Notes on the Mid-Pregnancy Ultrasound

Last Wednesday, we had our 20-week ultrasonic anatomy scan of Baby #2!

• Over the years, I’ve worn my share of medical/hospital gowns, but this one took the cake. The WORST GOWN EVER. Tissue paper poncho that’s only shoulder-width, so you have to try to hold onto the edges to keep from flashing your whole bottom half to the world, unsure if there’s even any point since the whole thing seems see-through anyway…
• This scan is the long one. I’m pretty sure I lay there for a whole hour while the ultrasound tech took pictures before she called Sean in so we could have a look. I think it seemed shorter with E’s pregnancy because the tech gave me a printoff picture to look at partway through, so I just stared enraptured at our baby’s tiny nose in profile and lost track of time entirely.
• The radio in the ultrasound room was playing classic rock interspersed with poppy dance music, which struck me as odd. (I don’t listen to pop radio much these days, so I don’t automatically know the artists, or the songs themselves a lot of the time.) I guess my patience was wearing down as I waited: hearing The World I Know by Collective Soul, I was all like, Oh, great song! High School flashbacks! But I was starting to get annoyed by the time we heard Innocence by Harlequin and I was like Dude, your lyrics are dumb. By the time we got to Teenage Dream by Katy Perry, I was getting huffy: Okay girlie, what’s your message here?? Do you want to get laid or do you want to die? And could your wording be cheesier??? But I guess it wasn’t her fault that I was getting a kink in my shoulder from lying in the same position too long. (Plus, I’m clearly getting old and crotchety.)
• I know this post isn’t supposed to be about music, but there I was idle for many minutes, and listening to the cool music, I couldn’t help remembering the days when my sisters and best friend and I used to run around the yard making up songs (with dance moves, of course) based on the titles of Sweet Valley High books – handy, pre-fab names like Lovestruck, Say Goodbye, and Playing With Fire; full of soapy drama. The songs were likewise melodramatic and clichéd, with lyrics that we made up but only half-understood – and that only half made sense. Good times!

• Okay, finally… the fun part! (No, I’m not talking about the transvaginal camera. Ain’t nothing fun about that.) Sean came in and we got to see our baby, looking very person-ish! Arms and hands, legs and feet, heart pumping away, spine all snaky. A few times the baby turned its face right toward the monitor, which was a bit freaky because it just looks like it has holes for eyes, like a li’l alien. But really cool just the same.
• [Unfortunately, the printout pictures are not very clear, so I’ve opted not to reproduce any. You’ll just have to imagine. My apologies.]
• We had specified we’d like to know the fetal sex, if possible, so the tech found us a little spot with a sandwichy-looking thing and asked if we had any guesses. It looked quite familiar from last time: we guessed BOY! (Right before she showed us, I had a strong hunch about that.) She agreed: “I’ve seen it a few times, so I’m pretty sure.”
• So… brothers! We are hoping our two little boys will be best buds. If Sean has anything to do with it, there will be massive Lego projects going on, and fort-building, and hikes with Daddy… as soon as the appropriate motor skills are in place.
• I will admit to having mixed feelings. Not about having a boy – I mean, I can’t imagine loving anyone more than I love my son – but more about the distinct unlikelihood of ever having a daughter. Growing up bookended by sisters, you just kinda assume you’ll raise a girl one day. (Plus… I’ll be so outnumbered!) But I know I’m a very lucky mama already, and I can hardly wait to meet the new guy, knowing he’ll have a lot in common with his brother, but be completely his own person at the same time… As Sean put it, “I can’t wait to see what we create next!”

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