quick update . . .

According to the doctor, all is "perfect"! She's measuring right at 26 weeks, heart rate at 150, and moving away! I had to take a yucky glucose test to test for gestational diabetes that requires you to drink a flat orange soda sugary drink, but other than that, it was very pleasant. I was right on about the 5 lbs. gained. I'm now up to 14 lbs. gained, which she also said was "perfect."

She reconfirmed that I'm at a high risk for pre-term labor becasue of my thyroid disease, so from 32 weeks on we will have to go every week for a non-stress test at the hospital. Besides being a nusance to travel back and forth, it's kind of nice to be monitored that closely. It's just a fetal monitor strapped to my belly to check for contractions and the baby's heartrate.

And we decided we're going to donate the cord blood to research instead of bank it, which is outrageously expensive and will only be able to POSSIBLY help her siblings if they become ill, not her. I'd rather give the stem cells to research where they will be used to find new medications and cures for diseases that impact a larger population of people. The doctor was helpful in giving me the name of a place that handles it with the hospital, so all it will require of me is a few vials of blood when I deliver and the cord once it's cut. The company comes and picks it all up. I'll never be smart enough to be a doctor or a scientist, so I feel like this is the one thing I can contribute to make the world a better place.

All for now!