Y A N G W O O D

An eventful day in the baby-making world today. First off, congratulations to my friends Rich and Adrianna who just had a baby girl. The only words my pal could say on the phone was "it's huge...it's absolutely huge!"
Yep, at 9lbs11Oz, his petite tiny wife delivered a big healthy baby. I may have caught a delerious but overly tired proud father, but I'm sure he said the labour was 70 hours long. Excuse me, but 70 hours is like three days!!! That's a lot of pushing.

Well, the Mrs and I went in to hospital to get our official 12 week scan. The previous one was just a pre-scan test to ensure everything was ok, hence no measurements were taken.
This time, we got a longer period where the scanner operator exaplained all the measurements she was making and all the organs she could see. I promise not to keep posting endless ultrasound pictures on this blog, but I can't help studying this picture, it's obvious to see just how much the baby has grown in one month.



The head is obvious. In the centre is one arm, waving it's wee fingers. I like to think it's saying hello, but it is more likely protesting at our naked instrusion. At the other end you can one leg raised in the air. The little critter was certainly kicking a storm when the ultrasound was first in place. Mind you, a still frame does not do the experience any justice. You have to see the baby moving, kicking, flapping around - even though it is grainy b/w, you can see everything.

At 12 weeks, the most important measurement taken is the nuchal fold. The tiny flap of skin just behind the neck. If it is 3mm or over, the percentage chance of a Down's syndrome is higher. Our baby was 1.6mm. It's not a guarantee, but the chances of conceiving a baby with trisomy falls to a 1 in 4000. This is considered low risk.

To be honest, I could only take the operator's word for it, cos all I saw was lots of grainy footage. One thing was immediately obvious however - the heartbeat. Pulsating away like a little dynamo, it beats pretty fast - about twice that of a resting adult.

All the science and technology, for someone like me who is very used to this, is still a marvel to behold. I'm still in awe at seeing my little baby in all it's secret hidden glory. Our next scan is in 10-12 weeks where we have decided to ask to be told the sex of the baby.

In the meantime, the daily cycle for Cat of eat, sick, eat sick continues, though less extreme than before.