Amniocentesis

Unfortunately, my experience of the Amniocentesis procedure was comprised of sitting in the waiting room reading a Call Detail Record layout for a Siemens 4000 and having a 15 minute phone call with a colleague from work. Not that I didn't want to be with Aylin and witness everything but I was asked to stay behind. Maybe it was for the best. I didn't want to be a distraction with my nervousness or unconsciousness which ever came first.

Aylin's letter to our family after the procedure tells all, perfectly. So, without further delay, heeeere's Aylin:


"Dear Family,

The Amnio Test went fine. I am resting now. The doctor recommended I get off my feet and be a couch potato.

It was truly wonderful to see what goes on inside like a reality TV program, and watching the development of our baby on a big flat screen TV getting little hints of its character.

The procedure started normally. The baby was calm while the ultrasound lady (Geene) was trying to scope the area to insert the syringe and extract the amniotic fluid. As a matter fact Geene was prodding the baby to move in order to get some profile pictures that could help determine the sex but the baby paid no attention. That is until the time the area to extract the fluid was determined and the doctor inserted the syringe.

Just then the baby turned 180 degrees, stretching its arms, like Superman flying in the amniotic fluid, reached for the syringe. The doctor, surprised by the sudden movement that he says he doesn't see too often, pulled the syringe out. We had to wait for the baby to calm down to try a second time. A new area was determined for the fluid extraction. This time, using the ultrasound device, Geene tried to block the baby away from the entry point. A second insertion and this time success.

It was only a few seconds to extract the amniotic fluid, which the doctor found very clean. But to keep the baby calm and in control during the process... Wow, two needle punctures, a few tears, a lot of excitement, and 30 minutes.

Who do you think the baby takes after?

Love
Aylin, Kopuz, and "hyper-mini".

PS: Attached ultrasounds are pics of the baby resting calmly after the ultrasound.

Worries, anxieties, insomnia, and relief.

I couldn't sleep well at all on Sunday night. I forced myself into the bed about 2 am and just tossed and turned in cold sweat until the morning. My insomnia wasn't from stress of work, or financial issues, or what car our child will drive to the prom. I was worried about the next day, Monday, August 13th 2007.

August 13th is the anniversary date of the accident that put me through many surgeries, many months of home care and physical therapy. It was a year ago, sometime around 1 pm, that I was returning back from an unsuccessful attempt to find an open barbershop on a hot Florida Sunday when I realized that I was no longer on my motorcycle but rather laying on my back on the even hotter Florida asphalt. I, in disbelief of what just happened, was thinking that I could get up and go home as I felt no pain but when the medic started to cut my jeans I knew I wasn't going home that day. Since that moment on, I had been looking forward to August 13th, 2007 as the day I would be free of hospital beds, nurses, bedside commodes, wheelchairs and walkers; a day when I can shower, without assistance, and go up and down the stairs, without pain. But, still, this wasn't the reason I couldn't sleep.

The real reason for my restless night was the fact that Monday, August 13th 2007 was the day Dr. Galen Jones scheduled Aylin for an Amniocentesis procedure. Amniocentesis is a medical procedure used for prenatal diagnosis in which a small amount of amniotic fluid is extracted from the amnion. Let me explain this. It is a pretty barbaric invasion of the fetus' domain where a large, unfriendly syringe is forced through the mother's abdominal wall to obtain a small amount of amniotic fluid which contains fetal cells -- traces of the skin and other cells that have sloughed off the fetus during its growth. By analyzing these fetal cells the genetic health and sex of the baby can be determined.

So there I was on Sunday night, thinking about Aylin who is going to have a large metal object inserted into her abdomen to suck the juice that our child relies upon for survival. All night I was thinking how we ever volunteered for this? Oh, yeah, we've been informed that it is almost mandatory for couples over 35 to test for any genetic abnormalities, or diseases. Here comes a panic attack. Oh! the possibilities. What if our child has??? What if some complications occur??? Oh no, I can't even think it. I have to put a stop to this before the synapses in my brain complete their task and formulate the thought. "Margaret Thatcher naked on a cold day....Margaret Thatcher naked on a cold day....Margaret Thatcher...."



And, that is how I spent most of the time between 2 am and 8:30 am on Monday, August 13th 2007. Awake, tossing and turning, imagining a shriveled, naked, ex-prime minister of England on a cold November London rain.

Boy or a Girl?

Lately, I have noticed that conversations about Fethi the Fetus started to center noticeably around the sex of the baby, usually following a three-question pattern.

First question: "Do you know the sex of the baby?"
Answer: No we don't.

Second question: "Do you want to know the sex of the baby?"
Answer: Yes, we are going to find out at the earliest opportunity.

Third question: "Do you want a boy or a girl?"
Answer: Don't care. Just a healthy baby, please.

Of course, neither the questions nor our answers are so brief. After all, on most occasions the conversation is during a social event rather than an interrogation session. I want to make sure to point out that I wasn't trying to imply any kind of dissatisfaction to anyone's curiosity with short answers. Quite the contrary, as a proud father to be, I am all too eager to talk to anyone about my baby as long as anyone will listen.

The irony is that even if I am willing to blabber for hours I find very little to say. No, I don't know the sex of the baby. Yes, I want to know as soon as possible. Anything else? Not really.

Maybe I can ellaborate on the two benefits to learning the sex of the baby early. First, it'll give us more time to find a name. A name is a tag for life so it is important to give the proper time and attention to finding the right one. But even then we can never be assured that our child is going to agree to the wondrous beauty and meaning of the name which we anoint them with. The second benefit is a lot more instantaneous and gratifying. Quick cash winnings.

A strange phenomenon, the study of which may lead to a PHD for some bright Sociology student someday, is that pregnancy seems to instigate an unstoppable urge for gambling among family, friends, and colleagues. Bets on pools, squares, odds on the sex, attributes, due date, etc. have become practically a tradition. Probably not for Fethi the Fetus but I am sure there is even a line in Vegas with odds on some pregnant high society gal.

I don’t like to gamble unless I have some control of the game. I like poker for that reason. If you play your hand right you can beat chance. Of course, every gambler thinks that they have an upperhand, some secret that, no matter how slight, gives them a certain the advantage for that bet. It is no different with guessing the sex of the baby. I have never heard so many “inside tips” from so many different people.

If you can’t see the belly from the back it’s a ...
If you are thirsty all the time it's a ...
If you forget things it’s ...
If you ...

It’s endless.

I wish all my gamblers the best of luck. I hope many people ante up and the payout is huge. I will quietly watch from the sidelines knowing that I am, afterall, the grand winner. And, $5 bucks says, it’s going to be a baby and hopefully will like the name.