breathing easy

Ishkabibble is doing great. I believe I'll get the actual measurements and details at my next MW appointment on 9/21, but I can say that even to my untrained eyes, Ishka looks like a little person. Arms and legs, even the hint of fingers were visible on the small screen. And the flutter of a heart beating away at 162 bpm. Miraculous!

Of course, the baby would not cooperate with the u/s tech. For an NT scan, three criteria need to be met in a single image- chin off the chest, profile with nasal bones visible, and the fetus cannot be resting against the membranes. Ishka seemed to be resting when we first peeked, chin ON chest, and lounging against the membranes. The tech tried jostling Ishka by running the u/s probe back and forth across my belly. So, Ishka turned his/her back on us and we had a nice view of the spine. I was instructed to empty my bladder three times during the scan, even though I'd followed their instructions to the letter (empty bladder 90 minutes before appt., then drink 12-16oz water by appointment time). The lack of cooperation and bladder-emptying served a purpose though, as C was hung up in traffic and arrived late. Only after the second trip to the restroom, about 30 minutes into the appointment, did he arrive. I was worried I'd be in and out before he could catch a glimpse of our baby, but he got to watch as the tech continued to push and poke for another 40 minutes. I'll post the pictures as soon as I get them scanned. For now, they're framed on my desk at work so I can look at them all day long.

Now, it feels even more real. There's a tiny human in there, not just a blurry blob. I started spreading the news at work, showing the pictures to a co-worker in my building just after I showed them to my mother. I posted the announcement on FB. I'm volunteering at a folk music coffeehouse tomorrow and told the organizer that I can't do any heavy lifting. I can say it now without feeling like I might be mistaken or faking it... We're pregnant! And it's human!