needles coming from every direction

Yesterday I had an amniocentesis.

This is kind of a controversial subject, so I'm not going to go too much into the Whys and What Ifs. Despite the fact that French Fry looks terrific in all his ultrasounds, the blood test came back with enough of a risk factor that we decided it was appropriate.

I have so much confidence in my doctor that I'd been pretty relaxed about the whole thing, calling it a glorified gender test, ever since we made the decision, but yesterday morning was hard. It was a mental hurdle to get over, that's for sure. I made sure to practice some deep breathing and I stole the mantra of another amnio patient I found online: "I trust in my doctor, I trust in my body."

The procedure was done in my doctor's office, which also happens to be in a clinic. Stéph was with me the whole time and kept me from wigging out. I couldn't look at the needle - and I have no problem with needles but I knew this one would be huge - and I didn't take a local anesthetic, either (not that one was offered!). I think the the alcohol solution on my tummy was worse the the needle - that stuff burned! When it was over, I burst into tears. I think this was more of an emotional release than anything else.

After that was over, we went upstairs to the maternity ward where I laid down for an hour. I wonder what it says about our bed that I found the hospital bed to be rather comfy? Anyway, we went back downstairs and had another ultrasound. I had a moment of panic when he turned on the heart monitor and we didn't hear anything for about ten seconds, but other than that all seems to be well.

We went home where I stayed in a mostly horizontal position for the rest of the day. This was interrupted by a quick visit to our local nurse because I had to get a shot. Since my blood type is A- and Stéph's isn't, I have to get a shot to protect French Fry in case his blood type isn't the same as mine (which I find totally bizarre but that's the magic of nature). The last time I had to get this shot was after my miscarriage and it was delivered through a vein in my arm. Not this time, oh no! So I got a needle in, erm, both sides of my torso yesterday, if you catch my drift.

I'm still taking an antibiotic and a medication to keep my uterus from contracting, so we're doing everything possible to keep French Fry right where he is. To tell the truth, I had some uncomfortable moments yesterday but that may have been from the unfortunate side effects of taking an antibiotic than anything else.

We also think we may know whether French Fry is a boy or a girl! My doctor felt pretty sure but still advised that we wait for the results of the test, since it is 100% accurate. So, if you haven't placed your "bet" in our baby pool (see left sidebar) yet, you still have about a week to make a guess!

Pictures and stories about Spain are coming soon!