One of a Kind Special Edition

16 May 2011

I had my 1st obstetrical ultrasound this morning. At first it started out just like the hundred or so ovary scans I've had. I was just as nervous as all of those, if not more so. My RE said these are the scans he finds the most nerve wracking too. The wand went in and a large black circle appeared on the screen. Then he changed the angle a bit and there were two little shapes inside. A gummy bear shaped little embryo and round little lunch box yolk sac. They took measurements of everything and said it all looked right on track. One really healthy looking 10mm bean in there!

Then they turned the sound on, and we got to hear the little heartbeat. Thump thump, thump thump, and I could now see the flicker on the screen too. This is where DH, the nurse, and my RE all lost it and got a little choked up. I was still in awe staring at the screen to do much else -incredible.

Not to be left out, my fibroid also got some attention. Her measurements haven't changed yet, she's still at the 3cm mark and just hanging out on the outside of back of my uterus supervising all the goings-on. Apparently fibroids can grow, shrink, or stay the same in response to pregnancy hormones. I'm glad it's not changed in over a year, and even if it grows it shouldn't cause an issue for the baby, but may become uncomfortable for me.

After the ultrasound, my RE shook my hand and DH's and said "Well, we've really beaten the odds here, congratulations you two". I know how incredibly lucky we are to be sitting on the other side of all that history. It still seems a bit surreal. We discussed what happens from here, and initially my RE felt that everything looked so good that he tried to graduate me right there and then. My first OB appointment isn't until the end of June (at 13.5 weeks), so he agreed to see me once more in another 3 weeks. It will mean another day trip, but I don't mind. When you've done that drive 31 times in the past 14 months, what's one more time?

We spent the day in Victoria and then headed back up Island later in the afternoon. On the way home my husband noticed the car pulling a bit and stopped to check the tires. Sure enough, the front passenger one had developed a bulge. We stopped at our friendly neighbourhood tire place on the way home and caught them just before closing. They had a matching one that was gently used in the shop and replaced it right then for us. Whew, we really have put a lot of miles on the car going back and forth to the clinic.

Reflecting back on the whole experience, we agreed couldn't have asked for a better outcome. With my high initial betas there was a lot of speculation that I might have twins in there. Even my RE admitted that he thought I might be carrying two, but was relieved that there was only one. I'm also very relieved it is just one. Not that I would have been disappointed with two, but the odds of a healthy baby and low risk pregnancy are so much greater with a singleton. This is a one of a kind special edition and we're thrilled beyond belief, and so very grateful for this little miracle.