yesterday hannah and i took part in a research study, and i am so ridiculously excited about this, i cannot even tell you. we signed up a couple months ago at one of the universities near us and i had been anxiously waiting for them to contact us to participate. i firmly believe in actively participating in research when i can, and the brain (and our bodies) is one of those things that juust absolutely fascinates me. when i was a baby, my mother and i participated in a study about infant massage, so i guess it's just in my genes.
brian was very concerned that i would be subjecting hannah to needles or strange drugs and things like that. i reassured him that i would never allow anything like that to happen to her, and that ethically, researchers can't do things like that to babies because they cannot give informed consent. (i think. right?)
we actually participated in two studies yesterday. the first study was testing her short-term memory. she sat on my lap in front of two computer screens with different colored dots on them. on one screen the dots were stationary, and the other the dots were moving around. in theory, she would look at both screens to see the dots, and then if she had stored them in her short-term memory, she would look at the screen with the moving dots longer because it is more interesting than the stationary dots (which were already in her memory).
the second study tested her ability to categorize objects. we sat in front of a television screen and she was shown lots of pictures of cats. big cats, little cats, fluffy cats, orange cats, white cats, you name it. this was to help her make the category "cats." then she was shown a picture of a cat and a dog. in theory, if she had made the category "cats" and was able to differentiate between cats and dogs, then she would look at the picture of the dog longer, because it was new and interesting.
they did tell me that she looked at the moving dots longer. (well, OF COURSE SHE DID. she's a genius. what else would you expect?) they did not tell me what she did on the cats and dogs test and i forgot to ask, which is really a bummer because she is currently going through the developmental stage where she realizes that things are different and the same and begins to categorize objects.
brian was very relieved when i told him how everything went and what she did at the center. we were also kindly given an age-appropriate toy for our trouble, which made it all worthwhile to him. silly man!
we are still on their list, if they need more volunteers for future studies. i really hope they do, because we had a lot of fun doing this, and it is neat to know that hannah (and me, indirectly) contributed to our understanding of how the mind develops and works. if you have a research university close to you and a young baby, i encourage you to participate in any studies they may have as well!
Showing posts with label tests. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tests. Show all posts
Friday, January 22, 2010
Friday, April 10, 2009
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
i wore a dress, and did my makeup, and even shaved my legs
we are now at the point where i go to the doctor once a week until kiddo comes. this morning i had to have a swab taken to test for group b strep which is a bacteria 40% of women carry in their digestive or reproductive systems. it's harmless to me but can be harmful to kiddo if she gets it during birth. the test is vastly quicker than your usual pelvic exam/pap smear but DON'T BE FOOLED LADIES, this is not as comfortable. good God. could we use anything more uncomfortable and less lubricated than a cotton swab? how about two swabs and no speculum? i mean, i'm sure it's nothing compared to what i'll go through in labor, but still.
kiddo is still happy and healthy as far as anyone can tell, nice strong heartbeat. she is also head-down, which i hear is GREAT for birthing babies. i had kind of figured she was already head-down because when she gets the hiccups i can feel it down by my left hip. apparently doc could feel the top of her head when she did the exam (and apparently i'm not dilated at all either, which is a good thing). i had no idea. i called brian and told him that he could probably feel the head also and did he want to try when he got home from work tonight? thankfully he declined because that would be too weird.
and yes, i even managed to shave my legs. which tells you how weird pregnancy is: i shaved my legs for my doctor, but i don't bother for my husband.
we are at: 35 weeks 1 day.
kiddo is still happy and healthy as far as anyone can tell, nice strong heartbeat. she is also head-down, which i hear is GREAT for birthing babies. i had kind of figured she was already head-down because when she gets the hiccups i can feel it down by my left hip. apparently doc could feel the top of her head when she did the exam (and apparently i'm not dilated at all either, which is a good thing). i had no idea. i called brian and told him that he could probably feel the head also and did he want to try when he got home from work tonight? thankfully he declined because that would be too weird.
and yes, i even managed to shave my legs. which tells you how weird pregnancy is: i shaved my legs for my doctor, but i don't bother for my husband.
we are at: 35 weeks 1 day.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
sugar, oh honey honey
i have had more blood drawn for this kiddo than i ever had in my entire life. i've had more tests done than i ever had in my entire life. case in point: last night i went to the lab to have my blood glucose test done, to check for gestational diabetes. i presume my medical group recommends the test for all expectant mothers (some doctors recommend it based on risk factors) though i do meet one of the criteria for an increased risk of gestational diabetes being that i am over 25.
it was an easy test, i just drank a cup and half of this orange flavored sugar water. i was expecting it to be awful, like drinking syrup, but it was actually not so bad. not that i'd want it every day, but it wasn't horrendous. it was a little carbonated so it was basically like orange soda except not so soda-y. then i had to sit for an hour which was the most annoying part, because i wanted to run out to the grocery store but the lab tech said NO ACTIVITY. it's not like i was going to go run a marathon but good thing i brought my book.
