ultrasound

A regular at the nonstress test clinic, the staff and I have become rather familiar with each other. Yesterday, however, I met a new clinician in training. Nice as could be, she was clearly not as experienced as the other ladies. First, she squirted ice cold gel on my belly instead of the typically warmed substance. As she began to rub the wand over my stomach, I told her that we were keeping the gender a surprise. She said, "Well that's good because I probably wouldn't be able to tell you anyway!" I shot my husband a look across the room. If the technician can't tell me the difference between a boy and a girl baby at 37 weeks, what exactly can she tell?

Often the best way to learn something is to use a hands-on approach, which was clearly the method being practiced. I was happy to be lab rat for the afternoon, but I also felt a tad cheated. Maybe by next week's visit, and God please let there be one, she will have it all figured out or maybe, just maybe, I'll see one of my old friends instead.

Don't forget to check out the Mamas in Waiting group to share your expecting stories!

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Have you ever been in a public restroom and worried that someone might walk in on you while you're squatting? Chances are that's probably happened to you. A similar thing happened to me recently during one of my ultrasounds.

San Francisco's latest and greatest perinatal clinic is fabulous — beautifully decorated with state of the art technology and highly esteemed professionals. The one drawback is that for every two exam rooms, there is one shared bathroom. When you go into the restroom, you have to lock both adjoining doors while using it and then unlock the doors when exiting. To see why this is vital to the story, read more

Witnessing the four chambers of a heart fiercely pounding, examining brain and spine development, and watching the tiny feet and hands move about with ease in utero is breathtaking. For lucky parents–to–be, an ultrasound technician will gather a slew of the baby's first photos for the new family to take home.

As technology now allows, many expecting parents choose to share their news by emailing the black-and-white snapshots of their newest addition. As a way to keep family up–to–date, I like to send the pictures along as the pregnancy progresses. Did you also share your ultrasound pictures?