It's A Girl!

Jeff and I started our 2nd year wedding anniversary with a 9am ultrasound appointment.

The routine scan is done mid-pregnancy to check for growth and certain abnormalities. For 45 minutes we watched our child dance and wave on the monitor. She looked perfect! I was over come with emotion watching her and seeing the expression of amazement on Jeff’s face. The nurse kept trying to get the baby to move in a certain direction, but she’d have none of it. I guess she’s going to be stubborn like her momma!



We were on cloud nine when the Doctor came in to burst our bubble. He was concerned about extra fluid he saw around the baby’s heart and a brand new set of tests were ordered. Much of the blood work focused on viruses we adults come in contact with but may never have a reaction to… however, they are very serious to a fetus especially in the first trimester. We were worried about Sterling, although I haven’t changed the litter box since we found out I was pregnant, I may have patted him and forgot to wash my hands. Toxoplasmosis is a parasitic infection that can be acquired by the mother from an infected cat, by drinking unpasteurized milk and most commonly by eating contaminated meat. Another worry was that I’ve never had the chicken pox (varicella-zoster virus) and that I may have come in contact with the virus while on the flight from Paris.

It was a long two weeks, making our trip to Europe seem like years ago. Fortunately the texts came back negative, and this past Monday we had another ultrasound, a specialized fetal echo cardiogram that took a very close look at Peyton’s heart and showed a perfect amount of fluid in the sac (pericardium) that surrounds the heart. We don’t know what caused the excess fluid, but I’ve never felt such relief in my life when the Doctor said, “I like this!”

They never meant to worry us, just showed appropriate caution. The experience makes me feel well taken care of, and that all the concerns I had and precautions I took during the first trimester were valid and reasonable.

These days I’m feeling her move… she’s getting big and measuring about a week further along than the due date. I’m on track with about an 11 pound weight gain and enjoying people noticing that I’m pregnant… especially when I’m waiting in a line and someone gets up to give me their seat. The pregnancy books tell me that she can hear my voice and that the music I play her now will most likely sooth her once she’s born. No need to worry I’ve put away my hair bands from the 80’s collection… for now!

I have found what I think is the most perfect book for pregnant woman who haven’t had a child and want to know the dirt we’re too afraid to ask…
"The post~pregnancy hand book" by Sylvia Brown
I’ll let you know how accurate it is in another 5 months!