*Getting my baby girl cuddle practice in*

What week?

13

How big is the baby?

The size of a peapod or 8.1 - 10.4 cm or 3.2 - 4.1 inches

What's something new this week?

I had the appointment with the midwives at Flinders, the birth centre I’m going to birth at, which is also a hospital. I had my first set of blood drawn and got all the paperwork in. I also met with my midwife Julie to give her all the dates I’ll be back in Adelaide. This is our last week in Adelaide, so it was a week filled with catchups with friends.

Most challenging moment?

This was a biggie! We found out this week that I tested positive for an antibody which is very uncommon and only usually happens to people who have had a blood transfusion. It seems likely that some of Forests blood from his birth stayed in me and my body has produced antibodies to fight it. It means that the baby’s health and own blood can be compromised if the antibodies start fighting her. It’s a complex situation but it’s not as serious as we initially thought, it just means some extra monitoring, blood tests and scans to make sure baby doesn’t get anemic. The particular strand I have is very rare and also very mild, so I hope everything just turns out fine and we don’t have to worry about her.

Most exciting moment?

Heading back to LA! We are very excited to be almost back to our second home. I have so many friends to see, favourite restaurants to eat at, our dogs to reconnect with, and Bodhi to return to school. I’ll also be starting up the toddler classes with Forest again which I love and he enjoys so much. I’m actually writing this from the plane. 45 mins till we land!

Starting weight?

52kg / 114lbs

Current weight?

53kg / 116lbs

Exercise?

Not much this week.

Meals?

Way too much sugar this week!! Chocolate ahhhh help. I also have been pounding salads so at least that counteracts the sugar... right??!

Food aversions?

None

Cravings?

Chocolate

Reflections?

It was a real shock to find out that I tested positive for these antibodies. My immediate reaction was calm though; we can get through this, it could be worse, etc. Mark went straight to “my wife and baby are going to die!!” Mark is the biggest worrier I know though, so this wasn’t surprising as well as not being helpful, of course! After taking a breath and both of us doing a deep dive into google (I know, I know!), we actually felt better about what we found and our understanding of the situation. We spoke to a doctor at length and felt immediately reassured. I’m meeting this week with the doctor in LA who actually came up with the technology to check the babies blood in utero to ensure they’re doing well. His technique is used all over the world in these cases, so I’m feeling at ease. Ah the peaks and valleys, eh? I always seem to get the rare things! (molar pregnancy, now this..) but I feel comfort knowing that our baby and I are in the very best of hands.

Week 13 Pregnancy VLOG by Teresa Palmer