Anatomy Scan

This week I had two baby related appointments. The first was was Maternal Fetal Medicine and has many names. It’s known as a 20 week scan though it’s possible to have it done from 18 – 20 weeks 6 days, an anatomy scan, a detail scan and in some places and countries the anomaly scan. To me calling it the detail scan makes lots of sense as they do take many pictures of details of the bay including this one which is the feet, which I wouldn’t have been able to figure out for posting purposes had it not been labeled for me.

I had originally believed I was to have a full bladder for the scan. So I last used the bathroom at 2:00 and drank 3 bottles of 16oz water before my appointment. The staff was running late for my 3:00 appointment. I was ready to burst so the Office Manager told me I could use the bathroom but that I’d have to drink an 8pz bottle of water she gave me. I drank that and another 16 oz bottle I had.

Finally at 3:25, Matt and I were called in for the test. Our sonographer recognized us as she had been the one to do our NT measurement. I did not recognize her perhaps as I had to use the bathroom. She had only taken out on the warm gel and applied the probe to take a few scans when she told me my bladder was too full.

I told her I had a small bladder and asked what wa style record for number of times she’d sent someone to the bathroom after the second time she stopped and sent me again. The record was four, one I ended up matching.

It was really great seeing the images although a lot of times I didn’t know what was on the screen, like this example.

Other close ups were easier to make out like this head picture. It was fun seeing many parts and angles of our child in utero.

The Office Manager and sonographer knew that I didn’t want to know baby’s gender, and that Matt did know from NIPT test (which is 98% effective). She had me cover my eyes when she was going to do the gender scan and when I opened them Jon her direction the screen was black. I later learned she mouthed the gender to Matt at that time now he has his confirmation.

The sonographer sent pictures to the doctor at my bathroom breaks. The baby had been quite uncooperative remaining face down for most of the scans. Though the sonographer said just walking to the bathroom and bakcnwoukd work, it didn’t work. So I jumped up and down while I’m there and the baby finally flipped over.

Despite the best efforts of the sonographer and the doctor afterwards we missed a few photos so I will have to go back in a few weeks to get them done. That being said, they got most of them and those they did lol great showing a healthy, normally developing baby.

~ Danielle