12w4d u/s and NT scan
On Wednesday we had our 12w4d u/s and NT scan. This so far has been my favorite u/s. Obviously so since the baby is bigger and more can be seen. It was just so amazing. It was also my first over-the-belly u/s as opposed to transvaginal. Huge difference with the picture quality. Anyway I had the non-invasive NT (nuchal translucency) scan which is a more thorough u/s and involves testing the thickness of the neck for Down's. They measure the head, the length and make sure there's a nasal bone forming. I guess a baby with Down's has a much thicker neck and no nasal bone forming. They also take blood and with the measurements and my age, conjure up a ratio of my chances of this baby having Down's. It was definitely a test I was totally on the fence about because we're having this baby no matter what. And I know with my age these numbers can be off but I chose to take the chance so I can continue on with less stress in my pregnancy. I feel like I've had enough stress with the bleeding and worry about miscarriage. It was a chance I took. The measurements all came out completely normal. The neck thickness was 1.4 and the tech said a Down's baby usually has 3.5 thickness or greater so that was a huge relief. They checked the cranial growth and all seems to be growing where it needs to be. The baby was dancing all over the place and we even got to see her stretch her little arms and legs and gave us a huge yawn! OMG it was precious! She measures now 3 inches from head to rump and measures at 12w6d although we were at 12w4d. Two days ahead. And just so you all know, my bf is 6'8 and I'm 5'8 so we're completely prepared to have a nice long baby! It's legs seems to be as long as it's body. Completely amazing. All and all, the tech said everything looked perfect and that she seems to think I should not worry about the results. Every u/s I hold my breath until once again, I see that little heartbeat and I can breath. I'm not sure that will ever end. But I can say that I am truly falling in love! I can't stop looking at those u/s printouts! It's a miracle! I can't believe I'm almost done with my first trimester! Huge milestones for us lately.
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