You can see the baby's face (its left hand is near the face, so that's why there's gray around the mouth), as well as the spine (white bumps along its back), heart (black void within the chest), and umbilical chord (a tiny blip on top of the lower abdomen. Amazing, huh?
Below is another picture of Thumper, still in profile but a little closer. In this shot the left arm is more in the way of the face so I altered it (photo on the bottom) so you could better see the face. I also pointed out the spine, which is just incredible that you can see all of that!
At times the technician looked at the heart from different angles and several times she watched the four chambers of the heart beating! I think that was Caleb's favorite part because he kept saying "Cool!" when she'd show it.
Doctors like to have an u/s (ultrasound) done around 20 weeks for a number of reasons. It's a good time to see the baby's gender, if mom and dad want (it's going to be a surprise to us though!). It's also valuable for verifying the due date - mine hasn't changed (they said there was only a 3 day margin of error, and they don't change the due date unless it's more than 10 days). One of the biggest reasons, though, is that they can make sure baby is developing well. On Tuesday they spent most of the 30 minutes counting body parts and measuring the anatomy very carefully. We counted two legs, to arms, ten fingers and toes, a heart with four chambers, kidneys, liver, etc - everything was there! They also make sure the proportions are correct (e.g. a shortened this or lengthened that can mean complications like Down Syndrome, etc) and that the spine is well aligned (no spina bifida). Thumper passed with flying colors, and their computer analysis put the baby at about 11 ounces - right where it should be. Boy did that kid squirm though - which I already knew it was an active baby! The whole time it kept flexing its arms and legs, brushing its face and turning its head. Every time I visit the doctor's office Thumper has wiggled around during the exam, so I wasn't surprised to see such an active baby! It's always a good sign, though.
Speaking of moving, I have been able to feel the baby for a couple weeks now. At first it was just at night when I was laying still in bed, but lately I've even felt movement during the day. Very fun! Sometimes Thumper will respond if I push back - that is, I feel a kick or movement and will gently press my fingers there, and Thumper will kick back again! Yay, the games with baby have begun.
Well, while I keep having people tell me that I'm barely showing for being almost 5 months pregnant, I have noticed a difference in my body's shape. I also have been dealing with back pain due to the shifting of my center of gravity. If you will recall, about 8 years ago I was hit by a car while riding my bike and I injured my knee, ribs, and spine. I went through physical therapy and was pain free after that, aside from knee problems if I stood or walked for too long. Well, the back pain returned, and my doctor told me it'd only get worse. She said that any time you have a back injury, it will reappear during pregnancy. Fortunately, there is a solution: more PT (physical therapy)! I went for my first session today and really like the girl who's helping me. She specializes in pregnant women and has already given me some good stretches and exercises to start managing the problem better. Plus, she gave me a good massage this afternoon to help ease the tension (for a few days at least!). Yay!
We are a few days away from our babymoon and are getting very excited. Sarah will be taking the kitties so we won't have to worry about them feeling lonely (plus Sarah will have a lot of fun with them, so it's a plus for everyone involved). The weather here is getting really pleasant, but we're still looking forward to relaxing, as well as all the things we'll see! Hopefully we'll be able to post a few pictures here to highlight our trip.
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