13 Week Pictures

Here are the aforementioned pictures! I have had a bit of a hectic week, and I just got to scanning them tonight, though they were taken on Tuesday afternoon.

In the first picture, I am taken by the crossed ankles. That's how I sit! Okay, maybe all babies do that. But, I've done that ever since I was in the Grape and Fall Festival Queen Pageant and was coached in the interviewing process. Crossing legs at the ankles is classy and will never give you varicose vein issues, like crossing legs at the knees, she said. (I think that advice was echoed in Princess Diaries, when Mia is first learning of her royalty.)

I also notice that the abdomen looks like a belly. A real, normal looking human belly!



This next image is taken as the baby lays in profile. Its easy to see the spine down along the bottom of the image. There is also clear evidence of a nose, lips, and chin! The large object near the mouth is the hand. The baby kept that hand near or above the head the entire time. The blurry area just right of the neck and left of the huge belly is the heart. During the ultrasound, the heart is similarly blurry, but with rapid pulsations that indicate a heart beat!


Speaking of heart rate, the baby's heart rate was a quick *though normal* 168 bpm. That's twice the rate of mine.

Here's a conversation from shortly after the photos were taken:

Dr. Kimberly: Things are going beautifully! Do you have any questions?

Me: Um, can you be specific about things are going well? Can you tell me what you can see from the image and information about the wellness of the baby?

Dr. K: Okay, I see a dark area surrounding the baby which suggests that he or she is making urine and that his or her kidneys are functioning. The level of fluid appears to be normal and healthy. I can tell that the baby's heart is in the upper abdomen and doesn't appear to be outside the body. That's good. I can see two halves of the brain, so I know that the baby's brain is forming correctly. There are two arms and two legs, and all are moving. Good signs that the extremities are developing properly. I don't have information about the baby's bowels, spinal development, or exact measurements, but those things will become more apparent and will be measured individually at the next appointment for 16 weeks and again at 20 weeks. So we're ruling out a lot of major deformities now, as well as conditions like anencephaly and intestines forming outside the body.

Me: Okay, thanks.

So all in all, a great appointment!