Love Thursday: Introducing la Piccola
La Piccola recently completed the first five months of her journey out of my womb. She weighs 620g (about 1 lb. 4 oz.) and is about 30 cm long (nearly 1 foot.) She likes to spend mornings and evenings exercising her legs and seems to have a predilection for wiggling her tongue. She reacts more to Bach than to Schumann. We'll try Mahler next.
Waiting a month for the results of the amniocentesis was stressful, and I was so worried the day we went to pick them up at the lab that I didn't even want to open the folder they were in. But I overcame my fear with just a little prodding and encouragement from N. The results were negative for Down Syndrome and confirmed that the baby is a girl. We did have a bit of a scare, though, because the results also showed an elevated level of alpha-feto protein, which can indicate a neural tube defect like spina bifida. Fortunately, this time we only had to wait a few days to find out that everything was fine. Last evening, I had an extensive ultrasound and the doctor found no evidence of any defects. As the picture above shows, we even had our first look at her face.
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12 responses:
OMG! That's so amazing to be able to see her face! Imagine when she's older and you can all look back at that picture.
I'm so happy to hear that everything is going well. I can only imagine the stress of waiting for the test results :S
congratulations on what sounds like a healthy pregancy, and good wishes for an easy delivery. congrats on the impending nuptials! i have friends who are thinking of moving to Italy (Bologna) from the US, so i've been doing some research for them. sounds like you are having an amazing time, so i will share your blog with them. actually, you might like (or may already know about)a new video communication service they're planning to use to keep in touch with us poor 'ole folk back in the states. it seems like a pretty cool way us to keep in touch face to face - we'll find out soon. i believe it's www.expat-blog.com and i think it's free, too. enjoy the rest of your pregnancy!.
Wow, ciao Piccola (the baby, that is - not infantilizing you)! That looks like one of those 3D ultrasounds? Glad you are doing well. Over the halfway hump now!
Michelle
Delina, I've seen 3-D ultrasounds done even later in pregnancy and sometimes the images are almost like photography. It is amazing.
Thanks, anonymous! About the nuptials, though, we're already married- twice, actually! Thanks, though.
Hi Michelle! My doctor does the 3-D ultrasound, but not very often. He uses it mostly for faces. What a relief to be more than halfway to delivery! I hope that the next four months are less stressful for both of us.
That photo is amazing! I remember seeing the old sonagram pictures that just looked like streaks of light. How wonderful to be able to see her face. I'm so glad that all the tests turned out fine. And, glad to have you back. I missed your blog! Hope you had a great vacation though.
What a great picture of the bub! How exciting!
And congrats on reaching the halfway point.
La Piccola è bellissima! So glad to hear things are going well :)
Thanks, mb! The vacation went pretty well. I'm planning to do a couple of posts but I still haven't gotten around to uploading all my photos yet.
Thanks kataroma! My doctor also gives us a tape of the ultrasounds and there were even better shots on that. He's just not very good at capturing still shots. But it's amazing to be able to actually look at her!
Thanks, sognatrice! N wasn't convinced about posting the picture because he thought that maybe she looked beautiful only to us. But I figured that everyone would realize that it's just an ultrasound and it's still only the second trimester. But all in all, she is pretty cute!
K, I am so glad to see you back with us! I am absolutely thrilled that all of your tests have turned out well! So, I will assume that she is kicking away? Awwww, I miss that... it's the greatest feeling!
Enjoy these last few months. As weird as it may sound, even though you will experience that joy of holding her in your arms and seeing her in person, you will feel a bit of a loss at not having her inside of you anymore. It's two different worlds... you'll see!
Best wishes. :)
Thanks, Giulia! I'm glad to be back. I was so stressed out waiting for the results that I just didn't feel like writing. La Piccola is quite the kicker, and I'm beginning to understand what you mean about being a bit disappointed when she won't be in my belly anymore! I love to think of her in there, poking around and flexing her legs.
That is great news!!!! I am sure that takes a huge weight off your shoulders...and you can now enjoy your pregnancy once again ;)
Yes, Robin, it is such a relief!
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