Week 12, 1st Trimester - 1st Trimester Screening

January 29, 2014

Today we had our third ultrasound scan for baby + first trimester screening to screen out the risk of baby having Down Syndrome. 

First trimester screening:

The doctor will use ultrasound to measure nuchal translucency, which is a collection of fluid under the skin at the back of baby's neck. The screen must be done between the 11th week to 13th week of pregnancy. Research has shown that babies with Down Syndrome have an increased amount of fluid (>2mm thickness is considered high risk). After measuring, doctor said that our baby is low risk so I did not need to go through the blood test which costs RM750 (hurrah!)!

Something funny that happened... because the doctor had to measure the fluid underneath the baby's neck, it could only be done from a certain angle, so we had to wait for baby to shift its position to face the side. Dunno is it because papa is always telling baby to face us and smile for the camera and to show little birdy (if yes), our baby is always facing us directly each time we do an ultrasound! So after 15 minutes of baby not nudging and always looking at us and waving his hands and feet around despite us coaxing for it to turn around, doctor asked us to go out and wait while she served other patients first. =_=||| The second time we went in, baby looked like it had fallen asleep, but still in the forward-facing position! So doctor asked us to go out and wait again. Until the third time I climbed on the bed (tired...), all three of us (papa, me and doctor) were practically pleading with the baby to please turn around so that doctor could scan the back of its neck! Papa said: "look up baby! got cicak!" =_=||| And our doctor was like: "oi... faster, i wanna go home lah..." In the end I did some breathing and abs exercise and doctor scanned again and voila! This time she got it. Phew~~~~~

Our appointment lasted from 2.30pm to 4.30pm, which almost made us get stuck in the CNY home-bound traffic from Penang to Ipoh... luckily still not too bad.

When I reached home I told my mom about the experience and she concluded that baby is stubborn, just like me~~~~~ T.T||| 

Oh ya, this time the hospital gave us a nice paper frame to hold our baby ultrasound picture. And we stuck it on the fridge. So baby is now looking at me whenever I reach into the fridge to grab some milk. :P