So, I had the Nuchal Translucency Scan this morning (to check for signs of Down Syndrome, Trisomy 21, and heart defects). Long story short - all looks good!! For those of you who have more time and interest to read on, I'll get into details of the visit!
I usually have to pee something fierce by the time I get off my 1-hour train ride to work every morning. I guess the 1.5 glasses of water I have in the morning have finally filtered through by then. The hospital is a couple blocks from work, and I got there about half an hour early for my 8:30am appointment. I knew they wouldn't take me early, so I made a judgement call and let myself cheat by going pee just a bit (literally I made myself count to 5!). This is because they told me again and again on the phone, come with a FULL BLADDER (apparently a full bladder lifts the uterus into a better visual field for the ultrasound). Well, I continued drinking water as I checked in at the "fetal monitoring unit" (I actually passed the closed corridor labeled "birthing center", wondering if I'll be in their in about 6 months!!) and proceeded to the waiting room, full of pregnant moms of all stages. At this point, I'm starting to enter the painful stage of having to pee. As the clock ticks on and we pass 8:30am, I realize I could be waiting a while. And I could NOT make it more than a few more minutes, and could NOT stroking that ultrasound wand right on top of my bladder. So, I went to the registration desk to ask where the bathroom was, and she was like "YOU CANNOT GO TO THE BATHROOM!" and I was like "I HAVE TO!!!!!!!!!!!!! But I promise I'll just go A LITTLE". And I did. Man, I was so disciplined!! A couple minutes later they called me in and they gelled up my tummy (the gel was warm, so nice!). The room was dark and I was on a comfy lounge chair with a huge 42" TV in front of us. All of a sudden, there's my baby on the screen next to a huge black void. Immediately the tech goes "Oh my god. That's your bladder! Girl, go pee!!!!" SERIOUSLY!?!?! I asked her how much I could pee, and she said don't worry, just get comfortable! So, I went to the bathroom and let out about half, still scared that if I went too much they wouldn't get a good view. So back I went, and got gelled up again, and she goes "Your bladder is huge, you didn't go much did you" hahahaha. Anyway, I wasn't in pain anymore, so we continued.
The baby wasn't in an extremely cooperative position at first, and she kinda shoved that transductor in there a bit to try to get the baby to move. Then she started doing all the measurements with a click of a mouse here and there, so cool the technology these days!! The fluid in the neck measurement was 2.1mm, and under 3mm is a good sign. Of course they'll combine this with the results of my blood work (there's usually extra levels of some sort of hormone or protein in a mom pregnant with a Down's or other genetically abnormal baby), but fingers crossed it should be fine.
She went on to measure the CRL (crown to rump length) which was 7.49cm (3 inches) - so tiny!!) - showing that the baby's size is at 13 weeks 4 days (even though based on the previous ultrasound as well as our ovulation predictor the baby is really only 12 weeks 5 days). But, apparently, baby's grow at different rates and up to a week difference is completely normal at this stage.
I asked about the placement of the placenta, because of the worry of previa (if the placenta is covering the cervix and doesn't move, you can't delivery vaginally), and she said it's good, placed anterior. Had to google this one. Apparently usually the placenta is posterior, meaning towards my spine. But mine is anterior, meaning on the belly side. My googling research said it often moves, which is strange. But anyway, there's no worries if it stays where it is. Only difference would be more difficult to feel early baby movements, and they'd have to be extra careful when getting in there on an amniocentesis or c-section, neither procedure I'm counting on having anyway. And as for the tilted uterus reported at my last scan, apparently it has righted itself and is sitting properly now. Hooray! She also measured each ovary, but didn't say anything about good or bad.
I usually have to pee something fierce by the time I get off my 1-hour train ride to work every morning. I guess the 1.5 glasses of water I have in the morning have finally filtered through by then. The hospital is a couple blocks from work, and I got there about half an hour early for my 8:30am appointment. I knew they wouldn't take me early, so I made a judgement call and let myself cheat by going pee just a bit (literally I made myself count to 5!). This is because they told me again and again on the phone, come with a FULL BLADDER (apparently a full bladder lifts the uterus into a better visual field for the ultrasound). Well, I continued drinking water as I checked in at the "fetal monitoring unit" (I actually passed the closed corridor labeled "birthing center", wondering if I'll be in their in about 6 months!!) and proceeded to the waiting room, full of pregnant moms of all stages. At this point, I'm starting to enter the painful stage of having to pee. As the clock ticks on and we pass 8:30am, I realize I could be waiting a while. And I could NOT make it more than a few more minutes, and could NOT stroking that ultrasound wand right on top of my bladder. So, I went to the registration desk to ask where the bathroom was, and she was like "YOU CANNOT GO TO THE BATHROOM!" and I was like "I HAVE TO!!!!!!!!!!!!! But I promise I'll just go A LITTLE". And I did. Man, I was so disciplined!! A couple minutes later they called me in and they gelled up my tummy (the gel was warm, so nice!). The room was dark and I was on a comfy lounge chair with a huge 42" TV in front of us. All of a sudden, there's my baby on the screen next to a huge black void. Immediately the tech goes "Oh my god. That's your bladder! Girl, go pee!!!!" SERIOUSLY!?!?! I asked her how much I could pee, and she said don't worry, just get comfortable! So, I went to the bathroom and let out about half, still scared that if I went too much they wouldn't get a good view. So back I went, and got gelled up again, and she goes "Your bladder is huge, you didn't go much did you" hahahaha. Anyway, I wasn't in pain anymore, so we continued.
The baby wasn't in an extremely cooperative position at first, and she kinda shoved that transductor in there a bit to try to get the baby to move. Then she started doing all the measurements with a click of a mouse here and there, so cool the technology these days!! The fluid in the neck measurement was 2.1mm, and under 3mm is a good sign. Of course they'll combine this with the results of my blood work (there's usually extra levels of some sort of hormone or protein in a mom pregnant with a Down's or other genetically abnormal baby), but fingers crossed it should be fine.
She went on to measure the CRL (crown to rump length) which was 7.49cm (3 inches) - so tiny!!) - showing that the baby's size is at 13 weeks 4 days (even though based on the previous ultrasound as well as our ovulation predictor the baby is really only 12 weeks 5 days). But, apparently, baby's grow at different rates and up to a week difference is completely normal at this stage.
I asked about the placement of the placenta, because of the worry of previa (if the placenta is covering the cervix and doesn't move, you can't delivery vaginally), and she said it's good, placed anterior. Had to google this one. Apparently usually the placenta is posterior, meaning towards my spine. But mine is anterior, meaning on the belly side. My googling research said it often moves, which is strange. But anyway, there's no worries if it stays where it is. Only difference would be more difficult to feel early baby movements, and they'd have to be extra careful when getting in there on an amniocentesis or c-section, neither procedure I'm counting on having anyway. And as for the tilted uterus reported at my last scan, apparently it has righted itself and is sitting properly now. Hooray! She also measured each ovary, but didn't say anything about good or bad.
Our little baby face down with head on the left, butt on the right, and legs hanging down?
The whole printout showing baby, CRL (crown to rump length, GA (gestational age) on top left which is actually wrong because they based in on my LMP (last menstrual period), and GA on bottom right based on the baby's size - a week ahead.
The head shot so she could measure the fluid space behind the neck, which was in the normal range (2.1mm)
Roosevelt Hospital, where we'll be birthing in 6 months time either at the Birthing Center or regular labor & delivery
RSS Feed