my dad insisted to me that it would be a simple finger prick but oh no, it was a full-on blood draw. they actually took two vials of blood and did a cbc test as well, i assume to make sure i'm not becoming anemic? it was the same test i had done back in september when i was newly pregnant, to make sure i have enough white blood cells and red blood cells and hemoglobin and stuff. and i actually already have the results of both tests which is the nice thing about my medical group, they get stuff done quick. all the bloodwork seems fine (within normal ranges) and my blood glucose level was 134 mg/dL. an "abnormal" result would be over 140 mc/dL, at which point they would do further testing for gestational diabetes.
results will be discussed at our next appointment (in about a week and a half) and i have a feeling there will be no cause for concern. after all, i'm normal... i just don't like being on the high (or low) end of normal. probably just the recommendation to eat a bit more carefully - more complex carbohydrates, less juice - and exercise more. so, we'll see.
we are at: 27 weeks 3 days.
it was an easy test, i just drank a cup and half of this orange flavored sugar water. i was expecting it to be awful, like drinking syrup, but it was actually not so bad. not that i'd want it every day, but it wasn't horrendous. it was a little carbonated so it was basically like orange soda except not so soda-y. then i had to sit for an hour which was the most annoying part, because i wanted to run out to the grocery store but the lab tech said NO ACTIVITY. it's not like i was going to go run a marathon but good thing i brought my book.
my dad insisted to me that it would be a simple finger prick but oh no, it was a full-on blood draw. they actually took two vials of blood and did a cbc test as well, i assume to make sure i'm not becoming anemic? it was the same test i had done back in september when i was newly pregnant, to make sure i have enough white blood cells and red blood cells and hemoglobin and stuff. and i actually already have the results of both tests which is the nice thing about my medical group, they get stuff done quick. all the bloodwork seems fine (within normal ranges) and my blood glucose level was 134 mg/dL. an "abnormal" result would be over 140 mc/dL, at which point they would do further testing for gestational diabetes.
results will be discussed at our next appointment (in about a week and a half) and i have a feeling there will be no cause for concern. after all, i'm normal... i just don't like being on the high (or low) end of normal. probably just the recommendation to eat a bit more carefully - more complex carbohydrates, less juice - and exercise more. so, we'll see.
we are at: 27 weeks 3 days.
Saturday, January 10, 2009
confirmed: i am female.
finally found out the results of the chromosome test: 46XX, which means i have 46 chromosomes (23 pairs) and the two sex chromosomes are both X, which means i'm a girl. because i might not have figured that out from the boobs and the pregnant belly and the girl parts. ahh, the wonders of modern science.
the test showed no signs of a translocation, which is nice to know. so any issues kiddo may have won't be coming from my genes.
we are at: 22 weeks 5 days.
the test showed no signs of a translocation, which is nice to know. so any issues kiddo may have won't be coming from my genes.
we are at: 22 weeks 5 days.
Friday, December 12, 2008
when being negative is a good thing
we got the results of my x-afp screening last night and i have never been so relieved, and so thankful for nothing! deep down i did not actually think there was a problem (all the ultrasounds have seemed to show normal development) but at the very least, the afp test often has a very high rate of false positive, often as high as 4/50 women tested.
according to the postcard from the lab, our baby has a 1/150 chance of having down syndrome, a 1/100 chance of having trisomy 18, and an even lesser chance of having anything else that they test for, like smith-lemli-opitz syndrome, neural tube defects, or abdominal wall defects. so i suppose there is still a chance - we could be that one in 100 - but the risk is so small that the doctor is not worried about anything.
no news on the chromosome test yet. i imagine we'll hear about that next week sometime.
yay!
we are at: 18 weeks 4 days.
according to the postcard from the lab, our baby has a 1/150 chance of having down syndrome, a 1/100 chance of having trisomy 18, and an even lesser chance of having anything else that they test for, like smith-lemli-opitz syndrome, neural tube defects, or abdominal wall defects. so i suppose there is still a chance - we could be that one in 100 - but the risk is so small that the doctor is not worried about anything.
no news on the chromosome test yet. i imagine we'll hear about that next week sometime.
yay!
we are at: 18 weeks 4 days.
