To test or not to test...

Something we struggled with very much was whether or not to test for birth defects. This is called AFP testing or Alpha-fetoprotein testing. This test also tests for hCG or human chorionic gonadotropin, which is a hormone produced within the placenta and estriol - an estrogen produced by both the fetus and the placenta. High or low counts of these items in your blood, may mean that your baby has specific birth defects such as down syndrome or chromosome abnormalities.

One reason we didn't know if we wanted to do these tests is because there is a high percentage of false positives, which would lead to more testing, and in many cases, it would put your pregnancy in the "high risk" category. Not to mention a positive test result would completely flip us out. I decided to go ahead with only the blood test, since there is no risk to me or the baby.

Less than 24 hours after testing, I received the phone call that the baby tested negative for the birth defects and abnormalities that were tested. For the most part, I've been pretty laid back about being pregnant/worried... but that was a little more weight of worry off my shoulders.

There isn't much activity (baby wise) in the next couple of weeks, but we ARE going on vacation - a "babymoon" of sorts in Charleston and Folly Beach. We'll post pictures again after that and a few days later we will hopefully know if the Gummy Bear is a baby girl or boy!

Below: We recorded the heartbeat (you can attempt to listen) However, if you don't know what you're listening to - it just sounds like a bunch of air moving around. The heartbeat doesn't start until about 20 seconds in...it is 157 bpm. Any gender speculations?