2nd Integrated Screening Results

So now that you know what my baby's gender is, and while we're waiting for my procrastinating little sister to finish editing my Project Four-Zero photo (I asked her to help me with this week's Project Four-Zero picture and she's a photographer with a tendency to get into the finer details of post processing a photo), I thought I'd take some time to walk you through my 2nd Integrated Screening Day, which included the gender ultrasound.

Just as in my first pregnancy, my mother, father, and husband came to the ultrasound out of pure nosiness (OK maybe there was a little bit of love and support mixed in there as well). But this time there was one more member in the nosy crowd - little Diego. He had no idea what was going on but liked that the lights were low and he kept pointing to the screen and babbling. The woman conducting the ultrasound gave her own guess of "boy" before she started the ultrasound. She began taking pictures and at some point while all the nosy people in the room became noisy people chatting with each other, they missed her say, "I was right!"

Once I snapped the chatty kids' attention back to the intent of this get-together, my husband blurted out, "It's a boy?!!!! Are you sure? 100%?!"

And she responded with, "Well it's either a boy, or a girl with a penis." And we all laughed.  Below is proof that he's a male as the lady so graciously provided a pointer finger pointing to the "goods".  I think that's the picture looking up from his bottom, as if he were sitting on the toilet and we were the toilet.  Eww.



I must admit I was a little let down that there will be no pink bows in my future, but I'm happy that Diego will have a brother that he can wrestle and do boy stuff with. I'm walking in the footsteps of my Aunt/Godmother. She raised two boys but still kept up the femininity, and that's what I have to do now. It's all up to me to boost the estrogen in the house. Maybe I should get another dog... a girl dog. LOL! Nah!

All of the results from the ultrasound came out great. I was worried because it was around this point in Diego's pregnancy where they found the Isolated Mild Ventriculomegaly. Luckily for me, they did not see any warning signs from this ultrasound, to my relief. Unfortunately when the counselor came in to discuss my blood test results, she noted all the good results and one small not-so-good item. They found a moderately high level of a chemical (immun-something) which basically meant that my placenta was not being a high performer. She suggested more ultrasounds during the third trimester to keep an eye on the baby. She said that they've seen babies born earlier or smaller when this issue is present. She must have seen the concerned look on my face because she said, "All the placenta really needs is a C+ to pass. This just means you'll get to see the baby on the ultrashound some more."

When I told my sister about my new placenta problem, she laughed and I joined in with her. First - I am diagnosed with gestational diabetes in which babies tend to be born bigger, so now - because I'm a Libra and need balance apparently - I am diagnosed with an under-performing placenta in which babies are born smaller. If I'm doing the math correctly this means my baby should be born - normal. And as of the ultrasound, they are estimating that my new baby boy is currently 10 oz which is right on target.

And as my sister so eloquently put it, "10 oz? I could drink that!" and she followed up with, "Your baby is definitely going to be born early just like Diego; your body can't handle pregnancy."  She's right.  If this were survival of the fittest, I'd of been out of the game years ago...