LesFirst Appointment: Off to the Midwife

It's a big day- midwife visit #1!  Tommie has been getting some short reprieves from her nausea and exhaustion, and was able to participate in her bowling league last night (stereotypically lesbian, I know).  We reported the pregnancy to California Cryobank and will soon receive a "packet" with all of our donor's information, including his photos and everything else.  There are things that you should know about the donor you are choosing, each of which carries its own importance during pregnancy.  Here's what we do know about him, all of which will be important when we arrive at our appointment today.

1. He is blood type A-.  Since Tommie is 0+, we apparently should not have to worry too much about any sort of problem with conflicting Rh factors.  Whew.

2. He is 6'1" and 190lbs, which could account for Blanket's abnormally large size.  Blanket is measuring days ahead of schedule.  Some of the other folks who have used this donor have shared informatioin that their babies were quite sturdy when they were born.  I don't mind having a rough and tumble little one.  There's always yard work to do!  We didn't realize it when we purchased his units, but he is a LARGE man. Tommie is 5'7" with tall genes; her sister is approximately 6' tall!

OPTION 1?


OPTION 2?


I have a suspicion that we are dealing with Option 2, as the donor described himself as someone who can "walk and chew gum at the same time," but he otherwise has no coordination and no interest in fitness.  He is a smart fellow with a knack for computer programming.

3. He has no Jewish ancestry and neither does Tommie.  I do, and I had no idea that it would have meant a heck of a lot more genetic screening.

4. He is CMV negative and so is Tommie.  We erred on a negative CMV antibody test because, at the time, we didn't know Tommie's status.  Here's why we wanted to proceed with caution with the CMV test (article).

5. He listed "NONE" for his religion!  Hallelejah for us (this has nothing to do with the midwife's visit)!!

6. He has been tested for a number of genetic diseases by California Cryobank.  They regularly screen their donors for Cystic Fibrosis, hemoglobin diseases (Sickle cell, alpha and beta thalassemia), chormosomal normality, and spinal muscular atrophy.  I am hoping we can proceed with all of the other necessary genetic tests today or next week.

Tommie is doing well.  The bleeding has subsided.  Now, she gets some cramping, but her belly is growing and we are half a week away from week 12.  If we can just get a clean report on the genetic screening, we will be resting a lot easier.  I am sure it's a crazy time for all pregnant couples.  There are some good and uplifting articles about the correlation of frozen embryo transfer to the health of a baby.  They look positive!