At least, we did have a few weeks to go, right up until yesterday when during a routine visit the doctor became concerned that Hollie's fundal height (yay for pregnancy terminology!) hadn't changed since her last visit earlier this month. In layman's terms, the doc was concerned that the baby hadn't grown much, if at all, in the last three weeks. As this is a cause for concern, the doc ordered an ultrasound to double check that everything is progressing as it should.
Now, this really should be no big deal, right? Doc find something she wants to check, she checks it. That's how it should work. I know from experience that when the doctor made this observation, she and Hollie were sitting in an exam room no more than 15 feet from an ultrasound machine. Heck, they've got a little ultrasound they can wheel right into the exam room. See a potential problem; check for confirmation. Seems like a fairly straightforward process.
And it would be, except that our health insurance, which changed about three months ago, now doesn't cover fetal ultrasounds at the OB/GYN office. It only covers ultrasounds at the radiology clinic half a mile away. Which requires a separate appointment. And a referral. And a separate co-pay. And at least a day of waiting to find out if, in fact, OUR BABY IS TOO SMALL! (Incidentally, no one every explained what we would do if this was actually the case. Are there fetal steroids? Fetal protein powder? Tiny barbells surgically implanted in the womb?)
I can rant now because I know that everything is fine. The benefit of hindsight allows me to be angry at the system that let us stew for 24 hours rather than provide answers that were literally at our physician's fingertips. But seriously, how much sense does any of this make? My mom's a nurse; I should ask her.
In any case, we were thankfully able to schedule an ultrasound for first thing this morning. The next worry is that we'll end up with the same tech from the first go round, who didn't exactly inspire confidence in this particular medical establishment.
I sling a fair amount of sarcasm in this here blog, but I'd like to press pause on the snark for a second to say that our tech this morning was an absolute pleasure. I can't speak for Hollie, and all the poking and prodding that likely occurred before I was allowed into the room, but this tech was everything that our previous tech was not. She was polite, friendly, knowledgeable and reassuring. She gave us every assurance that this particular set of ultrasound measurements were clear and accurate.
So yes, our baby is growing (if anything, the baby is a bit bigger than you'd expect for 27 weeks and 6 days. 3.4 pounds! Apparently, that's about the right size for 29 weeks and 3 days. Take that, fundal measurements!). Yes, all the right parts are there. And yes, she is, with as much certainty as an ultrasound can provide, a girl.
And here is her face.
I realize it's a bit hard to make out in a still image, but trust me, this is a face. It's easier to see when you've watched the live image. Passing the ultrasound wand over the baby is almost like watching a 3D image. Looking at one snapshot of that picture is like looking at one slice of that image.The black space in the center is her forehead, and just below that you can make out her right eye, nose and mouth. Much like last time, our daughter was very shy. While she didn't turn away from the wand, her left hand was covering her face for a good portion of the exam. That's why her left eye is mostly obscured in this shot. At one point the fingers on her left hand clenched and unclenched while we watched, which could either mean she was waving, or shooing us away. (Or it was involuntary fetal movement. Oops, must've pressed the snark button again.)
As annoying as the entire process was, I'm glad we got to see her again, and I'm glad everything is fine.
So glad she's doing a-okay!
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