Lilypie Kids Birthday tickers

Lilypie Kids Birthday tickers

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Lilypie Second Birthday tickers

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Anatomy Scan and Genetic Counseling

Today, Shawn and I were scheduled to meet with a genetic counselor and have our Level Two Ultrasound, also known as the Anatomy Scan.  The purpose of this scan is to gather information, including measurements from crown-to-rump, length of the arms and legs, and circumference of the head.  The scan also allows the doctor to view the kidneys, lungs, spine, and chambers of the heart.

Our meeting with the genetic counselor went well.  She was very knowledgeable and I felt that she listened to our concerns and addressed them to the best of her ability.  She was also able to calm me down a bit, which is a huge accomplishment for anyone!

After our meeting, I had some blood drawn, and then we headed in for our Anatomy Scan.  This visit was drastically different from our last ultrasound at Watch Me Grow.  Although I know the purpose of today's visit was diagnostic and our other one was not, I was a little disappointed with the way our visit went today.  The ultrasound tech didn't tell us much throughout the exam, unless we asked questions.  (She did, however, confirm that he is a boy!  She also let us know that he is weighing in at almost one pound!)  We got a few pictures, but most of the time Shawn and I didn't even know what we were looking at!

At the end of our ultrasound, the tech said, "Well, he's a cutie, but you're going to have to come back.  The doctor will be in to talk to you in a minute."  Cue panic for me!  I was hoping she would have more details for us, but we had to wait for the doctor to come in.  When he did, he said, "Well, other than the heart, your baby is normal.  He's in the 49th percentile for his growth rate.  We didn't get to see the four chambers of his heart, though, so you need to come back."   We didn't really get a clear answer as to whether they couldn't see the chambers because there was a problem, or because our Little Man is stubborn and wouldn't give the tech the right angle. 

For now, we have to believe that, if there was a problem, the doctor would have taken more time to talk to us.  And, let's face it...an Irish DiVito?  Gotta be a little stubborn, right?  We were able to bring a few pictures home, and we have another appointment scheduled for next month.  I am planning to talk to my doctor next week to see what information (if any) he can give us, and if we can schedule the next ultrasound closer to home.
 
Arms and Legs!

A profile picture of our Little Man

Looking right at us!

1 comment:

  1. Yay for a little boy! I think that ultrasound techs are a bit like dental hygienists- all they do is get the data, but they aren't allowed to tell you what's going on. That's the doctor's job. It was always stressful to hear, "You're going to have to wait for the doctor," panic for a few minutes, and then have the doctor come in and say, "Everything looks good!"
    I'm so excited for you! Boys are so much fun! I'm pretty crazy about mine...!
    (PS. I LOVE that you have the Brad Paisley song on here!!)

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