22 weeks + 2 days...Ultrasound with the specialist and first appointment with the OB!

We did make it to Fredericton yesterday for our appointment/ultrasound with the specialist,and then our first appointment with the Obstetrician.

Both appointments went very well. Baby is still measuring right on track at 1lb 1oz and she put on quite the show for the doctors yesterday. She was head down, but she still has a lot of room in there and can flip-flop as she likes. At the start of the ultrasound she was folded in half (just like her big sister was at 28 weeks!) her feet and a hand were right up over her head, which made for good photo ops!



The nurse took a few diagnostic pictures that needed labelling, so images were frozen on the screen for about 30 seconds to a minute. When she resumed the scan, little critter had turned herself away and un-folded herself, and we laughed as she tried to re-position the ultrasound. She was very busy in there, and we even watched her opening and closing her mouth, which is what we love to see! The baby's bladder was full, which means she is swallowing amniotic fluid..which is also very good sign. So far, everything looks good. The papillary muscle in the heart is still bright, and as I mentioned in my last post, in 10% of cases it is a soft marker for downs syndrome. However, our baby doesn't have any other Downs characteristics, so the specialist is really not concerned about it. Baby's bowels are still dark (YAY!) and there were no areas of concern. I am going back to see the specialist in two weeks on Dec 20th.

After seeing the specialist, we went across the street and met the Obstetrician.
She will be my primary OB, but has encouraged me to see all of the OB doctors since any of them may be there on delivery day. To top it all off, I learned that the horrible doctor I had on the second day of our inducement with Kheri, is no longer in the province!! YAY!!!! At least I don't have to worry about seeing him in this pregnancy. Our OB is new to New Brunswick, and has come from British Columbia to practice with the group of OBs in Fredericton. She is VERY nice, knowledgeable and re-assuring. She said the best words I have heard yet in this pregnancy (next to the specialist saying "everything looks fine"). The OB said "you are the only one with a direct connection to your baby. So tell us what your concerns or feelings are... it is our job to re-assure you and address them"... AHHH it is so nice for someone to say "hey..your intuition might be right..we should listen to mom".... :D The OB wants me to return next Monday morning so she can have an opportunity to learn about Kherrington's story, hear my concerns and outline a "plan" for this pregnancy. She said "due to your previous stillbirth, you are going to be under the microscope"... and I don't mind one bit! If it means a healthy delivery, so be it! I will still be going to the local hospital for prenatal check ups as well for now..so that means LOTS of appointments! Here's hoping that these winter storms stay away on the days of our appointments! (and it would be nice if the gasoline price would drop a little too!)

So enough of my babbling! Here are the rest of the pictures from yesterday's appointment with the specialist. She attempted to take some 3D pictures but little critter is still small, and she had her face turned away, which made it hard to get distinguishable facial features. She also had her arms crossed in front of her body,and partially covering her face, which made it hard to get good pictures. We watched her uncross her arms and then move away from us! We can assure you..she does have a face..lol... She said that she hopes to try another 3D scan over the next few appointments as the best pictures are generated when the baby is between 26 and 30 weeks along. The best 3D picture is the last one, which just show her legs and feet.