Archive for January, 2008
12 week ultrasound
Thursday, January 24th, 2008 | Pictures, Yammer | 2 Comments
Click for a bigger version. This was absolutely amazing. Look at that beautiful little creature!
The baby spent the whole time with a case of the hiccups (as David said, “you’d have the hiccups too, if you were breathing fluid into your lungs all day long”). A fetus with the hiccups looks like a jumping bean, bouncing up and down. Since we were there for our nuchal translucency test (screen for chromosomal abnormalities, done by measuring the thickness of the fluid at the back of the baby’s neck), they needed the little bean to stay still. They had a pretty hard time of it, which was good news for us because it meant we got about an hour of ultrasound time, with one person after another asking me to turn, cough, squish, breathe, and so on. We got to see it kick and turn and wave its hands around, and maybe even suck a thumb. The skin is so thin, you can see the heart beat right through it. Just amazing. I had a lot of happy little tears. I guess I really am pregnant 
.
If you’re not sure about this inkblot looking photo (the actual quality of the live feed was quite a bit higher), starting from the left you can see a close-up of the baby’s chest and face, and then on the right you can see a full body picture — curled up foot, belly, head, and a hand in front of the baby’s face. The tech even turned on the 3D mode for us (ssh, don’t tell, it’s not a normal part of the test…!), and we got to see our little person-to-be all filled in and solid. Wow, oh wow, oh wow.
I know this happens all the time, babies and ultrasounds and people turning into parents. But it’s so incredible and personal when it’s happening to you, it’s impossible for me to feel cynical about it. It’s singular and special. This has never ever happened before, to anyone, anywhere. Not like this, not nearly like this. That’s how it feels, and you can’t tell me different.
7 wk ultrasound
Thursday, January 24th, 2008 | Pictures | No Comments
We started up our appointments right away, and were able to get our first ultrasound at 7 weeks. The baby pretty much looks like a bunny, if you ask me. It was so much fun to see the pictures and hear the heartbeat…but I have to admit, I didn’t really feel pregnant at all. I haven’t had any morning sickness or cravings — just a lot of fatigue.
Passing The Test
Thursday, January 24th, 2008 | Pictures | 2 Comments
Two little blue lines say it all. This was taken on December 5th, 2007. Our eyes were a little blurry from laughing and crying at the same time, but the camera lens captured it for us…we’re going to have a baby!
