Well today was a big day – it was our first “big” ultrasound – the Nuchal Translucency scan. Yes, Elliot overcame his superstitious nature, and agreed to have this scan done on Friday the 13th! This is a two-part test to screen for problems such as Down Syndrome and Trisomy 18. The first part is an ultrasound to measure the fluid behind the neck (in the spine) to see if it is within the normal range or too thick, and to confirm the presence of a nasal bone. Our little one has a perfectly normal nuchal fold measurement, smack dab in the center of the charts, and an adorable little nose! The second part of the test is a blood test where they screen for a protein that may be an indicator of a problem. We should have those results sometime next week. The test does not give you a definitive answer, but it assesses your risk for having a child with either Down Syndrome or Trisomy 18. Apparently, 70% of children with Down Syndrome/Trisomy 18 or other genetic problems will present with a thick nuchal fold, so it is a fairly reliable indicator of the health of the baby.

We really enjoyed this scan . . . the facility we went to was wonderful, the ultrasound tech talked us through everything, and we were able to watch the entire process on a huge LCD screen on the wall. We were amazed by how much the baby has grown! We could really see arms, legs, fingers, a nose, the chin . . . it was just spectacular. Our little one’s heartbeat was 173, and for the first time, we actually HEARD the heartbeat! The baby was moving around like crazy and kicking, which gave us a good look at the knee and leg and an elbow (which the baby apparently likes to shove into the wall of my uterus)! The baby also kept touching his/her face with his/her hands! The tech even did a quick show of the 3D/4D ultrasound for us. It was difficult to see much detail on the 3D yet, but it was fascinating. Oh – and my ovary appears to have returned to a “normal” size with no evidence of any unusual cysts! The tech took dozens of shots of the baby, but we were only given 3 to bring home, so I’m posting all of them!! Here they are:

Baby’s head, in profile (top of head on right, eye, nose, mouth, chin, neck and chest):

Baby in profile (head on right, hand above mouth, foot in the air on far left):

Baby in profile (head on right, hand above mouth, body, legs tucked in close to body):

Absolutely amazing, isn’t it? I still can’t believe there is a little life growing inside of me, and I’m looking forward to feeling this little one grow, and meeting him/her in December!