About my ultrasound

It was on October 26th.

I learned several important things.

1. My baby's umbilical cord has three blood vessels. That's the normal and hoped for number. My friend, who is due next month, has a cord with only two vessels, and this causes her and her doctors much concern.

2. Anatomically, my baby is formed as you would expect. Internal organs are growing appropriately and in the proper location.

3. My baby is a girl baby. The ultrasound technician seemed in no doubt about this. When she told me this, tears began seeping out of my eyes (not hers). The technician asked if I was ok, if I needed to stop for a minute. I told her no, I was fine, and then I told myself to pull it together. It was kind of hard. I didn't anticipate that I'd have such a strong reaction. For the next several hours, I couldn't tell anyone without getting teary or choked up.

4. My placenta is not where it's supposed to be. Yet. It may still move, but right now, it is partially over the cervical opening of the uterus. It needs to move up to be completely clear of the cervix so that I can safely deliver this baby in the expected and desired way. They will do another sound at 26 weeks to see if the placenta is moving up. I'm told that it usually does. If it doesn't, I will deliver this baby by cesarean section. In the meantime, I have been put on certain restrictions. No vigorous exercise, for example. And absolutely no unnecessary heavy lifting.

In case you're wondering, my 2 1/2-year-old son is heavy. And sometimes I have to lift him. But I have to minimize that. This wasn't too hard to do when Jeremy was home--as he was most of the week last week because of Hurricane Sandy. But when he's gone, it's very challenging.

I don't like these restrictions. I bristle at them and want to rebel against them.  But I'm being an obedient little pregnant person. Or doing the best I can.

One thing that can happen if I am disobedient (or also if I'm not and for no reason) is sudden bleeding. Bleeding is never good during pregnancy, as you probably know. Knowing this threat is in the background of my life has had strange consequences. I now run mental scenarios--what would I do if I suddenly started bleeding badly while alone at home with Edmund? Or all three boys? Who would I call first--the midwives or Jeremy? And so on. Last night I dreamt of blood in the toilet. In the dream, I could smell the blood. (Ever smell things in your dreams?) But in my heart--or deeper, at that level where you know things and you don't know why--I don't think I will bleed.

And I don't know if it's fear or knowing, but I don't think my placenta is going to move. I want it to. But I just don't have confidence that it will. I will probably write more about this thought and what it would mean to me, but later.

Also, more about #3 above in another post.