Well today I reached the 12 week mark! It's quite a relief to reach this stage as chances of a miscarriage drop to something like 1% which I think is pretty good odds. My morning sickness definitely seems as though it's on the way out and my energy levels have increased, along with my breasts! Apparently it's perfectly normal to be feeling more human by this stage as the placenta would have taken over the hard work of nourishing the baby. It's amazing to think that at this point the baby is already fully formed with everything in the right place, just all in miniature! Even some of its organs are functioning on their own now, like the kidneys.
So, I have my scan tomorrow and with it brings a variety of mixed feelings. Excitement is ranking up there along with anxiety and nerves! I just want to get there and know my long awaited baby is healthy and well. Once I know it is then I can't wait to see "him" again! I'm hoping the little thing has a bit of energy and moves around for us and doesn't spend the scan asleep. I'll get an initial risk assessment for downs syndrome which may alter once the blood tests are back in a couple of weeks but at least we'll have an idea. Being a 3D scan apparently it could be possible to determine the sex of the baby tomorrow as long as it decides to cooperate. I won't hold my breath though, but it's exciting all the same!
I'll have a little listen to the heartbeat later tonight just for that extra peace of mind. Wish me luck!
Thursday 12+0 (again!)
Well, I'm just back from the scan and it was the most amazing experience ever! Our perfectly formed little baby was flipping around all over the place, waving it's arms about, covering its eyes. It was a job for the doctor to take the measurements because as soon as it was lined up ready it would flip off again! I can't believe how something so tiny can be so perfectly formed. The crown to rump length measured 4.88cm which put me at 12 weeks exactly, so I was only 1 day out on my original estimate. The doctor looked at all the soft markers for tell tale symptoms of abnormalities or downs syndrome and all were absolutely fine. The nuchal fold measured 0.106 cm which also puts the baby at very low risk for downs. I'll get an actual risk percentage early next week when the results of my blood sample is back. He measured the heart rate at 162bpm so it seems as though I've been doing a pretty accurate job with my doppler so far!
The scan itself was amazing. It lasted around 45 minutes and the doctor thoroughly explained all the various parts, what he was checking for etc. It was a mixture of 2D and 3D/4D so we got some amazing images. He's given us a DVD of the scan so I will upload some footage and images shortly. He then asked us if we wanted to know the sex which of course we were dying to know! He said he can't be 100% certain at this early stage but it looks very likely that we're having a little girl! He's going to rescan me at my 16 week appointment to double check the gender then. I really hope it is a little girl now as I'm kind of used to the idea already, but a boy would be most welcomed too!
So, what a day! I've never felt so much relief before and I'm still very emotional from the whole experience!
Here you can see both hands up next to the face and the umbilical cord coming down through the crossed legs and curling away from the body.
This is a slightly different view of the above image.
Full on side view from head to toe. The ears, eyes and nose are visible as well as the knees and feet.
In this image the baby has both hands raised in front of "her" face. If you look closely you can see a smile!
This is a "butterfly" view of the brain shown from the top looking down. It clearly shows the left and right sides.
Friday 12+1
I am still so emotional today. I found it hard to sleep last night as I think I was still buzzing with the excitement of seeing our "little lady" yesterday. The first thing I did this morning was look at the photos of her and it made me teary eyed all over again. I'm so in awe of her already and can't believe she's so perfectly formed even at 5cms! I'm wondering if it's crazy to love someone so much when you haven't even met them yet.....?!
Tuesday 12+5
I've been on a bit of an emotional rollercoaster since the scan. I found that I couldn't look at the scan pictures without crying. Obviously not because I'm sad, but still so amazed! My husband went away on a course yesterday for a few days and I had a very early start to the day - 5am to be exact! I don't know if I was just exhausted but yesterday the tears just kept flowing and I felt very low. I've also had morning sickeness back for the last 4 days which isn't helping. Again it's only at night. Anyway, today I feel way more positive. The sun is shining, I started the day with a lovely stroll on the beach with the dog and I'm off to acupuncture later for a bit of balancing and relaxation. I think it's good to be in the great outdoors as it certainly seems to lift the spirits!
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