Second Trimester Ultrasound

This morning Joe and I went to USC for our second trimester ultrasound.  The waiting room was packed.  Something you never want to see in a doctor’s office.  We ended up waiting over an hour.  My appointment was at 10:15 but I didn’t get in until 11:25.  They had two doctors on staff and the one I was supposed to see was backed up.  I complained about the wait because people who came in after me only had to wait 30 minutes before seeing the other doctor.  So, they got me in to see him instead and they validated our parking which they normally don’t do.  I don’t condone being rude or impatient but sometimes it’s worth it to ask.  I feel like I am patient for a reasonable amount of time.  But then my patience runs out.  I was very thankful to see the other doctor because I have no idea how long we’d have had to wait if not. 

The appointment didn’t take that long.  Maybe 15-20 minutes.  He waved the wand around my tummy and made all kinds of measurements.  He explained what we were looking at each time.  It was really funny because I liked the way he said “your baby.”  He would say, “Here’s your baby’s head, Here’s your baby’s body, Here’s your baby’s leg, Here’s your baby’s arm, Here’s your baby’s umbilical cord, Here’s your baby’s spinal cord and rib cage.”  It was so cool.  We got to see detailed shots of our baby’s mouth and nose and fingers and toes.  And we could see its bones and brain.  Its hand was sticking up by its face.  It took the doctor a while to get a good shot to measure the head and I almost got a little bit concerned but the baby was just moving around a lot.  Joe even asked, “Is the baby really moving around that much or is that the wand.”  No, our baby really is squirming all around that much.  Joe said it already sleeps like me, always moving around.  If we’re ever all in the same bed, he said he’s going to sleep on the couch.

The doctor said all the measurements were normal and I’m right on target for my due date, March 24th.  He said I’m 19 weeks and 6 days so tomorrow I’ll be 20 weeks.  My regular doctor had told me Tuesday was when I’d be 20 weeks but the USC facility has more detailed and precise machines so I think they’re more accurate.  The doctor even explained where the baby was sitting in my belly.  It’s right on top of my bladder, which explains why I have to go the bathroom so often.  The head is just below my belly button.  It was looking toward my right side.  The back is resting toward my left side and its feet are down low.  So it’s basically sitting kind of up right.  I knew it felt like I was being kicked super low.  Now I know it really is kicking me down there.  We got a print out of the baby and a profile shot of the baby's head.