Third Trimester Ulatrasound

Baby # 1 showing off her baby doll

While not routine in North America, nor in all Canadian provinces, third trimester ultrasounds are standard in our province. I had my 32-34 week ultrasound this last Thursday. The general idea behind a third trimester ultrasound is to ensure that the baby is growing normally. Measurements of head and abdominal circumference are taken. The bladder, stomach and kidneys are evaluated. The depth of the amniotic fluid around the fetus is also measured. The position of the placenta is determined, especially if it was found to be low-lying in a previous ultrasound. The baby's position, while easy to determine on this ultrasound is not that important, as the baby tends to change position regularly; and is only important after about 37 weeks (position can be evaluated by simply palpating the uterus from the outside). And finally, any anomalies discovered during the 20 week ultrasound are re-evaluated.

With Baby #1, I remember the third trimester ultrasound quite well. Mostly because I had asked my husband to come along. I thought he would enjoy seeing our future baby via ultrasound. While I think he enjoyed the experience, I remember thinking in hindsight that it would have been more interesting for him to have viewed an earlier ultrasound. Mostly because everything is so big at this stage, and I don't think he got much out of viewing close-ups of the brain, kidneys and bladder. At an earlier ultrasound, however, the entire baby could be viewed on the same image.

With Baby # 2, I went solo. Mostly because someone had to watch Baby # 1. While I wasn't as excited as the first time around, I certainly enjoyed viewing the images. She was quite active, regularly kicking against the ultrasound probe. Enough to actually elicit an "oh my goodness" from the ultrasound technician. All the measurements were normal, and it was a relief to discover that she was growing well. She was hiding her face with her tiny hands for the most part, but I did catch a few glimpses of her sweet face:

Sneak peak at Baby # 2's face

The half-way point

Who would have guessed that horizontal handles could double as a ladder?!

I had been looking forward to my second trimester ultrasound for some time. First of all it would mark the half-way point of my pregnancy. Which, based on my first pregnancy would coincide with decreasing levels of nausea (oh how I have been looking forward to eating a full meal without gagging). Secondly, I would find out the gender of baby #2.

Not that gender identification is the purpose of this routine second-trimester ultrasound. The ultrasonographer looks for a number of abnormalities, and takes a few measurements, including femur length, head circumference and abdominal circumference. The stomach, kidneys, spine, brain, heart and limbs are identified and evaluated for abnormalities. The ultrasound report includes an estimate of the age of the fetus, and lists any abnormalities that were discovered.

I had my second trimester ultrasound just this last week. I was relieved to discover that there were no abnormalities. The estimated age based on the measurements was very similar to our estimated age. "Do you want to know the gender?" my ultrasonographer asked. While I know a number of couples who chose not to find out the gender, I prefer to be prepared. Especially when the naming process can be so complex....why double the work?

We were told that we would be having another girl. We had been hoping for a boy, but were expecting a girl. Girls seem to run in my husband's family; his brother also has two girls...something about a propensity to donate their X chromosomes...

We had already been discussing names. Here are a few that we like so far:
-Savannah. We were married in the desert by the same name, and like the way it sounds, however it is a very common these days, and it sounds a lot like baby #1's name.
-Scarlett. I have liked this name since I saw Gone With the Wind oh so many years ago...even though the character's full name is Katie Scarlett.
-Alexis. My father's middle name is Alexander, and we would have certainly given this moniker to a son...Alexis is our favorite feminine version of Alexander.

We are certainly open to suggestions...

Baby # 2, name TBD