Sonogram Redux

My DH has been on my case about updating my blog, so here I am! I apologize profusely to you all. I know I keep using the same excuse, but really, I think these pregnancy symptoms (particularly the nausea and the tiredness) just keep getting more intense as the weeks go on! I will make myself be more diligent about keeping you in the loop. The whole reason I started this blog is to make you more a part of this pregnancy since you can't be here with us, and I'm not doing very well at it. So, for this post, I'm going to take you through the sonograms that we've had since my last post (3 of them).

Remember that scene in Friends when Ross and Rachel went to their first sonogram? They "oohed" and "aahed" as the sonogram tech pointed out their precious peanut on the screen. And then as soon as the sono tech left the room, Rachel broke out in tears because she said she couldn't recognize a single thing on the screen! Well, let me just say that I can completely empathize with her! Except I actually asked questions, so that I can describe these sonos to you! Still, I totally understand if you have a Rachel reaction to the pictures! :-) You can click on the photo to enlarge it and hopefully see it better.

This sonogram was done on September 17, when I was 9 weeks, 1 day pregnant (9w1d in shorthand). What a cute little kidney bean! The head is the big rounded end on the left (it's facing down) and the butt is the smaller rounded end on the right. The little squiggly things that look like their dropping out from underneath it is actually the umbilical cord (my DH identified that right off, while I thought maybe it was part of the yolk sac). The baby is about 2.3cm long (about an inch!) and the heartbeat was measured at 169 bpm, which we were told was well within the normal limits. Also, it's hard to see, but in the middle, just below the upper curve is a white line that is actually the baby's spinal cord and there's a small (small small) dark spot next to it that is the baby's heart. It had to be physically pointed out to me, so hopefully you'll be able to see it, seeing as I can't draw my finger onto the screen!

This sonogram was done on September 28, when I was 10w5d pregnant. We normally wouldn't have had another sonogram so soon after the last one, but a couple of days before, I had experienced a serious amount of pain and cramping. Fortunately, there was no bleeding, so my OB wasn't overly worried, but she had me come in for the sono, just in case. Everything turned out to be OK! She said it was likely due to constipation (so far my LEAST favorite pregnancy symptom -- yes, I hate it even more than the nausea!) and my uterus stretching and growing to accomodate my growing baby. Now this was a quick sono (since we were squeezed in at the last minute), so I'm not quite as confident in my description. I do know for certain that the head is the big rounded end on the left (facing down again, or maybe because I see 2 dark spots on the head, maybe looking straight at us! -- my DH doesn't think that's the case, though) and the butt is the smaller rounded end on the right. Again, the white squiggly thing underneath the head is the umbilical cord, and the spinal cord is pretty visible on the upper curve. The baby is about an inch and a half at this point, and the heartrate was 160bpm. What was really fun about this visit was that we saw the baby do a little roll/flip on the screen! That was an emotional moment, let me tell you...

This sonogram was done this past Friday on October 12, and I was 12w5d pregnant. This is the first of 3 photos I'm attaching. We had this sonogram done as part of an early screening test for chromosal anomolies like Down's Syndrome and Trisomy 13. They measure the neck fold (babies with Down's have a thicker-than-normal neck fold, apparently) and then test my blood. It's only an early test and not as accurate as an amniocentesis, which is done at about 20 weeks and has a higher risk for miscarriage. Still, we thought it'd be a good idea to go ahead and get it done. In this one, the baby is facing up, with its head being the big round end on the right and the butt being the smaller round end on the left. You can barely see its bump of a nose! Oh yeah, the heartrate was 153bpm, and we forgot to ask for the length of the baby. It should be a little over 2 inches by now, though.

In this photo, we got a little closer, and the baby's profile is a little easier to see. Also, you can see some bright white dots above its forehead, which are the baby's fingers on its right hand! It's holding its left hand just under its chin. Just after this photo was taken, we were commenting about how the baby was active during the last sonogram but so still during this one. The perinatologist said the baby was probably sleeping, and then all of sudden we saw it scratch its forehead with its right hand! It was so cute!

And finally, we come to the final photo. In this one, the perinatologist zoomed in even more so that we could get a good look at the baby's profile. See the nose? That could be the beginnings of DH's nose! What a cutie patootie!

OK friends and family. That's enough from me for now. I hope you've enjoyed these photos. We've really had so much fun seeing the baby's progress and feel so lucky and blessed.