This morning, I had a Level II ultrasound at a local perinatalogist's practice (as I mentioned
last week, my OB referred me for the ultrasound so we could make extra sure that Tiebreaker's club feet were his/her only issue).
The ultrasound technician was very kind, very thorough, and very accommodating about my desire not to know the baby's sex. I wrestled with the dilemma of finding out his/her sex versus not finding out for a few days and ultimately decided that I want to make this pregnancy as similar to the other kids' as possible -- years down the road I don't want him/her feeling like s/he was an exception to our gender surprise tradition just because of his/her birth defect.
I've never had an ultrasound that was so detailed or so long before, so in that regard it was a wonderful experience. The baby most definitely has bilateral club feet, but otherwise s/he is perfect! It was a relief to find out that there are no other indications of a larger syndrome (spina bifida, etc.); the club feet appear to be entirely idiopathic. S/he was measuring exactly on target (22w1d), weighs an estimated 1lb 1oz, and had a heart rate of 138. Everything looks good on my end as well -- placenta is high and anterior and my cervix is nice and long.
And now... pictures! (The tech put them all on disc for me, so I have over 50 of them. I've never had this many pictures of my unborn baby before! I've restrained myself from sharing all of them, as the shots of his/her kidneys and umbilical cord insertion probably aren't all that interesting to anyone else.)
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| His/her sweet little profile, with a little hand up by his/her face. |
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| Another profile shot. His/her profile looks a lot like William's did, I think, although I'll have to compare pictures to be sure. |
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| Full body shot! I love how the tech labeled it "BABY." Clump of cells, my butt. |
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| This was the "money shot" in terms of confirming his/her club feet. You can clearly see how his/her feet turn in at the ankles. |
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| 3-D shot of baby's feet! The tech took a few of them for Dr. Segal to see, although she couldn't get a really good one because Tiebreaker had started kicking a lot at this point and didn't want to hold still for a good shot. |
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| Cute little baby foot with wiggly toes :) |
the 3rd photo is stunning!
ReplyDeleteIt's funny how we can use this technology to diagnose conditions in the womb, but can't tell if it's a human being or not?
ReplyDeleteLove the 3rd pic, did I say that already? Is my grammar bad? LOL
Sew - I KNOW!! Can you believe it's still legal for me to abort this baby in most states?? :( It's just appalling.
DeleteHe looks so peaceful.....It is appalling.
DeleteI'm saying boy! ;) My babies need solid catholic husbands. :)
I'm sure you would have blogged if they gave you an option to terminate. Did it ever come up in discussion? I'm sure I would be leaving the OB in handcuffs if I were ever given the option.
No, it's never come up at all, thank God. Perhaps it'd be different if Tiebreaker's condition wasn't 100% treatable and curable, but all medical professionals I've encountered so far have been extremely kind and encouraging about his/her prognosis.
Deletewhat a beautiful clump of cells! ;-) I'm gonna sayyyyy GIRL :) just my guess.
ReplyDeleteI had a classmate in school with club feet. His condition was pretty severe though. It seems that Tie breakers condition (from the looks of his toes) will be easily treatable. No?
ReplyDeleteIt's crazy to think people would kill their child over less than perfect. My friend was super smart and he got bragging rights over handicapped parking. We used to mess with him that he didn't need the sticker since he walked perfectly fine.
Deltaflute- my guess is that your friend probably did not receive the Ponseti treatment. Prior to that, club feet were treated surgically and it was often a total disaster for the patient's feet. Thank God Dr. Ponseti continued to fight for his method, even AFTER he retired, until he proved its vast superiority! But there are still places where clubfoot is treated incorrectly, so spread the word about Ponseti!
ReplyDeleteJoAnna- those are some gorgeous toes. I actually MISS Roslyn's little curly feet!!! Seeing these pictures brings back memories of those first few weeks we had prior to treatment. Tiebreaker IS ALREADY PERFECT! Doc's just gonna make those feet work a little better. But you will see, they are already PERFECT.
Glad to hear that everything else is going along well and you are both healthy. The best show in the world is seeing your baby on the ultrasound. Plus you got to see it in 3D, how rock star cool is that!?
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