First set of tests done

this morning we went to a specialist to get the first of my high risk screenings done. It was tons more fun than the Monday first ob/gyn visit. As i will be over 35 by the delivery i am a high risk sort.

Things went very well.

a small blood test with 5 drops of blood on a card and a long ultrasound of an entirely noninvasive nature
so very YAY!
the long ultrasound with the specialist (Maternal Fetal Medicine Associates of Maryland) was a First Trimester Screen

stats so far:
heart is good 151 bpm
nasal bone clear (this is a good indicator for Down syndrome or lack thereof in this instance)
nuchal measurement is small (over 2.5 is risky and we were at about 1.7)
it looks like a boy but it is too early to tell.


i am going back in 5 weeks for the follow up but so far so good.

On Monday i had my big poke and prod.
Lots of blood drawn a thorough pelvic exam in which the delightful and completely unexpected phrase
"Annndddd Rectal. . . "
was bandied about
i know what this was for but let me assure all present there is no baby that way
!!!
additionally this gem
"ok! Put your clothes back on and go into the next room and take off everything from the waist down."
oh man
the cool thing about the Monday visit was that i got to see the baby
this was mostly the expected blob of white in a dark background but the spine was very clear and really hit me
it was one of the most beautiful things i have ever seen
generally i find the most beauty in natural things
i love the way sunflower seeds line up and i love fiddle heads and the scales on my beta fish
i think i went into biology for this reason
that kind of thing
the structure in nature just takes my breath away
and the baby's spine was the pinnacle of this sort of beauty
it was a great moment to have
imagine you are half naked in a room with two strangers with strange instruments in places you never want strange instruments
its a little nerve wracking
and i saw the spine then
and i felt so good

today it is grand to be pregnant.