A Mommy Story

Yesterday was a double-dose of pregnancy news. My regular doctor’s visit was first, followed by an evening visit for another ultrasound to confirm the gender.

I went to the doctor expecting to see a weight gain this month. I was sick at the beginning of the month, but since then my hunger has quadrupled and I find myself eating non-stop all day long. I have become the stereotype of the pregnant woman stuffing her face anytime she can. If there is food near me, chances are I’m eating it, unless it specifically belongs to someone else.

But when I stepped on the scale, I was greeted by a smaller number. I’m down a half pound from last month, for a total loss of three and a half pounds since my starting weight. My doctor and I discussed it, and she’s not worried, since the baby is still right on track for growth. I started this pregnancy 20 pounds heavier than when I started my pregnancy with Cordy, so I’ve got plenty of extra to feed the baby with. However, the doctor joked that I am one of the few who can help herself to seconds and have no guilt over food, as long as I’m not filling all of those extra calories with Krispy Kremes. (Well, there goes THAT plan.)

Then, we had the ultrasound in the evening. The place we went to is Ultrasona Columbus, a private ultrasound provider. We had one of these done with Cordy, too, just to double check the gender, since she didn’t cooperate during the doctor’s ultrasound. My doctor saw nothing wrong with it, and since Aaron had to miss the big ultrasound last month, this gave him a chance to see his second child. This provider also does a limited diagnostic review, too, and I wanted to check to see if my placenta had moved up from the previous low-lying position.

We brought Cordy along as well, although we worried she might freak out like she did at the last ultrasound. She hates any place that looks like a doctor’s office. But this place was wonderful. The waiting room looked like a living room, with sofas and plush carpet, and it was filled with toys. The ultrasound room also had a home-like feel to it: a large sofa, dim lights and pretty decor, and the “table” was actually a twin bed, with the sonography machine in the corner. There was a large plasma TV on the wall so everyone in the room could watch. Cordy didn’t get upset at all, and actually had a good time running around the room and playing with the toys.

The result was that we can now say for certain that baby #2 is a girl, as she wasn’t shy at all this time. She didn’t seem to mind the attention, and gave us some very cute pictures. She currently is folded in half, with her legs stretched out and her feet up by her face. With the “4D” ultrasound, you can see movement in 3D, and we were able to watch her yawn, play with her feet, and kick me. It’s amazing how far ultrasound technology has come in two years – the level of detail this time was simply stunning. I also now know my placenta has moved up, so it’s looking like I can still try for a VBAC.

Here are a few of the pictures from the session. If I knew how to capture video from a DVD, I’d show you the clip of her yawning, but that is currently beyond my technological knowledge. If you are lousy at seeing anything in an ultrasound picture, know that you’re looking at her face straight on, with her arm visible in the second picture, and her arm across her face with her index finger extended in the third.

Now we just need a name for our new baby girl.