Ultrasound at 34 Weeks

I had my growth scan today, scheduled in case I hadn't gained weight at the prenatal visit yesterday (which, it turned out, I did... see previous post). Just as I was finally called in, I got to see my pregnant teenage patient (and her less-than-delighted stepmother) come into the ultrasound unit to schedule her ultrasound just as I was finally called in. I'm glad I got to see her, and hug her, and wish her a good summer.

I made the mistake of asking the ultrasound technician, "Um, can we just double check to confirm the sex? Everyone keeps telling me that I'm carrying like it's a boy. Even though I know you are extremely competent and thorough?" (I may not have used those exact words, but I was careful too be dismissive of my concerns and assured about her skill.)

So, of course, I got a short lecture then, and a long one later, once off the table (when I was about to faint from low blood sugar... I finally just whipped out a granola bar and started munching, hoping she'd take the hint... she didn't... after I finished eating and started to open the door to leave, I think she finally wised up.) The gist of it being: other ultrasound technicians may make mistakes, especially at those fancy-schmancy 3D ultrasound places that charge too much... but never her.

I digress.

Lentil's body parts all measured spot on for 34 weeks. Her heart chambers were opening and closing beautifully (I saw this myself, she didn't actually tell me this). Her heart rate was perfect. Her femurs looked long and strong (to my untrained eye). Her kidneys looked... like kidneys are supposed to look, I guess (I don't have much of a frame of reference for this). And her weight is right around five pounds!

According to Baby.Center, at 34 weeks, the average weight is 4 and three quarters pounds, so four days later... five pounds sounds about perfect to me!

Despite her warning me that it's very hard to get good pictures of the baby this far along -- too crowded in there, and the fluid pockets are too small -- the technician gave me several nice ones. One good one of the face, another of the profile, and a third of her (unmistakable) labia.

Okay, I guess I can go ahead and wash the pink neck-stabilizer-for-the-car-seat thing now. This is one of the only new things I've splurged on for my girl. Everything else has been a gift or purchased used of my local parents' listserve. But it was just too cute to be resisted -- fuzzy white on one side and quilted pink flowers on the other.

After that, I scurried off to our School Based Health end of the year luncheon slash baby shower for me. I got a card stuffed with cash, which was nice but feels a little weird, somehow, plus a few sweet gifts. I will have to bundle up the cash and find something specific to buy with it for the baby, rather than using it for groceries. Harder to remember with cash than a gift card. My former social worker came as well as our former medical director. She got there late, so we sat for a couple more hours in the backyard of this restaurant, enjoying the slight breeze and the shade and the birdsong, and catching up. I don't always miss her as a medical director (too thorough, to the point of making me crazy sometimes, which sounds like a good thing but can really hamper productivity), but as a friend, she's amazing.

The children had their last day of school today. And I have only two more days of work left! Developing "fat" feet today, not just ankles, makes me feel incredibly grateful that I don't have to be schlepping to work in the heat and final weeks of pregnancy. Of course, I'm so eager and impatient for my girl to arrive, and would rather have the time with her... but still, I've been getting tired recently. It's hard to imagine working right up until the end, too. And if she happens to come right on her due date, we will still get almost four months together, since I get twelve weeks off once the school year starts (regardless of her arrival date).

And finally, seeing her little face today... and not just marveling at the miracle of it, which I still do, but also feeling like, "isn't she just the most beautiful thing you've ever seen?"... makes me feel like not just an incredulous pregnant patient.... but also like a mommy.

How did I get so lucky?