Baby Belly

I am officially filling out my maternity pants. I have been wearing these shorts almost exclusively all summer just because they are so much more comfortable than a button digging into my gut. My regular shirts are also starting to get tight/short/small so it might be time to make a permanent move into mommy clothes.

We have completed the first round of blood tests, carrier screenings, as well as the 12 week screening and ultrasound for Down syndrome ... all have returned to be considered in the normal ranges. Next week is the final portions of the Quad screen. Obviously the most important for us is the alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) levels. 

A baby produces AFP throughout gestation and a certain amount of it should cross the placenta into the mother's bloodstream at each stage of pregnancy. Normally, low levels of AFP can be found in the blood of a pregnant woman. High AFP levels can indicate multiple conditions, including carrying more than one baby or that the baby is farther along than expected. However, it can also indicate an abnormal opening in the baby's spine (spina bifida), head or abdominal wall that is allowing AFP to leak out. This screening detects about 85% of babies with spina bifida. 

We also have a Level II ultrasound scheduled for 18 weeks with the same high risk doctors we worked with in February. This anatomy scan is scheduled about two weeks earlier than most in order to determine any birth defects as early as possible. Below are images from the twelve week ultrasound. (The baby's heartbeat at 12 weeks was in the 160's...old wive's tales indicate that is a girl!)

These two images show the baby face down, including the back of the head, neck and shoulders. 

The top picture I think shows the baby face up(?)  and belly, with the arm by the head. Not exactly sure what the second image is, but the hemispheres of the brain are visible.