After getting my parents on their way back south, Evelin and I had our first meeting with the perinatologist. After a bit of talking about why we needed to see a high-risk OB/GYN and our concerns about possible chromosomal problems with this pregnancy based upon how genetically bad almost all the embryos were during our (failed) IVF/PGD cycle were, she got down to business and fired up the ultrasound machine.
Boom, there the little tadpole was on the screen, looking a bit curled up and the heart was fluttering away. The doctor turned on the speakers and we got to actually hear the heartbeat -- 173 bpm -- for the first time. It was amazingly loud and strong sounding, and the doctor said it was right where it should be.
She then did crown-to-rump measurements, and things were measuring right on track: 10 weeks, 3 (or 4) days, which keeps the estimated due date around 30 September/1 October.
Next up, the doctor took looks at different angles (and we got to see the legs stretch out, arms do a little shadow boxing, and a few whole body wiggles) and did the nuchal translucency scan. This is the first test we could do; it measures fluid levels in the folds of skin along the neck of the fetus to determine the possible risk of a chromosomal abnormality.
The danger point is fluid levels of >3 millimeters; all three measurements the doctor took were <2 millimeters, which is a relief. We still are going to have an amniocentesis sometime around 15 weeks, but this was a good first indicator (well that and the fact that this pregnancy has stuck around a lot longer than any previous one ...).
Big smiles today. Very big smiles.
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