The Turning Point

The time finally came… Twelve weeks. This was what we were waiting for. If we reached this level, the chance of miscarriage would drop immensely. We’d finally be able to tell our family, friends, and co-workers.

We had our twelve-week appointment at our doctor’s office, and they hadn’t planned on doing an ultrasound. (It’s not standard procedure, I guess.) However, our doctor is so invested in our pregnancy that she asked one of her nurses to get the ultrasound room ready because she wanted to take a look. (God bless her because we always enjoy seeing our bundle of joy!)

Let me back up… Our previous appointment was at our high-risk doctor’s office. We went there to do the ultrasound and blood work for Down Syndrome. An ultrasound can show some signs of Down Syndrome developing in the fetus. “Some of these subtle signs include a decrease in femur length (a bone in the leg), an increase in the skin behind the neck (called nuchal translucency), or choroid plexus cysts (cysts in a section of the brain that produces spinal fluid). These are what are often referred to as ‘soft signs’ because none of these ultrasound findings will cause the fetus any problems by themselves. However, they may make the doctor suspicious that the fetus has Down Syndrome. Other more serious signs that can also be seen on an ultrasound can include heart defects and intestinal blockages” (Kathleen Fergus, 2009).

Due to a too full bladder and our baby’s lack of cooperation, the technician couldn’t see what she needed to see, so we needed to reschedule both the ultrasound and the blood work. The best part of this experience, though, was the fact that we got to HEAR our baby’s heartbeat. It was one of the best things I’ve ever heard… 🙂

We were scheduled to go back the next week. Before that next appointment, though, we’d meet with our doctor–which is where I started this post at because I get too excited. Sorry… I can’t help myself!

Anyway, our doctor thankfully wanted to do an ultrasound. She was delighted with what she saw, and she even told me to take my iPhone out and film it. Our baby was moving around so much… We could see his/her hand up by the mouth, and the outline of his/her face was very apparent. It was truly amazing.

Besides that, this twelve-week appointment was hardcore. Rhiannon had to fill out a ton of paperwork approving or denying different blood tests. (Plus, she gave what seemed like a million ounces of blood… Oh, Lordy, I don’t know if I’d be able to stand that!) We also met with the financial person and talked about the hospital expenses, including the option for a payment plan. Our medical histories and birth information was also examined and documented. Whew! We were given a ton of information, as well, from the nurses and our doctor. Our heads were so heavy with all of it when we left that I’m surprised we could even lift them up.

Oh, but we could lift them up because we were SO beyond happy that we made it to twelve weeks and that everything still looked so promising and positive.

We knew that we could finally start spreading the word!