Ticket to Ride

I'll be leaving tonight for vacation in California with my SIL & BIL and their kids. First, though, we'll be staying at a resort in Palm Springs where I will be shopping, eating good food, and getting my first maternity massage. I can't wait. Admittedly, I'm a little nervous about something happening to Blobby, either from the flight itself or from the stress of travelling. Even though the stories you hear about radiation or lack of oxygen are probably just myths, I still worry. Just in case, my SIL gave me a couple of names of high-risk OBs so I have somewhere to go *just in case*. Also, I got copies of my medical chart to carry with me so if something *God forbid* were to happen, the doctors there would know exactly what was going on.

And just a couple of updates. We met with the genetic counselor at my hospital to discuss amnio. We went into the appointment quite undecided about having the amnio and left leaning more towards not having it. I know I'm of 'advanced maternal age', blah blah blah, but I'm not really sure how we would use the information we learn. I'll go into details at a later time. We have some time to decide for sure, and between now and when I would have to make a decision (around 20 weeks), I will be having another NT scan and an AFP blood test at 16 weeks. Plus, the day of the amnio, I am scheduled for a Level 2 ultrasound which should flag anything that appears to be not quite right.

Also, per my doctor's orders, I have been on a lowered dose of Prometrium for the past 6 days. I was on 200mg twice a day, and now I am on 100mg twice a day. Because I was so nervous about weaning off of the progesterone supplements, I went in for a blood draw yesterday. Thankfully, my p4 rose to over 50, so it seems like my placenta has started kicking in its own supply of progesterone. On Sunday, I will lower my dose once again to 100mg once a day and have my blood checked after I return from my trip. Hopefully, in two weeks, hormone supplements will be a thing of the past.

Lastly, we rented a doppler fetal monitor and I've been having a lot of fun playing around with it. I posted a link way down at the bottom of the page, to download Blobby's heartbeat if you're interested in hearing it. To me, it's the best sound in the world. Listening to it has an immediate calming effect and it has been a great way for me to continue to bond with my baby.