Today we went to see Mr Penman for our 12 week Nuchal Scan and screening. His clinic advises that the best time for this test is at 12.5 weeks. We went today as I thought I was 12 weeks and 4 days. Turns out by measurements today together with the date of my last period I am more likely 13 weeks today!!

I love having scans with Mr Penman. He is meticulous and thorough and he talks to you about what he is seeing. He tells you what he is measuring and why, what he is looking for and why.

I always leave his clinic feeling confident and reassured.

On the way to his clinic I am always a nervous wreck, whatever stage of pregnancy I am at. I pester David with questions: What if there is no heartbeat? being my favourite one.

When you go a few weeks without a scan though I find I can convince myself of anything.

But I was worrying today unnecessarily. For there she was our beautiful baby girl, bouncing around with all her bits in the right place inside and out. She has hands and feet, a bladder and therefore kidneys and a stomach underneath her heart.

She has a beautiful butterfly shaped brain devekoping exactly as it should be, so far as we can tell at this stage.

Beautiful Butterfly Brain

There is no thickening to the fat pad at the back of the neck and she has a nasal bone that was clear for us all to see.

Mr Penman was able to tell us the sex of our baby with 80 – 90% accuracy by looking at the genital tube.

At 13 weeks the baby does not yet have a penis or a clitoris but they do have this genital tube. In a girl it sits parallel with the spine but in a boy it faces away from the spine as baby boys are in a semi permanent state of erection (Wouldn’t you know!) The reason the obstetrician or sonographer cannot be one hundred percent certain is the boy baby may have lost his erection for the time we look at the genital tube on the scan but this is not thought to be that common. I guess we will find out at 22 weeks!

So with this new scan comes a new EDD of Wednesday 2nd May 2012. Here’s hoping we reach it or at least get a lot closer than last time!

So stats from today for Baby Henley the Third!

Crown to Rump Length CRL 67.5mm
Heartbeat FHB 160bpm
Nuchal Translucency NT 1.10mm

And here she is our beautiful baby girl (we think!)

It was wonderful to see her today. To get the shots he needed for the measuring Mr Penman shook my tummy to wake Baby up and she started wiggling around and showing off her arms and legs. I am certain that she waved. The magic of that moment does not go away.

I clearly remember seeing Esther’s fingers for the first time and exclaiming emotionally to David, ‘She has fingers!’

I was exactly the same today.

13 weeks. We can finally tell the world. And not a moment too soon as my bump is already growing at a rapid rate of knots.

Baby Bump 13 Weeks

Bump Watch begins in earnest now.

We are having a baby!!