NT Ultrasound (week 12)

The day finally arrived! Our first appointment was in Maternal Fetal Medicine where we would have the ultrasound. The tech/doctor there would be measuring the baby's neck to test for down syndrome. Like I said before... we didn't care about the results of the test, just wanted another opportunity to see the baby. And Dan got to be there this time!

Unfortunately for the tech, baby Harjes wasn't cooperating. She needed a profile shot with the neck pulled away from the uterus. But baby was hanging out upside down and facing away from us, snuggling right into the uterine wall. This worked out just fine for me and Dan- because it meant the ultrasound lasted a long time! We got to watch the baby moving around... fun! The tech kept jiggling my belly and asking me to cough in order to get the baby to re-position. S/he responded to these movements, but not enough. The doc stepped in at that point and they tried a trans-vaginal ultrasound (ick), which gave a beautifully clear picture, but still not the shot they needed. After they finally got a few images they could work with, we were done. I had to get some blood drawn and then we were sent off to the OBGYN department to see the regular doc. We won't get the official results of the down syndrome test until I get more blood drawn in a few weeks, but the doc said it looks good so far.

Dan had to get his blood drawn up there, which didn't go too well. He has a tendency to pass out when he's stabbed with needles :). The nurses were laughing at him, poor guy. After that we had a very unexciting and uneventful appointment with our doctor. Just a Q&A session.

Next up is a monthly appointment with the doc and another round of blood work during week 16, and another ultrasound during week 18. If baby H cooperates then, we'll hopefully be able to find out the sex.