First Trimester Scan

This morning we got to have an ultrasound that tested for various genetic disabilities .... to be quite honest this would not change anything about the pregnancy for Patrick or myself, but seeing the baby again (and finding out the gender in 7-10 days from the testing date is a nice bonus!). So I had to drink 20 oz of water 20 minutes before the appointment .... the appointment as scheduled at 10:00, and I was called back at about 10:30. Nice. They needed a full bladder. They got one. I was miserable by the time we got back there. The tech started by finding the heartbeat and letting us listen. This part makes me nervous at every appointment! Hopefully the fact that I am 3 days from being out of the first trimester will help me relax...no promises though. So, we heard the heartbeat which was beating at 155 bpm. Then she started the measurements. Head, neck, length of body from top of head to bottom, and a ton of other things. I felt bad for the poor baby - it had no room to move because my bladder was so full! But we got to see hands and fingers, fingers up by the mouth, it's little nose, and feet. The whole process just amazes me, and I have done this before!
Then we "met" with a genetic counselor via teleconference. It was weird, we basically skyped with her. But she said everything looks great. The amount of fluid behind the neck was within normal range, and the baby has a nasal bone (Down Syndrome babies commonly do not have this - I did not know that before today).
Then I had blood drawn so they could run more tests. It was a good experience overall, and I loved getting to see our baby again, and hearing the heartbeat!

*If I can figure out how to scan the pictures and upload them I will.