Today the baby is officially at 12 weeks, which is quite a milestone. At this point, many of the really serious risks a normal pregnancy faces are downgraded from up-all-night-worrying to almost negligible. We are also entering the second trimester, where my symptoms are predicted to shift from nausea and vomiting to dizziness and headaches. According to everything I’ve read, that’s an upgrade.
According to this headache I’ve had for two days, I might prefer the occasional vomiting. The jury is still out.
But the very best part of being at 12 weeks is that this morning I got to have a nuchal translucency screening. This was great news because the doctor was able to confirm that the baby does not have any significiant risk for Down syndrome, based solely on a single measurement they take via external ultrasound. Easiest baby test ever.
That diagnostic ultrasound also meant I got to see the baby today, and it looks like a real human baby now! I couldn’t believe it — there was a little nose and chin, and flailing arms and kicking legs. It was just like you see on TV, except this one is REAL AND INSIDE MY UTERUS. I teared up a little. I may never stop being amazed at how purely bizarre and wonderful it is to be carrying a new life inside me. I may also be a person who speaks about motherhood in hyperbolic and clichéd terms. For now, I blame that on the hormones.
I’ve also had my first “was that the baby or just a muscle spasm?” moments this week. Now, every time I sneeze, I get this weird feeling in my lower abdomen that is, well … weird. If I didn’t know there was a fetus floating around in amniotic fluid down there, I’d say it felt like a school of very tiny goldfish fighting over some food. In my bladder. But I think it might be the baby freaking out and thrashing because it is very concerned about the body-convulsing sneeze it just endured.
Or maybe it’s just gas.
Anyway, here’s a nice profile shot from our latest ultrasound photos. Look at that FACE!!
Snapshot of Baby Harding at 12 weeks. Looking good, little one!
