7w2d, a sigh of relief and a smile

Late Friday morning we returned to Bronovo Hospital (where we continue to be pleasantly surprised by the quality of staff) for our second official ultrasound scan at seven weeks and two days.

We were both nervous about this scan. The two weeks since the last official scan had not been without their events, with Flo cramping and bleeding mid way through. And although the cramps and the bleeding had stopped, there's always a niggle in your mind wondering as to why they've stopped... dark thoughts inevitably enter your mind and you begin to doubt the success of the pregnancy.

Flo and I are not very compatible when we're both nervous. I have a tendency to make jokes and fool around a little. Flo on the other hand becomes über serious. It takes serious concentration to not get annoyed with one another, but it's something that we've learnt to deal with over the years... there comes a point when we both suddenly realise that we're both nervous and we instantly acknowledge and accept one another's behaviour, the annoying frowns melting into understanding smiles. It's not always been that way... we've grown up an awful lot since we met... and a good job too since it's becoming increasingly likely that we're going to be parents.


The picture above shows our 1.03 cm long foetus, at the centre-right of the picture. It's more than tripled in size in the past two weeks and Flo's body continues to adapt itself to accommodate continued growth at a similar rate. You can imagine how relieved we were to see that everything looks good. But we got a special treat this time round. Not only could we see the tiny little heart pumping away, but we got to hear it too!


Unfortunately you can't hear it in the picture above, but you can see the trace of the heart beat to the right of the scan and you'll just have to trust me that it was a healthy sounding 120 beats per minute.

It's really starting to dawn on me now... I'm going to be Dad... and I'm not in the slightest bit worried about it... I'm really looking forward to it! It's already having an impact on my life... I find myself almost unconsciously factoring in the child into decision making about the future. It's becoming increasingly real!

Flo's response was of course pretty predictable. A big smile followed by tears. But as predictable as it is, it never fails to induce me to give her a kiss and a big hug. I'm proud of my wifey.