Week 12 - genetic screening

A and I went to our first genetic screening. It consisted of an ultrasound and blood work. Well, first things first. The ultrasound below shows are baby in profile. The head is on the right, with legs curled up to the left. The "CRL" on the screen print stands for "crown to rump length". It is 5.04 cm (or 2 in) as seen in the bottom right corner. Because babies are all curled in the womb, the medical community measures CRL to check on the babies growth. His/Her growth is right on track! Also, we heard the heartbeat again. It was much stronger and we got to see the sound pattern on screen. Very regular at 170 bpm!

As part of the genetic screening, the technician measures the thickness of the nuchal translucency (fluid beneath the skin behind baby’s neck). It took a while because the baby had to be stretch out straight. I had to change positions, cough, and drink more water to try to get him/her to move. He/She was certainly moving around - doing the robot dance, we think. And finally after 15 min or so, she got the measurement. It was a normal measurement, so yay! I got a blood test too, which will measure hormone levels of hCG and PAPP-A. At about 16 weeks, another set of blood work is done.

So far, so good, according to the doctor at the hospital. The travel time to Grand View is not bad either, but with traffic and contractions in July, I hope the time will still be "not bad". Haha.