can soon fill it when I get there if necessary. I think it may be because they prefer to do internal ultrasounds here (empty bladder) rather than external (full bladder) but I might be wrong. Anyway, thank you so much for your detailed descriptions of your experiences which have been a GREAT help. Think of me on Monday and I'll update you as soon as I can afterwards. Thanks again. Big Hugs and Belly Rubs to all.

Hopeful: I know you think it's silly but most women even the positive thinking ones who have miscarried can't help but have those "what if something is wrong" thoughts. Worrying is normal as long as we don't dwell on it which I know you won't do. Please let us know how it goes today with the NT scan! I'm thinking of you and hope that all goes perfectly well.

Hi ladies ... I just want to say a quick hello and check in to see how's everyone is doing : ) Tryingx3 : Yes! Baby movements ... they feeling so "exciting" Perl : Just 4 more weeks to go : ) Yes! Yes! Yes! It's 2nd trimester for me ... but I like Hopeful ... I'm worried too (about amnio my ob/gynae feels I should skip NT and go straight to amnio which is on the 3rd Nov now ... she moved my appointment forward) Hopeful ... How's are you? Take care everyone TTYL

Hi there! Just to let you know that my NT scan went well (EXTREMELY LONG update on the May, June and some TTC-ers thread!). I haven't got all the results back yet so still have to wait for them but so far so good. Thank you again for all your support, rea__surance and friendship during this time. You're all great! Perl - I'm so excited for you - less than a month to go. Is your EDD still 22nd? That's my birthday so I'd love that as a birthday present!! Anyway - must go. TTYL!

HOPEFUL: Congratulations on a great NT scan, great measurements and good odds for the trisomies too! Too bad the 3D thing didn't work out though. I didn't get that option but it would have been nice. Important thing is that you got to see your little one and that all the measurements seem to be wonderfully perfect. Isn't it such a relief?! I'm sending positive thoughts for teh blood results--I'll bet that will all be perfect too!! Oh and yes, my EDD is between Nov 17 and Nov 22. I hope he comes just a little sooner though. ***SANN: Did your Dr. give you a reason why he thinks that you should skip the NT scan and go straight to the amnio? I would not try to convince you to do otherwise but I'm just curious. I know the amnio while more invasive has much more certainty too. ***TRYINGX3: any updates on you and baby Katie? Did you get help at home after you brought baby Kate home? I'm debating whether my mom should come stay with us. She used to be a nurse and is good at nurturing and taking care of people but she can also be very opinionated and overbearing so it might be difficult as far as bonding goes between me, dh and the baby. Also, she won't come unless my 25 year brother can come too but he can't help out since my mom takes care of his special needs too and it seems like too many people to me. I already told her they should come visit and stay a couple of months after baby is born but I'm wondering if I'll need her help right after I come home from the hospital.

We told everyone we wanted to do things on our own - unless I ended up with c-section. We got home at 8:30 at night and didn't get her to bed until 5:00 a.m the next morning. By that afternoon, we elected for my mother-in-law to come and visit so we could take a nap. The next day she came for a few hours so we could nap, then my mom came the 3rd day and ended up spending the night because the weather got bad. Both mothers felt like they should be "doing more" while they were here...but my house was clean and people from church brought us meals. My mom even had time to take a nap one day when we went for lactation consultatation. With b___stfeeding, Mom has a LOT of work to do that no one else can help with! ha ha

New baby tip - buy a 15 or 25 watt light bulb for your changing area. I had bought the bulb but had not put it in - we were changing out light bulbs the night we got home. Turns out she stayed up all night and probably would have slept with the lights on - like at the hospital! ha ha HOWEVER, it is very helpful now as I don't want to wake her completely up during the night to feed or change, etc... Make sure you thermometer (rectal or under arm, as ear is too big early)...as new parents we freaked out something was wrong when she cried and cried and cried from upset stomach the first time - so we were hunting for our thermometers. :-) I also REALLY liked the special large sized q-tips for cleaning around her belly b___ton - not sure where to find them as I can't seem to find them right now. Someone gave me the ones I started with.

Hello Perl, Sann and tryingx3! Thanks again for your support and congratulations about my NT scan. Still waiting for the blood tests but I'm pretty confident. Next step is to talk to my OB/GYN next week about whether it's necessary to do the amnio - I hope not as I don't need the stress when I'm feeling quite relaxed at the moment. We'll see - anyway, must go - been at the computer all morning and still got nothing done!! TTYL!

Perl - we are all getting so excited for you!! Did I mention this is EXHAUSTING and WONDERFUL?? Still not sleeping good at night - glad I am not going back to work after 6wks! Was cleared yesterday to exercise and "get back to my wifely duties"...ha ha My lo is lying beside me right now...sleeping, but her little mouth is working telling me she is thinking about waking up for "lunch". :-) I have taken all her blankets off hoping she would wake up soon - don't want her partying tonight!

Hi ladies, I just read my last post where I wished my baby would come a little sooner than my Nov 17-22 EDD. Well, he's going to be taken out by c-section on Nov 16! This is not the way I meant of course but I will be seeing my little guy a little bit early. I'm not looking forward to a c section. I'm really worried that I'll be in pain under under the influence of painkillers that I won't get the full effect of just enjoying loving my baby the first week or weeks after we bring him back home. But I will fight my darndest to ignore any pain and focus on my baby. Maybe I'll have to call on mom and brother to come stay with me sooner than I expected(?). : ( But c-section is what has to be done because first & most importantly because he is in breech position. Second, because my doctor says that an external cephalic version (ECV) would be very dangerous because my placenta is up front and third, because even if she did get the baby to turn I might end up with a c-section anyway because baby's head is already big and he might get stuck (cervix dilates to 10 cm and head is already 11 cm front to back/9.5 cm side to side and my pelvis is narrow so who knows if he'd even make it through. This is the least dangerous route for the baby so it needs to be done this way. : ( ****TRYING: Thanks for the mommy tips. Keep them coming!! I bought a night light for the nursery but didn't think that it's too far away from the crib so I'll either move it closer or change the bulb in the lamp. Trying, I can't decide if I should get a co-sleeper, a ba__sinet or a "travel crib/playyard" for the baby to sleep in my bedroom next to my side of the bed. What are your thoughts/suggestions?

Hello Perl! Well at least you don't have to be concerned about not knowing when you have to go to hospital!!! Try not to worry too much about the procedure and I'm sure you'll find the strength to enjoy your baby no matter what. I'm so excited for you! By the way - here's some good news.......I got my blood test results back and my risk for Trisomy 21 is approx. 1:3700 and for Tris 13/18 approx 1:7100. Isn't that fantastic!!? I feel very confident which is great and am thinking not to go for the amnio. However, we're not ruling anything out until I go to the doctor next week (now going Monday instead of Tuesday) and chat with her about my options. tryingx3 - I'm so glad you don't have to go to work. It sounds like you're having a wonderful time with Katie (even if it's exhausting) and nothing should change that. Sann - hope you're still well. See you on the Part 5 thread!!