NT Scan @ 13w2d

Today was our NT scan. This is where they measure the fluid in the back of the baby's neck to see if it has any genetic markers for Down Syndrome. Up until 14 weeks gestation, the back of a baby's neck is translucent. So it was vital that I got this test done this week before it was too late to tell. Honestly, we weren't originally going to have it done. If our baby were to have a genetic defect or DS, it would not matter to us in the least. But it has been 3 weeks since I have had an ultrasound, and I really wanted to see the baby again! Plus, it's covered by insurance -- so why not! The purpose of the test is only so the parents can be prepared if there are abnormalities. I'm so glad we did this! Baby Kirby was sucking its thumb, moving & jumping all around... it was amazing! It even has a normal little body & head now. God is good!

sucking thumb

Bottom line: everything looked normal on the ultrasound. The fluid in the neck only measured around 1.5mm, which is great. Anything over 3mm can indicate DS. They also said it is a good sign that our baby has a nasal bone, as 3 out of 4 DS babies do not. Also, the genetic blood test I took several weeks ago came back negative for abnormalities as well. So we are looking at a very healthy baby here! :-)

Shawn was not able to go with me to the NT Scan. I was pretty sad at first. But they offer to get the whole thing on DVD if you prefer. So the next best thing was to be able to let Shawn watch the video at home. And I'm glad we have a copy to watch whenever we want. It was nice not having to hold my phone up for over 30 minutes to video the entire thing as well.

The other thing that was "discovered" during the scan was the baby's gender! I told them from the moment I laid down that, if they were able to tell the gender, I wanted to look away and have them type it on the screen so Shawn & I could watch it together later that night. About 3/4 through the video, the doctor said I should turn my head. So I did -- I promise! She typed on the screen what she thought the gender appeared to be and said she was 75% sure. Then she told me I could look again and the word was gone. So, after Shawn got home that night, we watched the video together and found out! We are having another gender scan with the OB in 2 weeks, so we want to be sure that the genders match up before we tell anyone. It would suck to tell everyone one thing and then change it a few weeks later. So we will get confirmation (hopefully) on August 27 and then tell our families Labor Day weekend. We are very excited!

Below is a snippet of the NT scan video. This particular part is where the baby sucks its thumb. So cute!! There are 2 reasons that I am not posting the entire video yet: 1) I'm having trouble getting it uploaded to youtube from the DVD, and 2) The end of the video shows the could-be gender!! I'm not that stupid! Haha! I will figure out a way to upload the whole thing in a few weeks, after the big reveal. It's pretty cool seeing Baby K jump around like a wild child. Enjoy!