Level II Ultrasound

We had our level II (or level 2?) ultrasound today.  Everything went really well!  Basically, it was an extended look at all the various parts of the baby to check for any abnormalities or concerns.  I was of course afraid that the little guy wouldn't be moving or something dire like that, but he was quite active.  He was waving his hands about, putting his feet up over his head, trying to grab his feet in said position, and sitting cross-legged for a while.  He's an active little guy. 

So what did they check for?  First the heart to check for all four chambers and that they were working correctly.  Then the brain to look for the "peanut" aka cerebellum and a few other things I can't remember now.  They looked at his stomach and could tell he had been swallowing.  (Just read last night that the baby can taste what mom eats through the amniotic fluid and can develop preferences for what she consumes.  Less cookies and more veggies for the bun!).  They checked his kidneys and they were empty but a little bit of stuff in his bladder.  The umbilical cord is working very well and the placenta is not covering my cervix.  He has pretty big feet which surprised neither Dave nor myself.  His spine looked fine from his neck to his tailbone.  He still looks like an alien when we saw pictures of his face.  And he had his hands in fists with his thumb sticking straight out for a lot of the time.  Well, when we wasn't mooning us or playing with his feet.  He's a kicker, too.  He had his feet on the side of my uterus whacking away there for a while. 

So all in all, they believe he's in perfect (did they use that word or am I putting in their mouths) physical health for this stage of the game.  They measured him at 18 weeks 1 day.  From date of conception, he's 17 weeks 4 days, so he's measuring 3 days bigger.  Which pretty much means nothing.  :-)  He's about 6 inches long, appropriately, the size of a small banana and weighs 9 ozs.  We are right on track for his development they said. 

It was way, way cool to see him.  That ultrasound thing could be very addictive!  It's amazing how they can look all around him by pressing on different parts of my belly.

I'm also gaining more confidence that what I'm feeling is him moving around.  Unfortunately, as I mentioned earlier, I've been a bit gassy, so it's hard to tell when my stomach has calmed down and I can feel the bun or if my stomach is just taking a rest of a few minutes.  Some things that I think are him are more gentle flutters and rolls.  Others, like the one 5 minutes ago, felt a little sharper and definitely did not feel like gas.  It's still early to be feeling anything for a first time Mama, so I don't know it it's wishful thinking.  I'll be more assured as I feel them more often and can more clearly distinguish them from the other signs of pregnancy. 

Yay that the computer is back up!

5:18:54 PM