Life in Dar: October 19, 2008

20 weeks and 1 day pregnant!

This week we had a great ultrasound and doctor’s appointment. The first interesting piece of news is that either we had an initial misunderstanding with my doctor, or we calculated wrong from the beginning, but she claims that my due date has always been March 7th, instead of March 11th. Granted, four days does not make such a difference at that point in the game, but it does mean that as of yesterday I am already 20 full weeks – or halfway through the pregnancy! And here is your halftime show…

First we had the ultrasound on Thursday. We got to see it on a big, fancy machine with 3D-4D features so we could see some really cool images of Simba. The ultrasound doctor (who is different than my regular obstetrician) was pleased with everything he saw, and he saw almost everything! He measured the baby’s brain, spine, heart (with all four chambers developed properly), various other bones, and the placenta as well. Everything was developing on time, in the correct proportions, and most body parts were surprisingly easy for us to identify on our own. We saw the baby’s hands with all five fingers, and profiles of his or her little feet (I especially loved those parts!). The heartbeat was healthy at 149 beats per minute, and the baby was moving for the entire ultrasound, which was at least 20 minutes. We could easily see Simba’s knees and elbows moving, which are motions I am starting to feel with more regularity. We asked not to find out the baby’s sex, so it still remains a mystery, but we both definitely have the feeling at this point that we are having a boy. We are still brainstorming girl’s names, though, because we really won’t know until March!

The only possibly-unusual things that caught the doctor’s eye during the ultrasound were some very clear calcium deposits in one of the chambers of Simba’s heart. He said that unless there was some abnormality to accompany them, however, that they are nothing to worry about. My sister Meghan also confirmed that two of her children had the same deposits in utero and had no heart problems at all. He said it is just something we’ll keep an eye on at the next ultrasound. This ultrasound was an incredible experience for us to share because Kristoffer missed the last one when Simba waved. We were both so enthralled with the magic of technology and the miracle of our growing child. I told him that I swear I would have an ultrasound every day if I could…I would love to just watch the baby moving around the whole day long!

On Friday we went to visit my doctor, who then discussed the ultrasound report with us, examined me, and answered a long list of questions that I had been saving up for a few weeks. She began the appointment by telling us not to worry about the calcium deposits; because of my heart condition she anticipated that we might be worried and we thought she was so great for addressing that issue right away. We went over all 14 of the pictures we got from the ultrasound; none of them were great full body shots but were mostly zoomed in on specific (and adorable) body parts. Upon examination, Simba’s heart rate was a little bit slower on Friday (only 136 bpm), but she said that if the baby was moving a lot during the ultrasound that would explain why. I hadn’t gained any weight in the last two weeks according to her scale, but I am not so sure I believe it because I look like I’ve gained quite a bit and our scale at home shows different numbers. She said we don’t have to worry too much about weight gain until the third trimester anyway. My blood pressure is in a normal range for me, which is also a healthy range for Simba. The baby is positioned where it should be at 20 weeks and so she was very pleased with the examination.

Next we moved on to start talking about “game day” details. I asked her, “So…when my water breaks do we just call you?” and she responded, “Well yes call me, but also go to the hospital.” Ok! It is probably my biggest fear that, given Nairobi’s well-established history of horrible, horrible traffic, we will get stuck in traffic on the way to the hospital and Kristoffer will have to deliver the baby in our car. He assures me, however, that we will practice several different routes to take to get there so that we have options in a variety of traffic situations. Should be interesting!

Anyway, we learned that our hospital has one regular maternity wing and a newer pavilion, with modern, private rooms and bathrooms (“hotel-like” we’ve heard from other couples). We also learned that we can choose to be a “regular” hospital patient and be delivered by a mid-wife, with assistance from a doctor only if there is a problem, or to be a “private” patient who has her own doctor deliver the baby with the help of a mid-wife. In both cases, we’ll take option B. I strongly feel that this is no time to scrimp on the details and so we will deliver in the pavilion, with my doctor and a mid-wife. We want full-service, absolutely!

We talked about other things like childbirth classes and our next ultrasound in mid-January. I started to tell her that in terms of pain control, I think I really want the drugs! She said that was fine, but also that we could have a deeper conversation about it after we get all the information at the childbirth classes. Kristoffer and I continue to be impressed by her bed-side manner and patience. Even though she was running 30 minutes late for our appointment and had a waiting room full of other women to see after me (at 5:30 pm on a Friday!), she did not make us feel rushed at all and we spent a good 30 minutes with her.

So that’s the halftime report and we’ll see the doctor again in 4 more weeks. Below are some pictures of Simba’s body parts from the ultrasound at 19 weeks and 5 days in utero.

Simba's well-developed sacrum, spine and neck.