The Final Ultrasound

So, an interesting, if not totally illuminating ultrasound visit today.

On the topic of the abnormal umbilical cord for our baby girl that was first seen on last week's ultrasound and the reason for today's visit; the 4 vessels were clearly visible again today. There's supposed to be 3; 1 big vein and 2 arteries, which we could see there, pumping away nicely, and then a 4th empty tube was also still present. After the ultrasound, the doctor was called to talk to us and explained that it was a "very interesting" thing to see and that in 25 years of practice he'd never seen it before. My daughter, the individualist.  He also said that since there was nothing flowing through it, the extra vessel isn't doing anything and is therefore totally unconcerning. He called it a "decoration" several times.  Hey, some girls really know how to accessorize.

We were lucky today, and they did a full scan, including weights, positions etc. etc., so we have new pictures. Our girl wouldn't give a profile, but the two kids did pose for a lovely (if you can see it) picture of the boy in profile kissing the girl on the head. Or whispering in her ear "if you don't get your foot out of my..." It's cuter to think of it the first way.

Our boy in profile (check out that nose!!).
The thing just below his face, in front of him, is his hand pushing out on me as hard as he can. Charming.

This is a little blurry. The girl is labelled Baby B and the outline of her round head is on the left.
The boy is in profile on the right, with the bottom of his nose and lips pressed up against his sister's head.
So sweet!
The thing above his head is his hand, pushing out on me, again. Not quite so sweet.

So, now for the confusing part. They have moved again. Big time. I was convinced the ultrasound tech had the kids reversed until she showed me "boy bits" and "girl bits" to prove it. The girl has flipped over again, and is now breech. The boy has flipped over again, and is now head down. The girl has wedged herself back into the lower position (hence, still a C-section) AND they decided to do a little do-si-do and switched sides, so for the first time, she is on the right and he is on the left. This is essentially a mirror image of where they had been for the last 3 months. Maybe now they can stop with all the gymnastics!

And now for the really confusing part. The ultrasound tech announced that he is 7 lbs 1 oz, and that she is 6 lbs!!!! That's over 13 lbs of baby! While that's fantastic news, it's also hard to believe, since 8 days ago he was 5 1/4 lbs and she was 5 1/2 lbs. Babies at this stage are predicted to gain 1/2 a pound per week. The tech said that different computer systems will calculate weight in different ways which could explain the discrepancy between KGH's numbers and Belleville Hospital's numbers. By inputing her values into a different program, the weights were calculated as 6 1/2 lbs for him, and 5 1/2 lbs for her, still great, but slightly more reasonable. That version of the numbers, however, implies that he gained a pound and a quarter in 8 days and that she gained nothing. So, I'm confused. If nothing else, it makes me that much more eager to meet them in person!

So, as I said before, a very interesting, if not totally illuminating day.

Nancy