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
stuck again
last night i went in to the lab to get more blood drawn. i should point out here that i detest needles and can't even look at a syringe without cringing. this time it was for my x-afp test, which tests for four proteins (including alpha-fetoprotein) produced by the baby and carried in mom's bloodstream. abnormal levels of these proteins can indicate chromosomal defects such as down syndrome and trisomy 18 as well as non-hereditary defects like neural tube defects. we are not as concerned about genetic defects because both brian and i have pretty good genes, but non-hereditary - random - defects do concern me, especially since a friend recently lost her baby to anencephaly and i saw how heartbreaking that was and continues to be for her and her husband.
a second vial was also drawn for a chromosome test on me. again, brian and i are not terribly concerned, but we figure the more information we have at our fingertips, the better. the test is going to look for chromosome translocation in me and could be a remote possibility (and an even more remote chance of a birth defect) because of my mother's history of miscarriage (she had four before me); my father's direct, severe, and repeated exposure to agent orange during his tour in vietnam in 1968-69; and his brother's (my uncle's) mental retardation. if there is a translocation, likely it is balanced since i have no problems, but it could cause problems for a baby. again, the likelihood of a problem is minute, but i figured it's no more hassle for the lab to draw an extra vial and run an extra test and we get more information this way. also, it's not something we would need to do with subsequent babies, since it's not like my chromosomes are going to change.
this whole pregnancy has certainly been a learning experience for me. we'll have the results from the tests back in about 2-3 weeks.
we are at: 17 weeks 1 day.
a second vial was also drawn for a chromosome test on me. again, brian and i are not terribly concerned, but we figure the more information we have at our fingertips, the better. the test is going to look for chromosome translocation in me and could be a remote possibility (and an even more remote chance of a birth defect) because of my mother's history of miscarriage (she had four before me); my father's direct, severe, and repeated exposure to agent orange during his tour in vietnam in 1968-69; and his brother's (my uncle's) mental retardation. if there is a translocation, likely it is balanced since i have no problems, but it could cause problems for a baby. again, the likelihood of a problem is minute, but i figured it's no more hassle for the lab to draw an extra vial and run an extra test and we get more information this way. also, it's not something we would need to do with subsequent babies, since it's not like my chromosomes are going to change.
this whole pregnancy has certainly been a learning experience for me. we'll have the results from the tests back in about 2-3 weeks.
we are at: 17 weeks 1 day.
Saturday, September 27, 2008
completely normal though the husband disagrees
everything in those tests came back completely normal. and man do they test for a lot! i now know that i have enough red blood cells, white blood cells, hemoglobin, and platelets. i'm not anemic and i don't have hiv or syphilis or gonorrhea or cervical cancer. i'm immune to measles/rubella (see, vaccines work!), i don't have a uti, and i'm a+ blood type. hooray for average!
Thursday, September 25, 2008
first glimpse
we had our first prenatal exam today, and the nurse did a full physical on me. i am not sure brian was prepared for this. i tried to prep him beforehand of what they would do (the pelvic exam, pap, et cetera), but he still looked uncomfortable and a little stunned when the stirrups came out. poor guy. i feel for him (i mean, he's never had a pelvic exam, so how would he know what to expect?), but really, he has to toughen up if we're going to get through the whole labor-and-delivery thing.
along with the exams and my complete medical history (including when i had my last alcoholic drink - how should i know that date?), the nurse also did an ultrasound to determine fetal age. we thought i was 8 weeks 2 days along, but apparently it's only been 7 weeks 3 days, give or take two days. which puts conception right around august 11, which is what i've been thinking all along. which also pushes my due date back one week to may 11.
she also sent me down to the lab to have a bunch of bloodwork done. they took five vials of blood. five vials. what the heck do they need with five vials? sheesh. i wanted to ask the tech if she would like my credit card also? or fries with that? five vials.
we also got to see our baby's heartbeat, which brian said looked like tiny clapping hands. that has got to be the absolute most amazing, beautiful thing i have ever seen in my life. it's only about 1/2 inch long, about the size of a blueberry, and yet it has a beating heart that we could see. we both agreed that we could have stayed and just watched that little heartbeat all day.
brian is insanely concerned that i will miscarry. everything he's read says that the seventh, eleventh, and twelfth weeks are the most dangerous for miscarriage. here we are right in the seventh week, so he's a wreck that i'm up and walking around. he completely nixed me painting the wall in the living room also, which is annoying.
along with the exams and my complete medical history (including when i had my last alcoholic drink - how should i know that date?), the nurse also did an ultrasound to determine fetal age. we thought i was 8 weeks 2 days along, but apparently it's only been 7 weeks 3 days, give or take two days. which puts conception right around august 11, which is what i've been thinking all along. which also pushes my due date back one week to may 11.
she also sent me down to the lab to have a bunch of bloodwork done. they took five vials of blood. five vials. what the heck do they need with five vials? sheesh. i wanted to ask the tech if she would like my credit card also? or fries with that? five vials.
we also got to see our baby's heartbeat, which brian said looked like tiny clapping hands. that has got to be the absolute most amazing, beautiful thing i have ever seen in my life. it's only about 1/2 inch long, about the size of a blueberry, and yet it has a beating heart that we could see. we both agreed that we could have stayed and just watched that little heartbeat all day.
brian is insanely concerned that i will miscarry. everything he's read says that the seventh, eleventh, and twelfth weeks are the most dangerous for miscarriage. here we are right in the seventh week, so he's a wreck that i'm up and walking around. he completely nixed me painting the wall in the living room also, which is annoying.
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