19 weeks, 5 days

Yesterday, at 19+4 weeks, we had our 20 week scan!

Both Jon and I had been looking forward to it so much! It was our chance to see them again… and see them we did!

So finally the mystery of their gender has been revealed, however, we can’t unveil it until the weekend!! We are throwing a “gender reveal party” (very American, I know – although more than a party, it’s a gathering of family) and we must keep the news secret for a few more days. It’s only been one day and I am already finding it difficult! It’s like not telling people that you’ve won an amazing prize or something like that.

So we got to the gynaecology ward and were seen pretty much straight away. The nurse (Andrea) told us that it was going to be a lengthy scan and that at times she would be very quiet as she had to concentrate on what she was doing. And the scan was lengthy alright. We were there for a full hour! But it wasn’t entirely her fault. The fault was mainly of Dixie, who happens to be completely upside down and there was no way of getting it to show its face! (See how I’m using “it” here, hehehe). So a good 40 minutes of the scan were spent with Dixie (bottom one – they’re still one on top of the other, pretty much, although not so obvious as in the 12 week scan) going through its body from head to toe – literally.

Unfortunately, because of its awkward position the nurse had lots of trouble with measurements and finding certain parts, etc. It also meant that she shook my belly quite roughly a few times in order to make Dixie move. The trick didn’t quite work and I found it a bit uncomfortable, to be honest, but I didn’t say anything because it was more important that she got what she needed. (Actually, my belly is a tiny bit sore today and I think it’s because of all the shaking and pushing hard. Also, I am no longer concerned about Tommy treading on my belly, as when he does it it feels like nothing compared!)

After all the trouble with Dixie, we all thought that Pixie was going to be a much easier baby, due to its position above Dixie and because it’s more conventional “lying down” position. And although it was easier, Dixie also made the nurse work extra hard. Eventually, when we thought Andrea was done, she went and called her supervisor (Val, who did my 12 week scan) to see if she could get to see Dixie’s lips (in order to determine cleft lip or not) which was still missing from the first half.

All in all it was a great experience, because we got to see them both with much more detail than the previous times. We could see their faces (mainly Pixie’s though), their legs, their hands, their ribs and spine, their heads, etc. And the best news of all is that they are both healthy, everything is in its place and growing at the rate that they should be.

Here are the pictures that we got yesterday:

This is Pixie (top one)

This is Dixie (bottom one – and a very awkward picture, sorry!)

And this is somehow both of them together…

 

 

On other news… I got to feel the babies move the other night! Funnily enough a few people had been asking me if I had felt them yet, and I kept shaking my head 🙁 But then, one night (I believe it was Saturday night) I felt something, like a bubble, and it was like a new feeling.. not something I had felt before. I was over the moon! Unfortunately, I am not sure if it has happened again since then. Sometimes I feel something, but in a milder and softer way, and I am kept wondering if it’s the babies or just food passing through… At least now I can tick it off the list, as I was getting a tiny bit concerned about not having felt them yet…

And here is my weekly photo update!