Bubbles and Kicks

Another successful visit to the kindly ultrasound people. Another baby photo, as well. This one isn't as clear as the last one, which is kind of disappointing. On the other hand, it is a neat demonstration of baby flexibility. If you look closely, you can see the the baby's foot is right in front of his forehead:


I certainly can't do that anymore.

The doctor came in afterwards and informed us that everything looked wonderful. The bones are the anticipated length and the spine and brain look healthy and intact. We got a few close-up looks at the heart, which was fascinating. The technician also corroborated earlier reports that the child is indeed a boy.

According to their measurements, our yet-unnamed son is slightly larger than average, corresponding closer to 21.5 weeks than 20.5. Perhaps he's got his father's enormous head, and that is skewing their calculations. The heart rate was 155, which is healthy. They also noted that he was very active during the scan. This is the reverse of our previous visit, when the child remained somber and contemplative, holding long poses for the camera.

I was amazed at how high the baby is sitting. In previous scans, they were looking just below R's beltline. This time, they were just below her solarplexus. It might have something to do with the extraordinary volumes of water R consumed beforehand, in her earnest desire to comply with all instructions. They did one one more scan with an empty bladder, to check on the location of the placenta. It is still apprears to be anchored quite low, so they will watch it closely as things expand.

"Expansion" is definitely the right term. This tummy is getting bigger every day, and it is very, very cute. Recently, the baby's kicks have gotten substantial enough for R to notice. What felt like little bubbles of air moving and popping turned out to be little feet moving around. The baby's forehead was probably itchy.

Unfortunately, the kicks are still small enough that I can't feel them, but I could listen to the heartbeat -- if I had a stethoscope. Apparently, after week 20 the heart is audible with a stethoscope. I don't have one, so I'll try the time-honoured eavesdropping technique of placing a water glass between my ear and R's stomach.

That's not so strange, you know. According to wikipedia, "Before the stethoscope was invented, doctors placed their ear next to the patient's body in hopes of hearing something."