Big Ultrasound

Today brought plenty of worries and apprehensions as we prepared for our big ultrasound at the OB's office. Fortunately, the afternoon was one of celebration and thankfulness for the two of us. After all we've been through to finally reach this point, I think we're both still dealing with some level of disbelief that this is actually happening!

I'll give you a quick update on today's appointment. It wasn't long after the ultrasound began that the technician gave us the confirmation that our baby is definitely a girl! She wasn't modest today and we were able to see things pretty clearly. The technician was really nice and very talkative, but I really did wish she'd spent more time telling us what she was measuring and what we were seeing. At 21 weeks it was pretty obvious most of the time, but there were a few times when I felt a little lost. The visit went very well, though, and we were so relieved to get a good report today! We had a good look at baby's heart and brain as well as her arms and legs.

After the ultrasound we saw the doctor, who said that the baby looked "middle of the road" on everything, which was a good sign. At this point our baby is wonderfully average! Since I was seeing Dr R today, she went ahead and counted this as my OB visit even though it's a week early. We did all of the usual things: urine test, blood pressure, measuring the belly, listening to the heartbeat, etc. I was surprised and a bit relieved that I was actually weighing 2 pounds less than last month! Before you groan, let me tell you I've been a bit worried about weight gain. Last time I had gained 6 pounds instead of the recommended 4 for the month and I really was concerned that it would keep piling on too fast. After today's weigh-in I feel better about things evening out for this stage in the pregnancy. I actually don't know exactly how much I weighed before getting pregnant (I don't have a reliable scale at home and my specialist almost never weighed me), but I think as of now I've already gained about 18-20 pounds.

Today I also talked with Dr R again about the c-section discussion. We told her that we'd decided to go ahead and make the decision (with her approval, of course) to have a c-section delivery because of the concern of a rupture as a result of previous surgeries in my uterus. She was absolutely on board and very supportive of the decision. I think she was going to make the same call anyway, and it was clear that all three of us felt better about having it decided. Honestly, I don't feel at all disappointed or that I'm missing out on anything. Chuck and I are completely at peace with it and feel it is the right decision based on the information we had. As I told Dr R, we consider it a miracle that we're having this baby at all, and we just want her to get here as safely as possible for both her and myself. So, decision made! And now I only have to count down to 39 weeks instead of 40! :)

After our appointment Chuck and I spent the rest of the afternoon together running errands. James Avery (the jewelry store) had called earlier in the week to tell me that the charm I wanted engraved was ready for pick up. (You can click here to see the charm and read the original post.) We purchased it a few days before Mother's Day and they said it would be 2-3 weeks for the engraving, so we were happy that it was ready and that we could get it today as a celebration. I appreciated your suggestions so much about what the charm should say. We went in with several ideas written down (some of them yours) but ultimately decided on just two simple words: our babies. The size of the charm definitely influenced our decision (it's much smaller than it looks online), but we are so pleased with it. It seems like a good continuation of what the front says and it reads nicely together, "The heart remembers... our babies." This journey continues to be one of great joy mixed with years of grief and sorrow, and finally, remembrance. It seemed appropriate that on a day of so much happiness we would have a sweet reminder of where we've been and what we've lost. No matter what happens we won't ever forget that.

We finally returned home after a long afternoon of working on our baby registry and a celebratory dinner together. It was a great day, but definitely one we're happy to have behind us so we can continue to move ahead feeling more and more confident. Thanks so much for your prayers for us and for this baby!

*I have added more pics to the ultrasound link you can find in the sidebar. I added a few of the 3D images from last month and some of the best pics from today's visit. A few of you have asked to see pictures of me as well, so I'm working on getting a couple of those posted on the web album. Thanks for showing interest in how our baby girl is progressing!

**Next post: our baby's name! :)