First trimester screening (11 weeks 5 days)

Well believe it or not, we're about a week and a few days away from the start of our second trimester. We had our first trimester screening today and if you recall, the first trimester screening is an optional screening test for Down Syndrome and Trisomy 18.

I am happy to report that this visit went really well. Since we're having twins, I had to have my appointment at a perinatal clinic that specializes in high-risk pregnancies. The clinic was located on the hospital grounds of where I plan to deliver, so it was nice to see that we'd only be about 3 minutes away from the hospital (after we move to our new place in early Fall).

The visit was also far less overwhelming than my first OB visit, perhaps having had the information sunk in a lot earlier. The ultrasound technician did a pretty lengthy 30 minute ultrasound scan, taking over 20 pictures of every possible angle and measuring everything possible (I only came home with a few duplicates though). But today also marked another first... I got to see my babies in 3D, which was very, very cool. I didn't catch their length and weight measurements, but I did get to hear their wonderful heartbeats again and caught glimpses of the outlines of their brains, stomachs, and the umbilical cords.

The great news is that they are both growing normally, in accordance to their estimated due date. The tech said they're also reacting to the pressure from the ultrasound wand, which was a good sign. As a part of the screening, she measured the nuchal translucency (NT), which is almost like a pocket of fluid behind the baby's neck. Both of the babies had the fluid visible, but both appeared to measure within normal ranges.

By the way, the tech kept chuckling as she did the ultrasound since both babies were rather squirmy and active, and it was initially difficult for her to get some good shots of them. She even predicted that Baby A will be our stubborn child, since he/she was REALLY not cooperating with having his/her picture taken. But after much prodding (via ultrasound wand), she finally managed to get some good angles on him/her. Here are the 3D scans:

Profile of Baby A (heartbeat was 168 bpm)

Front of Baby B (heartbeat was 169 bpm). In case you are wondering, no he/she isn't putting itself in a chokehold. The doctor said those lines by the head were just parts of the skull.

After the tech left the room, the perinatalogist came in and did another ultrasound, verifying everything that the tech had said. Her exact words were, "You can leave the clinic today knowing that the ultrasound is normal." What a relief to hear. She then went over some of my and DH's genetic history and reviewed some future steps in the unlikely event (she was very careful to say this) that the blood test comes back indicating a higher risk for Down Syndrome or Trisomy 18. Fingers crossed we won't have to go there!!! A painful finger prick later and some blood drawn, and I was home free. We should be expecting the results in about 3-5 days.

I was also reminded to come back for my 20 week fetal anatomy screening where we will most likely learn the gender of the babies, which will be in 8 short weeks! I can't wait. Any predictions so far?