13 weeks! Second trimester, here I come!

Wow, what a day!! I had an ultrasound this afternoon to check for a variety of medical issues with the baby, such as Down Syndrome. I had mixed feelings about the test. It is an optional test and I was not sure that I even wanted it at first. But after considering that it has an accuracy rate of over 90% we decided to go ahead with it. Of course, I was excited to see the baby again and I knew that this time it would look like a real baby and not a lima bean with limbs. :)

The test results showed normal measurements on everything, so at this point the doctor was not concerned about an increased risk of chromosomal abnormalities. They also give you a blood test and then give you a more accurate risk assessment. It will be in the form of a ratio (you have a 1 in whatever chance of having a baby with a, b or c chromosomal abnormality) and we'll get that information next week. The doctor said that based on the ultrasound he believes my risk will decrease rather than increase.

During the ultrasound, the technician said she had a pretty good guess about the sex, and asked if I would like to find out. Of course, I said YES! She said she was pretty sure that it is a girl. :) Later the doctor came in and looked as well and he also said he felt certain that it was a girl. We'll know for sure in six weeks at the next ultrasound. Click on the picture above to see a tiny foot!

3D ultrasound!!

It was incredible to see her swimming around in there! Most of the the 20 minutes during the ultrasound she had her knees up toward her belly with her ankles crossed and her hands on both sides of her head. At the very end, she was sucking her thumb with her other hand on her head. Here is a 3D ultrasound where you can see her hands on her head, and knees up with the ankles crossed. The doctor said, "She's not shy, she is giving us a great view and I don't see anything that makes me think it is a boy."