An unscheduled ultrasound
Yesterday I had a routine 35-week check-up with my OBGYN, and because my belly had not grown significantly in the last three to four weeks she ordered an ultrasound for this morning so that we could take a look at the size of the baby and the level of amniotic fluid. She seemed a tiny bit concerned, but said that it could just be that the baby had changed positions or something similarly benign. I tried not to worry too much and resisted asking Google what the hell could be wrong with my baby, because you know what Google would say, right? YOU AND YOUR BABY ARE GOING TO DIE, and here is the Wikipedia entry telling you exactly how and why. With pictures and diagrams and links to estate planning.
I had a hard time sleeping, and not just because Leta was up at 2 AM fretting about spiders. For hours I worked through scenarios in my head: what if? And then what? Because you're constantly hearing stories as a pregnant woman that start out with a circumstance as simple as this one and in the end both the mother and the baby have to have a heart transplant. Like, yeah, my doctor thought I was measuring small, and then three weeks later I woke up in Sri Lanka with a hangover and the severed foot of a wild boar tied around my neck.
And then when I did finally fall asleep I had nothing but crazy baby dreams, one in particular in which the ultrasound technician accidentally ruptured my bag of water. In less than an hour I dilated from a zero to a ten, and before they could call my doctor the baby's head was coming out — a head full of blonde, hair-sprayed curls tied into a ponytail with a patriotic scarf — and next thing you know I've given birth to a 17-pound baby who can speak in sentences. And instead of reaching out to hold her, I lean over the side of the bed and start puking green beans.
WHAT THE HELL HAVE I BEEN SMOKING?
Turns out that you can't trust measuring tape, because the ultrasound indicates that the baby is measuring almost five days larger than her actual gestational age. In fact, the technician had to measure her head almost four times because it kept saying her head was almost as big as the head of a baby three weeks older than she is. And I'll just go ahead and tell you that my reaction to that news was less a sense of relief and more of an OUCH.
Also, amniotic fluid looks normal and they estimate she already weighs six pounds. The doctor says it's probably a combination of the way I'm carrying the baby plus my height that makes it seem like my belly is smaller than it should be. I'm now to carry on as if nothing ever happened, and to help with that directive they gave me the cutest ultrasound pictures of her face. I have to say, from these scans she looks a lot like Leta, although her mouth is a little more Hamilton than Armstrong:
EEEEK! THERE'S A BABY IN THERE! Talk about uncontrollable crying! The technician was all, are you okay? And I was all SHE HAS A FAAAAAAACE!
Speaking of crazy dreams, Leta loves to talk to us about her own, and this one was good enough to share with you:
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FM Living
Grace Guinevere said:
It is adorable when little kids inhale really hard in the middle of their sentences. I am glad your baby is alright. I am not glad it's going to torture your gine on the way out =P
05.13.09 - 02:07 PM / 1Anonymous said:
love her 'pauses'- and the ending is great!
05.13.09 - 02:08 PM / 2Anonymous said:
Heather, so glad to hear she is doing well! I was concerned after your tweet yesterday about the ultrasound, but now I'm resting easier. Congrats on the new little one!
05.13.09 - 02:08 PM / 3Leslie said:
Ah, the infamous pregnancy-induced crazy dreams... Yup, don't miss those one bit!
Congrats on the Baby With Face!
05.13.09 - 02:08 PM / 4Jenna Jean said:
Her princess cup is DA SHIT!
Also, can we talk about your bathroom?....
05.13.09 - 02:11 PM / 5Leesavee said:
HOORAY that all is well! Congratulations, and hey, could you re-do that bathroom tile, please? KIDDING!!! :)
05.13.09 - 02:12 PM / 6Angela said:
Glad to hear everything is okay.
So glad to see my son isn't the only one that "wants to see" the video or picture. SO many video clips end with "let me see!"
05.13.09 - 02:14 PM / 7Jennifer Suarez said:
PHEW glad everything is OK!
Now we can all go back to obsessing over your tile ;-)
05.13.09 - 02:16 PM / 8LIesel said:
She is adorable and speaks so well! She will surely be a heart breaker.
05.13.09 - 02:16 PM / 9ebeth said:
Whew! I was worried for you last night, but so relieved to hear all is well.
Take care lady!
05.13.09 - 02:17 PM / 10Adriane said:
I love how Leta's sentences all end in question marks.
05.13.09 - 02:17 PM / 11Kathleen said:
I love it! She is so darn cute and incredibly articulate.
Oh, and to weigh in on Tilegate 2009, I think it looks fine and I would be perfectly happy with it. But I'm going to bet that by the time the new baby turns one, the square tile will be gone and the matching tile will be in. I'm basing this on the fact that you two are so into design and your surroundings plus you are the most brave remodelers I've ever heard of...how many couples remodel once and then do it again? Almost none!
I promise not to say "I told you so" when one of you finally cracks and replaces the tile!
