On Friday my wife and I went for the second and last scan at the local hospital. I was obviously quite excited about it – one of my pupils even told me to relax! The hospital was the usual sort of NHS hospital (although I’ve never been in any others it seems typical). A number of other mothers and variously nervous or relaxed partners were waiting with them.
After just short of an hour we were taken into the scan room and my wife laid out for her ‘favourite’ bit – the gel! The sonographer squirted large lumpy ropes of this clear stuff on her tummy which was clearly as cold as can be! Our baby came up on the tv soon after that and despite how much I had tried to prepare myself for it it still took me back a bit. I knew from the books I have been reading that the baby is essentially fully formed by now – its just a question of growing from now on – but to see all that beautiful intricate detail was extraordinary and I have to say quite emotional.
It was quite weird in a sense how much you could see – I think I was slightly freaked out when at one point the sonar ‘beam’ showed the eye sockets of the baby’s skull. You could pretty much see everything – in fact the sonographer was even measuring structures inside the baby’s brain! She had started at the top of the baby and was moving through its body like a cross section pausing every so now and then to measure something vital.
Now as for that crucial bit of detail – we still don’t know!. She had warned us when we were getting down to the waist area and so we both shut our eyes. I really didnt want to know and my wife doesnt mind but she decided if she knew she wouldnt be able to keep it from me so she shut her eyes as well.
But still what a moment – being able to see the baby’s heart pumping was something else. Its hard to put into words what its like seeing so much of a child I provided at least something towards as all I was feeling was just incredibly excited at seeing something we would be looking after so soon. I was particularly impressed to see the baby hiccuping as well!
I am really looking forward to meeting my child now – my wife had a dream the other night that she took the baby out to have a look at it and then put it back inside. I can understand what she is feeling – these three and a half months are going to be exciting (and a little terrifying!)
