Tuesday 9 August 2011

Meet Stanley or Lucy!

This is our little foetus... no longer an embryo! That's because I'm almost 8 weeks gestation.  By online calculators I was 8 weeks on the 8th of the 8th, the date of our scan but the hospital have always said my due date is the 22nd March for now, so three days later.  Sure enough when they did the scan I was told the baby is measured at 7+5, so I am 7 weeks 6 days today.

The picture is a little blurred but you can clearly see the yolk sac in the middle like a little speech bubble.  The baby's head is on the right and you can see it's little hands and feet which are just little buds. She showed us the beating heart and it was so fast! The baby  measures 13.7 mm long! So just the side of a kidney bean really!

How amazing! We can't believe it.



Yesterday started off horrifically. We were so nervous.  We both said that it's the most nervous that we've ever been, wedding day included.  Mr Waiting was up and about at 4am.  I tossed and turned until 6:30am.  Once up I had a few retching moments, probably caused by nerves rather than pregnancy sickness! We set off at 8:30am and arrived with plenty of time for our 9:20 appointment.  However, there was a half hour wait when we got there and the room was full of pregnant women with their maternity notes blue bags (I so can't wait to get one) and big bumps.  I had to drink 2 pints of water before my appointment so at this point I was desperate for the toilet!

Eventually my name was called.  I lay on the bed, shaking a bit.  She asked how many embryos we had had put back and was very surprised that they only let me have one put back.  Mr Waiting held my hand (he later said that the amount I squeezed it was actually quite painful!).  He was looking at the screen while I was busy trying not to hyperventilate.  She put the cold gel on my tummy and searched around, pressing quite hard, which made me need a wee even more.  It went really quiet for a while, probably no longer than thirty seconds but it felt like hours.  In the meantime I was studying Mr Waiting's face. He looked anxious.  It looked to me like he couldn't see anything there, that there was nothing.  I tried to look and she said "Just a minute, then I'll show you".  After she said that I was relieved, I knew it was ok.

A few seconds later she turned the screen round and showed us the baby.  She said it was measuring under 8 weeks so she couldn't date the pregnancy yet and that would get done at my 12 week scan.  I asked if there was a heartbeat and she zoomed in and you could see the little thing (taking up most of baby!) beating so so fast. It was the most amazing thing I've ever seen and although I didn't actually cry, my voice went and I was so emotional.  I think after that point I talked incessantly and kept complaining about needing a wee!

We went out of the scan room and Mr Waiting went to get a token for the photo (£4!!).  Meanwhile I went to the toilet, desperate for a wee.  Did that, then promptly threw up - due to relief I think! The relief was immense but the anxiety took a while to wane.

Afterwards we had to take the scan report with all the measurements (and the line "viable interuterine pregnancy!) up to the department of reproductive medicine.  We were taken to a little room but the nurse just basically said "that's it! You'll hear from us after you've had your baby and we'd appreciate it if you could let us know some details like the name, weight, sex, etc.".  It would be an absolute pleasure doing so.  So we are officially discharged from the fertility clinic! How amazing! A year ago we didn't even know that we needed to go there yet (we found out at the end of August/September) and now look! We are well on our way to becoming parents, of having the baby we've only dreamt of until now.

After the scan we went into town, mightily relieved and texting the photo to many people who had been waiting for news (and worrying in the case of my dad, due to the delay!).  We went for brunch as we hadn't eaten since the night before and talked baby non-stop, occasionally letting out a big intake of breath that had been held there for hours, weeks, years?

I got some 'fat' clothes (i.e elasticated waist jeans - trendy, not granny, I assure you!) as I'm already having tight clothing issues even though it's bloat and fat not baby (given the amount I'm eating!) and Mr Waiting treated himself to some things too. Then it was baby's turn! Mr Waiting bought me a charm for my Pandora bracelet to mark the occasion. We went for a little giraffe as we are fond of them and have a lot of giraffe things that will be in baby's room.  Then we went to Mothercare and got a beautiful blanket for Stanley.

Yes, Stanley.  For some reason we always call the baby Stanley.  Poor little Lucy, if she is a Lucy, being called Stanley all the way through! In front of others though we will refer to him as "the baby" as we won't be revealing our names til the birth.





So, that's today's update.  What an update!

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