Week 19: It’s a girl!

Nothing could have prepared me for the pure joy and elation I had when the ultrasound technician looked over and told us “You’re having a girl!” Going into that moment, we had no idea what to expect. Our families were divided: Dan’s family voted “boy” and mine was sure it would be a girl. I had symptoms indicating boy and girl based off of the Old Wives’ Tales. There was really no gut feeling or premonition going into it, so that made it even more fun to find out!
The anatomy scan appointment went really smoothly, and our baby girl seems to be growing right on schedule. Since we declined the 13 week NT scan, this was the first time we had seen her up on the screen since our seven week dating ultrasound. What a difference a few months make! Our baby looked like an actual baby! We saw her head, hands and feet, limbs and everything! It was so amazing to watch her move her hands around and kick her feet, and realize that that is happening inside of me! When the sonographer was taking pictures of her feet, she had her feet crossed at the ankles, which was the cutest thing I’ve ever seen. Her heartbeat was strong at 153 beats per minute; it has been in the 150 range since the first appointment. There are no words that describe how amazing it is to watch your baby swim around your belly on a monitor … I don’t know how parents ever went through the entire pregnancy without this technology! The appointment wasn’t totally perfect, though. There were a few pictures that baby girl didn’t cooperate for, so we have to go back in a few weeks for another quick ultrasound. Apparently she kept moving around too much but not in the right direction for the technician to get her photo, so when we go back hopefully they can get more accurate shots of her spine. Also, I learned during the scan that I have an anterior placenta, which can prevent me from feeling movement until much later. Normally, the placenta grows at the back of the uterus (posterior placenta) but mine is on the front, between my belly and uterus, which acts as a barrier between me and the baby. It’s totally fine and nothing to worry about, but it looks like I’ll be waiting a little longer to feel those baby kicks!
The highlight of the appointment was when Dan said “I’m ecstatic to have a daughter. I can’t wait to dance with her at her wedding.” Just thinking about that had me tearing up … not only at how sweet my husband is, but at the prospect that this teeny, tiny, human who is currently swimming around my stomach will someday grow up to be a woman. It’s way too much to think about at one time. For now, I just want to keep her close, right where she is, and anxiously await those first kicks.