Friday, April 15, 2011

U is for Ultrasound

I have 40 pictures of my son.

The first is of a sac, showing that there was something there, and was taken at a time where I was desperate for there to be a stable heartbeat.

The most recent one shows the hair on his head and the cheeks that we know belong to his father.

One of the only advantages to being diabetic has been the intense scrutiny that the Colonel has put us under.  He has made sure we've had every necessary test, and has monitored everything as closely as he can.  And these ultrasounds have made things really sink in for both of us.

The latest set of tests are Bio Physical Profiles (BPP) which are done every Monday and Thursday from now until the end of the pregnancy.  They are specifically looking at the amnio level, making sure my cervix is still closed, and then monitoring the baby's movement and progression.

When I say this has made a few things sink in even more, I mean that the books tell you about what the baby is doing in there.  He's practicing his breathing, stretching, grabbing, moving, and preparing for life outside the womb.  I've read these chapters and tried to picture it.

But now we watch it.

They spend 5-10 minutes just watching him with us on the screen.  Watching as he breathes in and out.  As he makes a fist and then opens it again.  As he opens and closes his mouth and eyes.  As he reaches for his toes and tries to grab at them.

I get 20 minutes a week to watch him do these things, with A there by my side, and we always leave smiling and amazed.

My son is a little person in there.  He's an active, breathing person.  And thanks to these ultrasounds, I can see he is playing and both his parents can't wait to play with him.

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