16 Week Level II Ultrasound

I am so very happy to say that my first Level II ultrasound is over and I survived...barely!

I was doing great up until we walked onto the fourth floor of the hospital. It was absolutely surreal. Almost like a movie scene. Everything from last year came flashing back through my memory. It was almost like I could see the same people from last year moving through the hallways, hear the conversations, and feel what I was feeling. The room quickly started to spin and I decided it would be best if I held up a wall for awhile in order to keep from falling over.

Then the waiting began...this was my first ultrasound that ran late. Of course! Almost 45 minutes after my scheduled appointment, the radiologist came to get me from the waiting room. It was the same woman who did my Level II ultrasound last year when they confirmed Kaycie's diagnosis. On the plus side, as soon as I walked up to the nurse's station I saw my nurse from when I was in the hospital having Kaycie. After a minute of talking to her she remembered who I was and gave me a great big hug. Definitely a good sign to run into someone who played such an important role in that day!

The radiologist warned me that they wouldn't be able to do a complete level II since it was still fairly early. I knew that and was ok with it. All I wanted out of that appointment was to rule out Holoprosencephaly and to look for early warning signs of Trisomy 18.

I cannot stress enough how much I hate these Level II's. The radiologist talks to the machine so it has to be absolutely silent in the room. Also, from where I lay on the bed, I can't see the screen. I totally think they do this on purpose! So basically it was 20 minutes of me staring at the walls and up at the ceiling listening to her talk to a machine. I'm taking an iPod next time and zoning out to my happy place.

When she was done, she showed me the screen and I got to see my baby once again. Even that is different. When I saw Kaycie during her ultrasounds, I concentrated on her face and head, and her hands that were waving to me. This time around I concentrated on the bone cartilage. Was it present? The spine...doesn't look curved! I realized during this ultrasound that I have not yet bonded with this baby. Maybe that's why I'm having such a hard time thinking about names. It's still not real for me yet!

The radiologist went on to say that all looked normal and congratulations and Dr M would be in right away to see me. What a relief. I wasn't taken to "that room." The room they take you to when they deliver horrible news for fear that you are going to have a complete breakdown and scare all the pregnant women who aren't receiving a heartbreaking diagnosis.

Dr M and her resident came in and told me again that everything looked great. They did not see any cysts on the brain, which is a major indicator of T18. The heart also looked good as did the head. I was also measuring right on track for my dates! My due date is still hovering around the Dec 11 - Dec 15th mark. Dr M also told me that they could definitely rule out Holoprosencephaly in this baby. Yay!

Then it was decision time...amnio or no. I ultimately decided against it. Some crappy numbers from the lab just wasn't enough to make me risk a miscarriage on what appears to be a perfectly healthy baby. If the numbers had been higher or they had seen any markers, I would definitely have had the amnio. Dr M was comfortable with my decision and I'll see her again August 4th for my next Level II ultrasound. At that one they will definitely be able to see everything so the finger crossing is already starting!

Oh yeah...they weren't able to tell the gender yet, so I'll have to wait on that as well!

Now to relax and enjoy the month of July. Maybe even put on a couple of pounds since I am now approaching 17 weeks and still have only gained 2lbs! (So not complaining about that!)