Fantastic!

Just wanted to check in and document that everything has been fantastic! Absolutely no shakes in the morning, big or small, no seizure activity in the slightest! I feel like a normal person.

My pregnancy is healthy, we are refusing ultrasounds, which got the hospital all in a tizzy. There's no medical indication, the AMA agrees that this should be a diagnostic tool because we don't have a lot of data on it (past knowing that repeated US can cause behavioral problems in humans and retardation in mice) and really the only benefit is to satisfy curiosity. Is it a boy or girl? Could he/she have Down's? Is there a heart defect? Are the long bones growing just fine? Just leave it alone, guys.

When my sister had her US she heard "Look at the size of that head!" and "Looks like he may have a clubbed foot, so we can schedule you a consult with an orthopedic surgeon" (his foot was fine & his head looks no different than the typical baby's cranium). Or when one of my great friends' mom went in for her US and was told that she would have to try to abort one twin because of some complication - they are both fine. RIDICULOUS.

US heats tissue and the brain is surrounded by a plate of bone just ready to be heated up - this is is how it can cause harm. One ultrasound it likely similar to the risk of having one x-ray when you're pregnant (which they used to do & yes, I realize that one has radiation & one has 12MHz sound waves). It may not cause damage - I suspect it would depend on your timing. Are you blasting the 8 week old fetus with super high intensity sound waves as crucial neuronal networks are delicately reaching out to find their synapses? And how the hell would you know?

It's disturbing.

We did listen to the fetal heart tones using a 2.5MHz Doppler for about 60 seconds of exposure because I wanted to know. Later, I felt like I should have stopped the minute the baby kicked the Doppler (which was instantly) because all I really wanted to know if that he/she was alive. I felt a flutter 3 weeks ago and nothing since. That was my mistake though - I didn't really need to listen to his/her heart at 18 weeks. I could wait a few months and the doc could listen with a fetoscope, which relies on clinical skill rather than new technology.

I'm growing right on target in weight and fundal height. All is well with my brain & I'm taking a lot of supplements for the baby's brain too.