Week 21 - Baby A
The ultrasound technicians must say the same thing to every set of parents: “Oh, what a beautiful baby,”… “She is so photogenic!”… “Perfect kidneys”… “They are the cutest twins – so perfectly matched!”… “An A+ visit today!” This is our 5th time seeing our babies on the screen, and I think we always bought the lines and subconsciously puffed up in pride and optimism at the complements. Today, however, our view was a little different. We think they’re nuts!
Today, the sonogram technician “flipped a switch” that we’ve never seen before: the newest technology in ultrasounds - so new in fact that CPMC is the only hospital in San Francisco to have it – 3-D pictures. We went from seeing the flat fuzzy linear etchings of shape (which we were used to interpreting) to all the sudden seeing contours, shadow, depth and dimension. It’s fascinating to see the details, but the lines about our babies being so “photogenic” and “beautiful” are no longer convincing. See for yourself…
OK – so they look like burn victims. It’s alright to think it – we think so, too. We understand where horror-film directors and make-up artists get their inspiration. They have gone though this too! They are still a bit ribby in someplaces and a bit bumpy in others, but they are half-baked and the images are based on sound waves, which can have some interference… They do have sweet faces – closed little eyes like they are sleeping and sweet little lips and a nose. I can make out the right hand on which she is sleeping, but what’s that other thing? A claw or an umbilical cord? I hope it’s not an arm!
We left the office laughing and unsure if we should share these photographs with others lest they think that we create monsters rather than babies. People at my work who asked to see, even after the disclaimer I gave, were rather quiet and brief – they didn’t study them as long as they had previous photos that used the old technology. I don’t know – you decide: is the 3-D a better way to view a baby or does it just scare us a bit more?
The good news, everything is still doing great. The babies are a total match, exactly the same weight: 441 grams (about a pound) each, which the technician says is a first in her 14-year experience. Their length is no longer easily measured by the ultrasound as they don’t fit in one frame anymore, but the book we have says they are about 7.5 inches from the top of their head to their bum (legs are extra). I’ve gained 33 pounds now and would like to start shopping for some flat shoes. I thought that I’d wait since I was convinced that my feet would spread soon and thus change the size, but it hasn’t happened yet, and my doctor has questioned the short-heeled mules that I have been using.
It’s taken 21 weeks for them to grow from nothing to a pound. In the next 4 weeks, they should grow another pound, thus doubling their weight. I can only imagine what that’s going to do to my belly, back and ribs! Guess I should start filling out my disability paperwork so I can start a reduced work day and not have to hold their weight all the time. It will be an interesting 4 weeks.
