Double Marker Test

Well the results are in. Last night before bed and after checking the email for the 250th time that day, there were our double marker results...

1:949 chance of trisomy 21
1:5172 chance of trisomy 18

We couldn't be happier and our results done on the 24th September show Noddy's gestational age at 9 weeks and four days which means on the Monday the 12th October, the same day that Darren starts his new job we will officially begin our second trimester. We have joined an online parent website & forum, http://www.essentialbaby.com.au/ and we are receiving weekly updates on how Noddy should be progressing and this is it for week 11:

Week 11

Your baby is approximately 44-60mm (1.75-2.4 inches) long and weighs about 8 grams
(0.3 ounces). Rapid growth occurs during this time period. The head is still large, and takes up almost half of the entire length of the body. The eyes are formed, although the eyelids remain closed while they continue to develop. The rest of the face is also formed. Your baby's body has straightened out, and bones and ribs appear. Although your baby can now respond to touch, you won't yet be able to feel it move. Nutrients pass from your body into the placenta and umbilical cord to feed your baby and support his/her rapid growth.

Johnny is in the process of preparing a hamper full of treats and body products to send our wonderful surrogate since we won't be able to visit mid pregnancy although we would love to. We are both saving our holidays for when Noddy arrives so we can have the most amount of time together as a family. With Darren starting a new job soon we are hoping that he will be permitted to have more than just two weeks annual leave in April 2010 (fingers crossed).

Other highlights this week include buying a cot. We have been trying to find something that will suit our French Provencial decorated home and we wanted it to be just right. We ended up finding a beautiful white sleigh cot that converts to a toddler bed too and we saved $650 off the retail price so how can one not be happy!

We will convert our study into Noddy's nursery and our front guest room will become our new study. It is more than twice the size of our current study and means will will still be able to have guets stay over as we're going to buy an ottoman sofa bed to pop in there too. On the list of other things to do before Noddy joins us;




Build cupboards in our upstairs loft which will become our permanent bedroom
Install new floorboards downstairs as the carpet is looking tiiired
Repaint skirting boards downstairs prior to floorboards being installed
Paint Noddy's bedroom

We have six months in which to do the above and other things too tedious to mention here. Thankfully we're coming into our Summer months and daylight saving starts this Sunday and runs for a full six months so we're gonna be OK.

Sympathy Baby Brain & Delusions of Pram Grandeur

We must be suffering from sympathy baby brain or at least that's the angle we're playing at the moment. Johnny had thought we were coming into our nineth week of pregnancy from today (the 21st September) but we are in fact in our tenth week. Or at least I think so.


Dr Sudhir has confirmed that our surrogate will be having her double marker test this Friday the 25th and, typically this is done around the tenth week of gestation. We are both amazed that we are almost at the end of the first trimester. It has almost been three whole months since Noddy was created and we are amazed every day at the wonderful gift of life being offered to us by our surrogate and Drs Sudhir & Yash.


Both Johnny & Darren have been missing India, the Drs at Surrogacy India and the wonderful people we met there two months ago now. I wish we were closer so we could visit them again. Reading other IP's blogs about their first time arriving into Mumbai and travelling around the city is really making us both melancholy. Silly we know but this is how we're feeling. We also want to be back in Mumbai to see our surrogate again; just to see her and say over and over how much what she is doing for us means to all our family. We are all so blessed and amazed at her generosity and selflesness.


Yesterday was the last day of the Sydney Baby Expo and Johnny and his mum decided to go together. Unfortunately Darren had to work but since it was the last day and all we had to go. To date, most of our spare time is spent either online browsing every imaginable baby website and forum deciding on which pram is best, which nappies are best, debating the pros and cons of paccifers vs self soothing, which formula we should be using, bottles we should be using etc etc etc. It is never ending & there is so much information out there. We are now asking ourselves if this is necessarily a good thing? Hmmm?


Combine this with the mountain (and we mean mountain) of baby catalogues, books & magazines taking over our study we are on the way to knowing all there is about how to prepare for a newborn baby....We're sure this will all fly out the window when Noddy actually joins our family & we'll be just as dumbfounded, scared to death & amazed as any other new parent.


Back to the baby expo & in particular, prams. There are so may choices when it comes to prams and strollers out there we are still undecided as to which pram is best for us.


In a moment of baby brain disillusionment, Johnny had dreams of the Silver Cross Kensington or Balmoral baby carriage...see below picture for the jolt back to reality!





One exhibitor at the expo was Silver Cross & I was so excited to finally see their entire range in the flesh after months and months of brochure adoration. One thing on the above carriage is that it is HUGE! HUGE I TELL YOU......HUGE!


Now I should also tell you, dear reader that the above baby carriage weighs in at a hefty 37KG or 81.4LBS, is 125cm high, 59cm wide and 133cm long. It also does not collapse at all and am told first hand by the exhibitor that Silver Cross are yet to find a vehicle big enough to fit this thing into. But, for those of you out there willing to forgo practicality and more than a few thousand dollars, dream a little dream with me


http://www.silvercross.com.au/balmoral_pram.php


For us however, it is a sudden jolt back to reality since all our savings will be spent on surrogacy. We now present you with our pram of choice below!

9 Week Update

We are now into our eighth week of pregnancy and last week received our latest test results from Drs Yash & Sudhir on how our wonderful surrogate is progressing.

We received full blood work results including blood sugar levels, thyroid function tests, glycosylated hemoglobin (had to look this one up on GOOGLE) & full urine test results. ON first reading of these results the non medially trained amongst us will definitely have some questions as we did. The internet and GOOGLE are an invaluable tool is deciphering these tests and answering our questions.

Our surrogate is very healthy and doing well according to Dr Yash. Our next update should be in a couple of weeks time when we will have the 'double marker' test via ultrasound to check if there is a risk of down syndrome. The past two weeks since our 'heartbeat' result have flown by and both Darren and Johnny were amazed at how quickly the first two months of pregnancy have gone by. Our only wish would be that we were closer to India so that we could visit our surrogate and the fantastic people at Surrogacy India. We really miss them & are so looking forward to April 2010 when we will return. One of the great things keeping us going is all the other blogs from people around the world in the same boat as us. We check our emails and blog updates daily waiting for the next update from intending parents the world over. This and the SI online forum which has been a blessing of information & support to us in our early stages of research and planning.

Patience is a virtue we are quickly learning.