Today was a very good day. I am 23 weeks 5 days along with the pregnancy. My husband and I planned with my midwife to put off our anatomy screen until week 22 when we could get an optimal echocardiogram (due to a half-sister that had a congenital heart defect). So today were the tests. They went well. Here is the scroll of images we were sent home with. We haven’t seen little Zakumi since (s)he was 8 weeks.
First off the heart is fine as far as they can tell. All chambers and valves were examined. After individual evaluation they were lit up like fireworks to track blood movement. More specifically to check for any holes or leaking. Everything was fine as far as they could tell from the exam.
Now for some 2D images. The first time I saw the baby I had to say ewwww. The image of the head showing the orbital socket was kind of creepy. It was like a fish eye was staring back at me. I do not have an image of it but there was also a shot showing too much skull that had my babe staring back at me like the Phantom of the Opera.
The baby was active, here (s)he is giving you all a “fight the power” stance.
As a surprise we were shown 3D images. The sonographer was trying to be nice and get us a good face shot and Zakumi chose not to cooperate. At first with one fist in front of the face, then with two. There was a lot of tapping on my belly, and each time my babe waved fist like (s)he was getting ready for a fight. Scrappy little baby, like a Pikey from the movie Snatch.
Finally the sonographer backed off and we were able to see some face.
This was the best image. As an added bonus it looks like the baby may look more like me than my husband. Oh boy, but that is a different story. It is funny when both of your parents are so different looking. My husband and I have been super curious what this baby would look like.
We just wanted a healthy baby and we are grateful. It feels so good to get this result from today.
Congrats! I loved getting the sonograms and seeing new pictures of my baby. So exciting! Do you want to know what you're having or do you want it to be a surprise?
Okay. I just cried a little bit.
That is so exciting. I'm thrilled that Zakumi is a healthy little peanut! ^_^ ^_^ ^_^
Love this! I remember those first views of my children. Nothing can compare to the wonder and miracle of a child being formed in just 9 short months.
Ted, it was out of body. I felt like I was watching a subject in a lab and had to keep coming back to this is my baby, this is my body. The anatomy screen was so cool though. They apparently do 250 measurements, it was like reviewing an anatomy lesson.
So glad to hear that all looks good with the little one! It's so amazing, isn't it? I love the 3D pics.
What a beautiful view into your lives and with such clarity – wow! So much more vivid a view then when my daughter was in utero. Enjoy it all, as I know you will. Each glimpse, every little kick and turn is a remarkable reminder of what precious cargo you carry within.
This makes me giddy 🙂
Awww precious! I had a 3D ultrasound and my baby ended up looking remarkably like that picture. He even used to sleep in a similar pose to one of the ultrasound pics we received.
Do you feel like Zakumi is a boy or girl? I felt boy before I actually found out. Sure I had a 50/50 chance of being right but I felt sure. Next time around, I'm going to wait until the end.