So, I want to just skip to the good stuff: when preparing for the amnio, we found out that our baby is a BOY!!! (I knew it, I knew it, I knew it!) =)To conduct the amnio, an ultrasound has to be performed so that the doctor can see where the baby is. The point is to avoid pricking the fetus when inserting the needle to pull out some of the amniotic fluid. In other words, the ultrasound shows the doctor where it is safe to prick the belly and puncture the amniotic sack without ever touching the baby inside.
At first, the person doing the ultrasound couldn't figure out what sex he was because his umbilical cord was sitting right in between his legs, and we couldn't get a good view. It seemed like it took a long time, but finally the technician was able to jiggle the baby enough so that we could see. (Incidentally, the technician informed us that we had a really active baby in there. He was moving all over the place) I had tears in my eyes when I learned. Of course, I think this is because I was really happy to hear that we had a boy. But also, it just made our having a baby (inside me!) that much more Real~!
This is one of the many pictures we got after the ultrasound. The baby is about 5.5 inches long here. The line shooting up from his face is his left arm, which he always happens to have in the "air" when we do our ultrasounds! We got a couple of other pictures, which I won't put up here. First, we got one of the babies testicles with an arrow pointing to them. I figure I don't want the kid to grow up mad at me for showing the world his privates, so that pictures is staying under wraps. Also, we got a 3-D picture of the baby too. I won't put that one up because, to be honest, he just doesn't look too great in that picture. - What I mean to say is, that the image is kind of spooky. The image is just clear enough to make out a lot - but still weird/vague enough to give everything this kind of gooey, macabre edge to it. I think it's an image that only a mom and dad (and maybe close relatives) would want to see anyway.
So, in addition to announcing our baby's sex, I also wanted to describe what the amnio was like. I have to say that it wasn't nearly as bad as I was anticipating. I'm usually not that squeamish about these things, but I had been pricked one too many times in the arm recently for the many pre-natal blood tests, and I was starting to get really tired of that. (It was starting to really hurt! More and more every time!) Another reason I was all frightened was because I had done a lot of reading, and descriptions of the procedure seemed so vivid and dramatic. I had also seen a video of amniocentesis on YouTube, and it was really graphic. (I don't recommend anyone watching any of those videos before going in for an amnio - really, it doesn't help at all) Apparently the procedure shown on YouTube is from the 80s, and it isn't accurate anymore anyway. But knowing that didn't make me feel any more relieved about how awful the test looked. Finally, I knew that there was a chance of miscarriage. And with that in mind, I thought there must be no way that this procedure could be minor, routine, harmless, or "unpainful".
But it was. First the doctor gave me a shot of anaesthetic, which really was harmless. As he was giving it to me, he informed me that that first prick was really going to be the extent of the pain... which was a big relief. Really, it was much less bothersome than the blood test pricks one gets when blood is drawn from the arm... The whole process only took about 3 minutes - if that. Also, I was very grateful, because my particular doctor tried to engage me with some light conversation, which helpfully distracted me from the actual process. Finally, when everything was all done, he stuck a bandaid on my tummy and told Scott to take me out to eat! : )
As for side-effects, I really didn't feel any of those either. The doctor said to be careful of cramping or bleeding mostly. But fortunately, I have felt quite normal since then (three days ago now). (Although I might mention that that night I slept extra long and hard - I really slept in the next day too!) I've been taking it easy for the past couple of days. The doctor warned me and Scott from my doing much exercise, lifting objects over 20 pounds, or doing practically anything that would put pressure on my belly. As far as I'm concerned, this so-called "bed rest" thing has been just fine with me though. I haven't really lifted a finger since the procedure - and it's been a great excuse for not having to exercise too : ) Finally today, though, I took a nice long walk so that I'll be ready for Yoga by next week. By the way, when I finally took my band-aid off a day-and-half later, one of the injection points was a little blue, like I had a small bruise there. It's already clearing up though.
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