05.13.09 - 02:18 PM / 12Jo said:
I thought about you a lot last night and today and am so relieved to hear that all is well. *smiles*
05.13.09 - 02:18 PM / 13Giggloki said:
I love how little kids tell stories, this summer I need to get mine to do that and record them. Too cute.
05.13.09 - 02:18 PM / 14Dutchess of Kickball said:
I swear to all that is mormon holy, there is a Pickachu in that first picture. You are totally carrying Pickachu!
05.13.09 - 02:19 PM / 15moggit girls said:
Woah! Does anyone else see the 'twitter' bird in the left hand side of the 1st pic?!
05.13.09 - 02:19 PM / 16Jen said:
I have a 5 and a half year old daughter, and she has the same mode of storytelling--a tone that sounds like she's part valley girl and part fifteen year old at the mall. Plus, every video we have of her ends the exact same way: "Can I see now? Can I see? I want to see!"
Loved meeting you in Denver. Good luck with the remaining few weeks of your pregnancy. Since the baby looks to be 3 weeks further along than they thought, do they think you may be giving birth earlier?
05.13.09 - 02:19 PM / 17Nora said:
I don't think I ever talked about my dreams that had monsters in them when I was Leta's age; so adorable.
Glad that the dreams were nothing more than dreams and that Baby is doing well =)
05.13.09 - 02:20 PM / 18Charity said:
So glad to hear all is well Heather!!! Those ultrasounds can be scary!!!! Take great care...she'll be here before you know it!!! =)
05.13.09 - 02:20 PM / 19kristen said:
I am glad to hear all is well! Good job NOT looking anything up on Google, so true what you said.
Thinking and praying for a safe short delivery and a perfect baby girl!
Take care,
Kristen
05.13.09 - 02:20 PM / 20Labradoris said:
Glad to hear all is well! And, that the baby has a face! :D
05.13.09 - 02:21 PM / 21Amanda said:
SQUEEE! Face! Baby face! Duuude.. I had no idea they could even DO that! I know there are those creepy 3-D ultrasounds (am I the only one who's shit those things totally freak?) but that's an actual picture of her FACE... Holy weeping shit. (I'm 12 weeks, by the way, and apparently your story of oh-no-but-actually-oh-yes just kicked me squarely in the ass and knocked me into the tidal pool of hormones I'm going to be splashing around in for the next 6 months. AWE. SOME.) Glad everything's good. Congratulations on... uh... yaknow, still being healthy and stuff.
05.13.09 - 02:21 PM / 22Shelly said:
Yea for the baby having a face! That always helps! :O)
Leta is adorable!
05.13.09 - 02:22 PM / 23sarah said:
god she's cute. how can you stand the cuteness?
05.13.09 - 02:22 PM / 24ErinLeighC said:
I love how kids are obsessed with videos/pics of themselves. Too cute!
Glad the ultrasound went well!
05.13.09 - 02:22 PM / 25Lauren said:
Glad everything was ok with the baby! and after reading your book, I see why the size of this one's head would cause, shall we say, some anxiety... But that's why god made epidurals!! ;)
And Leta talking about her dream CRACKED. ME. UP!!
05.13.09 - 02:22 PM / 26Anne said:
Aw! Look at that precious little face! So glad that the baby is doing well! So happy for you all! :)
And Leta is one of the most precious kids ever (minus, of course, my nephew ;) ).
05.13.09 - 02:22 PM / 27Cris said:
So glad you're all okay.
Now, because someone may eventually answer this, can you actually tell the technician "That's a face? Hmmm. Can you point me out the eyes, and mouth, and things like that?" Because I can't see anything in that picture. You could have just randomly set the Face text layer on Not-Maria's bum, and okay, I believe you. But I still have no idea what I'm looking at. I can't even see a nose, and those I can usually see.
So. I have no idea whether the Hamilton mouth is a joke :p I awwwwed, and then became a bit puzzled...
05.13.09 - 02:22 PM / 28Empty Jay said:
It's good to hear that everything's going well. I definitely know the feeling when you hear something like that. My daughter had a 1 month period where she only grew about 2 weeks worth. They immediately put my wife on bed rest and started doing weekly (and soon twice weekly) checks. We were told she was coming sooner rather than later. This was at about 28 weeks. Thank God, she held out until 38 weeks. She was born small, and still looks a little small for a 4 month old, but she's perfectly fine.
05.13.09 - 02:22 PM / 29J. Bo said:
Oh, HONEY! So glad the worry was for naught. My cousin just delivered her third (a "surprise!" pregnancy after she'd given away all her baby stuff, assuming she was done), and the last few weeks were touchy due to a viral infection; she had to have unltrasounds twice a week, and it scared the hell out of her, of course.
Now I am, at this very moment, looking at a photograph of her with her beautiful, perfect, COMPLETELY healthy baby.
You're in the home stretch. All will be well.
xoxo!
05.13.09 - 02:23 PM / 30