Today's Ultrasound

I keep thinking that with everything else that's happened with this pregnancy, that nothing else can go wrong. Yeah...I was wrong. lol I kept thinking that the tech was taking either a really long time with the ultrasound or that he was being extra-thorough. Anyone who has had an ultrasound knows that they usually check a few things, tell you the sex, give you some pics, and kick you out the door.

I had to lay there through almost an hour of him checking and re-checking EVERYTHING. Arm length, leg length, circumference of the head (about 20 different times), hand and feet length, amount of amniotic fluid, the C-spine, T-Spine, and L-Spine (from every possible angle.), the heart, the blood flow going to and from the baby, the kidneys, the stomach, the bladder...he even checked the FACE! Ok, so it was cool getting to see my baby's face, but it's not all that normal for them to look at it for so long. Oh, and btw, unless you're getting one of those 4d ultrasounds, your baby's face looks like skeletor. It's kind of creepy, but it made me laugh. I've got the pics to prove it.

After, he checked all of that, he just blurted out, "It's a boy." Yeah, so I already knew that, and even if we didn't, we would WANT to know. But I felt like telling him, "Thanks for ruining the surprise." lol I guess it's a good thing we DID want to know. Otherwise, he would have been rude as hell. lol

Then, after ALL of that, he sat there for 20 minutes looking over everything. Then he said those words NO mother wants to hear..."Hold on, don't wipe off your stomach...let me go get the doctor." Yeah....scared the SHIT out of me. I mean, what could be wrong? I've had several ultrasounds and none of them ever showed anything. I do what I'm supposed to...I don't smoke, I don't drink, no drugs, etc. And I TRY to eat right. So, Dean and I sat there for 20 minutes wondering what the hell was going on.

The doctor comes in and starts explaining about the structure of the umbilical cord. Turns out that an umbilical cord has 3 blood vessels - 1 vein that carries nutrients and oxygen to the baby, and 2 arteries that carry waste from the baby to the placenta. Well, my baby has what's known as a single umbilical artery. The cord is missing 1 artery. So, I just have a vein and an artery. The doctor says that only 1% of single-baby pregnancies have this. The missing artery in itself usually isn't a big problem. The other artery will normally grow larger to compensate...much like someone who only has 1 kidney does fine. It gets bigger and compensates.

The problem with this, though, is that so far the artery that IS there doesn't appear to be larger; although, it may still grow with time. Also, a single umbilical artery is a marker for Down's syndrome. It's only ONE marker in several that they could look for. The triple-screen I had back in the 15th week came back normal, so that's good. Also, the baby himself looks to be developing normally as well, which is also good. That's why the tech was spending so much time MEASURING things. Babies that are born with Down's syndrome typically have shorter limbs and wider heads. His don't appear to be. However, the doctor did say that basically, an ultrasound is a picture. They couldn't know for sure until the baby was born...or they did an amniocentesis.

Dean and I decided that it didn't matter either way. We are going to have this baby and keep it, of course. So, the results don't matter. But I couldn't stand to go through 16 more weeks not knowing! I would rather know for sure, and if it's positive...well, then we'll just have more time to prepare. Doing an amniocentesis, though, carries it's own risks. Miscarriage, bleeding, fetal injury or death...none of them are good. And the risks are high. 1 in 200. That's high.

They went ahead and did the amnio right then and there, since it takes 2 weeks to get the results back. If you ever have to have one, and they tell you that it feels like getting blood drawn, with maybe a little cramping like you're having your period....they are LYING, lying, lying!! Sure, it's not the most painful thing you'll ever undergo...including labor, lol, but it feels like you're being stabbed in the belly with an ice pick. And, the cramping is PAINFUL. Lying ass heifers, all of them...

So, now, I get 24 hours of more bedrest. If I don't have any cramping tomorrow, they said I should be fine. I can deal with some cramping...duh, I'm female. But I feel pretty overwhelmed and I'm terrified that my baby isn't going to have a normal life. So, back to bed and another round of crying...