4d baby scans, anomaly scans and the miracle of life

I will begin by filling you in on yesterday’s anomaly scan. After all my worrying and anxiety (which is not at all unusual for this particular scan) I was thrilled when the sonographer gave both babies a clean bill of health. There were one or two moments where I could feel my breathing get more shallow, at times holding my breath completely when she seemed to hover over a particular part for too long, or would check and re-check a figure several times over until she seemed satisfied. The tension was plainly felt with every fibre of my body during those moments it seemed. I relaxed when Twin 1 was given the all clear, only to go through the motions again with Twin 2’s examination. Both babies are lying transverse in their little amniotic bunk beds with their heads on my right hand side and their feet over on the left and they are estimated to weight 14 oz each. That explains the increasing size of my bottom… I don’t think.

I’m glad it is over and to say I am relieved would be an understatement. I am now looking forward to enjoying the rest of the pregnancy, at least until it is time for me to start worrying about the birth. Oh come on, you don’t expect me to not worry about something, do you?! If it’s not going to be about the pregnancy I’ll be worrying about the kids. If I’m not worrying about the children I’ll be worrying about the teens. If I’m not worrying about the teens I’ll be worrying about what an awful place the world would be without ice-cream. Oh no! What if the world had no ice-cream?

Anyway, last Saturday was the day of the fun scan. The 4d scan. We arrived over an hour before our appointment time thanks to a combination of our over zealous nature of not wanting to be late arriving anywhere plus the clear roads. My plan of getting everyone a drink in the Innovation Centre coffee shop ran awry when it turned out to be closed at the weekend. Who’d have thought it?

I ended up using all my change for the overpriced vending machines instead and we waited until our appointment time approached before we headed up to the imaging centre.  We paid up and were then led into another room for the scan.

The lady was pleasant enough, despite insisting that diamniotic/dichorionic twins meant that they were ALWAYS non-identical. I tried reasoning and explaining that it wasn’t actually correct but she wouldn’t accept it at all. Her opinion would not be changed. Di/di twins would ALWAYS be non-identical, she said. I already explained here how diamniotic/dichorionic twins could still be identical (albeit a lesser chance) as it all depends on when the egg would have split, so I thought better of continuing to argue reason with her and would prove my point to Mike once we’d got home by Googling a millionty-fifty-two pages which backed me up proving that I was right.  I didn’t go as far as printing off the pages and sending them to her by recorded delivery.  Not that I didn’t want to.  I just didn’t have enough ink.

The scan began and the two babies were both lying head down and facing each other.  It was so sweet to think of them in there, chatting away face to face (sort of).  At this stage they haven’t yet started laying down much fat so they’re looking pretty skinny and scrawny but to me, they already look beautiful.

Do you see the tiny foot up there?

A private room where nothing else even comes close to this wonder being formed within it.

A new life being created is always a miracle.

Whether it’s the first week or the 21st week.

… and a soul.

There is a life.

And it is so very precious.

Amazing. 

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