At my last doctor's visit, my OB/GYN, Dr. Gunnells, tried to let my husband and I hear the baby's heartbeat. How exciting! Only problem was, we couldn't hear it. I've read that the baby's heartbeat starts beating at the 6th week, but it's not easily heard until a few weeks later. The doctor told us that at 12 weeks the heartbeat was usually easier to hear, but if it was earlier than that, it wasn't as easy. Well, at 11 weeks along, I was going to have to wait another 4 weeks to hear my baby's heartbeat, all the while wondering if everything was okay. Although I don't believe I showed extreme disappointment in my face, fortunately Dr. Gunnells scheduled an ultrasound for me so he would be certain that the baby was as developed as predicted. Yes!! So, in a few minutes, with the vaseline-like goo on my tummy, there was my baby on the screen! Wow. Wow. Wow. It was amazing.
The lady preforming the ultrasound took measurements of the baby to determine how far along I was. Apparently the earlier the ultrasound, the more accurate they can determine how "old" the baby is. Most every baby develops at the same rate in the beginning stages, but as they get closer to maturity, the range of baby sizes increases dramatically. So, from "crown to rump" my baby was 4.7 cm long, which put him at 11 weeks and 2 days. My initial due date of Jan. 18th seemed to be right on schedule. The ultrasound showed us his little heart beating, which was calculated at a healthy 162 bpm. Thank goodness.
My baby is a wiggle-worm!! Does that mean its a boy? :-D I know it is still too early to tell, but it was amazing to see him moving constantly: lifting his arms up to his head, flipping from side to side, twisting and turning. I imagined that babies just lie there peacefully -- almost half-asleep, but this kid was already jazzercising!
Seriously, at 11 weeks, the baby's development is incredible despite his tiny size. You can see fingers and toes (arms and legs, too), the ribs and spine, the heart, and even eye sockets. It was shocking to hear that the baby's still so small. I'm not sure how soon the baby will start to really grow -- if it will be very gradual or if it will come more toward the end?
After not hearing the heartbeat, seeing the baby and confirming that everything was healthy really eased my mind. I've known people who have miscarried before and that concern had been lingering in the back of my mind. I suppose it's not impossible to miscarry at this point, but the chances for this little one making it all the way is over 90% after the first trimester.
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