It's a girl!

Maybe anyway. Of course I am only 12 weeks and it is really too early to tell but let me tell you about my awesome appointment today. This appointment was with the Center for Maternal-Fetal Medicine, a clinic off base that specializes in high risk patients, like myself, because I am over 35. I talked to a genetic counselor and got a 2D (and 3 or 4D) ultrasound. Because I am so old now the risk of having a baby with issues is higher. The 2D ultrasound was looking specifically for Down Syndrome. By measuring a bone in the nose and a fluid pocket in the neck, the doctor is able to tell your odds of having a baby with this symptom.

First let me just say that I was scared out of my mind. Not because I was at a high risk clinic but because I was going to find out if I was, or am, still pregnant. When they took my vitals my blood pressure was 117/75 or something low and awesome, but my heart rate was 98. It is not normally so high, well in fact it is normally that high when I have my vitals checked. So back to the ultrasound ...

There was a baby in there and its little heart was beating at 161. Summer's heart beat was often 161 too. The tech easily spent 20-30 minutes on her ultrasound, taking measurements, showing me arms, legs, and other things I didn't recognize. The baby was asleep for most of the scan but after a few pokes it woke up and adjusted so the tech could get a good reading on that neck fluid sack area. She then gave me 3 photos and said she would be back, the doctor may or may not come in.

What does that mean, he may or may not come in. Why did she say that, did she see something wrong. Was the sack that big. Does the doctor need to come verify. As I started to get all worked up I told myself to calm down because I have done this to myself before and it ended up being nothing, which was the case today.

The doctor came in and he was extremely nice (and good looking too!) Not that he has to look good but I had this one doctor that was a bit scary, not that matters, I just felt really comfortable while he explained all his credentials, he told me how long he has been doing this kind of work, and he said a bunch of more things but I don't remember what they were. What I do remember him saying was that everything looked good and he asked about my miscarriages. I might have more blood working depending on what I had in the past, blood work results that I hope are being faxed over to him today. He seemed so nice and acts like he really cares if I have this baby, which was really nice. Then he told me he was going to do something fun (with the ultrasound machine) and I said, what tell me the sex? He said that unless the baby was in optimal position it was really hard to see but ... and here's the girl part, he said based on the leg and hips it looked like a girl. Of course that isn't certain and who knows how good he really is to be able to tell that but the last time I was pregnant with Summer the doctor told me during a very early ultrasound that the baby was obviously a girl because she had a brain - he ended up being right too!
Anyway, it might be a girl, or it might not, the fact is I am still pregnant and this doctor is going to follow up with my blood work to make sure I don't have some strange condition that made my miscarry and caused me to have high blood pressure with Summer.

Oh, and he said that based on that fluid in the neck sack area the doctor is 75% sure the baby does not have Down's. The blood test I did after the ultrasound will confirm the other 20-24% when it comes in.

I have my big ultrasound scheduled for the 5th of July.

Today I am wearing maternity clothes for the first time, trying to drink more water, hoping the base hospital sends the doctor the test results from all my past testing, and now I am going to take my beautiful princess to the park.

Oh, here are one of the photos too!