13 Weeks 5 Days

Today I went to get an ultrasound and blood test for the first round of IPS testing. I made the deadline with 1 day to spare (they don't do IPS testing once you're past 13 weeks 6 days). I had to arrive at my appointment with a full bladder. My appointment was at 11:15am. There was no wait, and I was in the exam room by 11:20.

The lab that I went down had a sign at the front reception: Baby ultrasound pictures available for $10. Please notify your technician before your exam. So when she called my name to go into the exam room, I immediately told her I wanted copies of the ultrasound. She said I can pay in cash when the exam is done.

I laid down on the table, anxious for visual confirmation on my baby on the screen. But I realized that I was there for IPS screening, so I stared off into space as the technician moved the ultrasound round and round on my abdomen for what seemed like 10+ minutes. At one point she told me "You have a very active baby!". So active in fact that she couldn't get the measurements she needed for the test. She told me to turn away from her to attempt to get a better angle, and when that didn't work, told me to turn the other way, equally with no better luck. Finally with my laying down on my back normally, she seemed to be able to get what she needed for the test, and she finally said "OK, let's see if we can get you some good pictures."

Turns out my baby didn't want to cooperate at all today. The technician said the baby is basically upside down, standing on his/her head. After fiddling around with different angles, I was able to get 2 pictures in the end, but the technician gave them to me for free because they were not the best pictures. To me, the pictures were perfect. I can see the head, the body, the legs, and most importantly, the beating heart. A big relief to SEE visual proof that there is a human baby growing inside me, safe and sound.

Here is my baby at 7 weeks:



And here s/he is again at 13 weeks 5 days:



It's human! What a relief!

After my ultrasound, I was sent downstairs to the blood lab for my blood tests. Having done some basic research online, I snuck a peek at the results that the technician wrote down on the lab work papers. The technician had written: CRM = 75.8MM, NT = 1.36mm.

When I returned home, I googled "normal NT measurements" and found out a normal NT measurement for a 13 week 6 day fetus is 2.8 mm. My measurement of 1.36mm seemed to indicate my baby is low risk. I am by no means a doctor, nor do I claim these research numbers to be accurate. But from this preliminary glimpse, at least my mind is slightly reassured until I hear the definitive test results.

I have to return to my OB for the 2nd round of IPS testing (another blood test) in 3 weeks, which puts me at 16 Weeks 6 Days. I hope that's not too last minute again for these tests. But I figured the doctor knows what he's doing when he asked me to come back in 3 weeks.

In the meantime, I will keep looking at my baby's ultrasound picture on my refrigerator door.