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Jessica: [ Exhales ]
I always get nervous whenever we see the baby
just 'cause it, like, makes it real.
Yeah? I always get excited.
I'm like, "Oh, it's really in there!"
Jessica: As much as I am happy to be pregnant
and I love being a mother, I'm terrified.
I've been through a lot of crap in my life,
so I feel like I can get through anything at this point,
but I still get scared.
Hi. How are you today?
I'm good. How are you?
Good. Come on in.
Today is the appointment where we talk about the genetics
and the possible genetic problems
that could exist with the baby.
It's important to do this a this time of the pregnancy
because if there's going to be problems,
then it's important to know, especially in my situation,
with being high-risk in a high-risk pregnancy.
Hey.
Hey, there. How's it going?
Good. Dr. Miller.
Jessica.
Good to meet you.
Good to meet you both. Have a seat.
Thank you.
So one of the purposes of today's appointment
is to determine if you are at increased risk
of having a baby with genetic defects, so...
So if it's okay -- Todd, you said, right?
Yes.
If I could ask you a few questions
about your past medical history...
Of course.
Jessica: There's so many different birth defects
that run in the Kingston families.
We've got people with Down syndrome,
cerebral palsy, kidney problems, heart problems.
Well, let's turn to you, Jessica,
and let's talk about your past family history --
any relatives you can think of
that were born with congenital problems,
chromosomal problems, birth defects.
Problem is, is there's, like, everything,
but there's just so many people.
There's, like, my dad.
So in my biological family, I have, like, 180-plus siblings.
My biological dad has 14 wives,
and my biological mom has 12 children,
but I've left that,
and now I am adopted into a new family,
but I know, for this, you need to get my biological history.
And that kind of complicates the picture a little bit
because you probably have a little bit of everything
amongst those several siblings.
And they don't always go to the doctor.
It's very rare if they go to the doctor.
I see.
So my family history is, like, very convoluted.
Is preeclampsia something that's genetic?
If family members have had it, that puts you at risk, as well.
Growing up in polygamy, they always told us, if we left,
that we would be cursed
or something wrong would happen with our pregnancies,
and so I feel like I know
I've already taken all the preventative measures
I can at this point, but, like,
I don't get it because of anything I'm doing, right?
That's what I'm wondering.
Exactly, yeah.
Nothing you're doing has put you at increased risk for it, so...
I've been hiding my pregnancy from people in The Order
from finding out because if anything goes wrong,
all they're going to do is jump up and say,
"It's because you left The Order,"
and that has absolutely nothing to do with leaving The Order,
but I don't need to give them validating experiences
and validating information for them to say,
"If you leave The Order, God's going to torture you."
Really, I'm being blessed for not being in The Order.
Todd: Yep, this is the fun part.
Miller: Let's listen to some heartbeat.
[ Thumping ]
That's always a nice sound, isn't it?
Always.
I think about my biological mother, Heidi,
and her pregnancies.
My mom has 12 children, and not once have I ever seen her
go to the doctor to get medical care for her pregnancies,
and every single one of her children were born at home.
I remember the birth of the last six of her children.
It kind of felt like us kids and Heidi against the world,
and then Daniel would show up, but then he'd pop back out.
Like, he'd show up, play house for a day, and then leave.
Me having Todd and me having a husband
that actually is attentive and there,
I didn't even know what a good husband would bring to my life,
but I look at her life,
and I think she just doesn't quite know what she's missing.
So the size of the baby, looking good, heart rate,
fluid, lots of baby movement.
So those are the four key things
we want to see today on ultrasound,
and I'm really happy with what we saw.
And the heart rate and everything, all that's good?
Heart rate was great.
Yeah.
You're already doing the right things,
and I'm excited for you, though, so...
Thanks.
Talking to an actual doctor
and having a doctor kind of calm some of that and help me realize
I'm doing everything I can to be the best mom
and have the best situation
and the most healthiest pregnancy,
then it makes me feel better about everything.
They drew my blood for the genetic testing,
and always hoping for great results, and so far,
I have two healthy babies and everything was great with them,
so I'm hopeful that there's not going to be any problems.
Every time I see the baby, I just -- my nerves are calmed.
Yeah. And we're doing what we're supposed to be doing.