This is the week of Pipsqueak's detailed scan. Unfortunately, all the detailed shots of Pipsqueak's arms, legs, organs, (genitals included) can't be scanned cos its on the radiological film, so the only one we have to show is the normal ultrasound. The Husband doesn't like this picture, he thinks its not very flattering on the kid, and I agree, but we wanted to show everyone something so we've got no choice, short of pulling of a picture of some other foetus to put on my blog. This is a front view shot of him, the dark spots are what they call orbits, or the place in the skull where his eyes are.
The 20 week scan was quite an experience, to say the least. I arrived at 2.15 for my 2.30 scan and as warned, I had to wait. My gynae's nurse told me to call her if I wait for half an hour so that she can put pressure on the radiology department manager to speed things up, as I have an appointment. Not long after my call, I was ushered into a tiny, dark room, with a bed, curtain and the ultrasound machine - hardly enough space for anyone else but the mummy-to-be and the radiologist. After making myself comfortable on the bed, I was ushered into another room - this room was a fair bit bigger, with a more high-tech machine. Apparently after the call from my gynae's nurse, they re-read the scan request and noted that certain doctors were requested for, and these doctors prefer to use the more high-tech machine. Mental note - following the nurse's instructions can save lots of time and hassle, they know the ins and outs of the hospital system.
The radiologist was a young Filipino lady who was nice and friendly. The lights were dimmed and I was very comfortable on the bed, except for the lubricant that was squirted all over my belly which was kinda cold. I don't think Pipsqueak liked it though, he kicked a lot. I found out later that the ultrasound emits sound waves that the baby can hear, which sounds like a irritating buzzing noise. Explains why he kept moving around and kicking the scanner.
After 30 minutes, she was done with her measurements and showed me some key organs and limbs on the screen. He has grown a fair bit since the last scan and she confirmed that Pipsqueak's a boy. (The Husband is very proud of the fact that his key organs can be clearly identified at such a tender age) She told me to wait a while more and she returned with the specialist. I was told to lie down again for a quick scan. The conversation between them sounded like this:
Filipino Radiologist: I can't find the 4C
Specialist: 4C ah?
Filipino Radiologist: Yeah
SILENCE.
Specialist: Any previa?
Filipino Radiologist: No, no previa.
SILENCE.
Specialist: Got extra huh?
Filipino Radiologist: Yeah extra.
SILENCE
I was then told I was done and I could come back and collect the reports in 30 minutes. As you can guess, a 1001 thoughts were running through my mind. 4C? Sounds like 4 chambers of the heart to me. Does the baby have a problem with his heart? Previa I knew meant Placenta previa, where the placenta is too low which can cause problems. Extra? Now that can mean anything - extra fingers, toes, eyes, nose, ears??? I smsed the Husband frantically and told him that maybe there was something wrong with the baby's heart. He was cool as usual and said let's see what the doctor says.
After collecting the scan, we met at the lobby and proceeded up to see my gynae. The usual urine test showed up a bit of sugar in the urine, which apparently was due to the fresh orange juice I drank while waiting for the scan results. I also put on 3kg in the last one month. That's a lot by my standards! No wonder I feel heavy!
We were finally ushered in to see the gynae, apparently there was an emergency C section she had to perform this morning, which explains why all her appointments were backed up again. We went through the scan results and my fears were unfounded - the 4 chambers of the heart are all there, so are the limbs, eyes, nose, mouth, etc. According to her, Pipsqueak's size is a few days smaller than the benchmarks, which is good cos I'm small framed, so if my baby gets too big, natural delivery can be a problem. He's got long legs and fingers, and a pretty sharp nose. We'll see how accurate her assessments are when he appears in September.
He's about 303 grams and very active. She did another quick scan for the benefit of the Husband, so that he can have a quick look at the Pipsqueak. That ended an interesting 20 week checkup - thank God for protecting and moulding Pipsqueak each step of the way!
And the moral of the story for those who are radiologists, doctors or medical professionals - you should invent some sort of code that patients can't understand in the examination room! Otherwise, their minds are racing a mile a minute trying to second guess what you're talking about! Or perhaps, it could just be me. :)
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