Our Growing Boy

One of the things that has been different in this pregnancy than my first is the number of times we've gotten to see Samuel on ultrasound. I had a textbook pregnancy with Nathan, and because he was always healthy and absolutely no possible complications, I only had two ultrasounds- a first trimester ultrasound to date the pregnancy, and the anatomy scan at 20 weeks. After that we didn't see him until he was born.

For a couple of different reasons, we've gotten to have five ultrasounds with Samuel, and it was so fun to see him grow and develop in my womb. Each time we had an ultrasound, I was shocked at how much he had grown and changed. I really don't know how any pregnant woman could ever doubt that we were made by a divine creator. The growing baby is such a miracle!

We had our first ultrasound when I was 9 weeks pregnant. With both Nathan and Samuel, the first ultrasound was probably my favorite. It's such a joyful moment to see that tiny baby for the very first time. We got to see him moving his arms and legs and watch his itty bitty heart beating. That first ultrasound really made the pregnancy feel real. I would always tell people that I was basing this huge life altering change on a pink line from a cheap pregnancy test. Until that appointment, that was all the proof I had that I was really pregnant. I also remember experiencing such a feeling of relief at that ultrasound, that I had a live, growing baby inside me. I think all women fear a miscarriage early on in their pregnancies, and to know that he was growing and developing just as he should was a special moment.

9 Weeks

We had a fun surprise when the nurse took us back to the ultrasound room at my next appointment. I had expected the doctor to just find the heartbeat by doppler, but she told us that I was in the "iffy zone" of whether the heart beat could be picked up by doppler, so she just did another ultrasound. Again we got to see the heart beating and see how much he had grown in four short weeks. It was a quick ultrasound since all the doctor was looking for was the heart beat, and she needed to go deliver a baby, but it was still sweet to see our little baby.

13 weeks

At 18 weeks we had our big ultrasound appointment where we learned we were having a son. That was obviously a special ultrasound! I also enjoyed the anatomy scan and seeing his tiny kidneys, bladder, spine, etc. Again, pregnancy is such a miracle! As excited as we were to see the baby's private parts and learn whether we were having a son or a daughter, I was more excited and relieved to see the four chambers of his heart and know that he was healthy. And look how big he had gotten in 5 weeks! He was wiggling and moving all around, so fun!

 

18 weeks

Our anatomy scan revealed a small issue with a cyst on Samuel's brain, so we were sent back for another ultrasound a couple of months later to make sure the cyst had gone away. It was much shorter than our anatomy scan since they were just checking on a couple of things, but it was probably one of my favorite ultrasounds. The tech was great and let us watch him for awhile. He was sucking his thumb and posing with his hands up by his head. He is such a sweet boy!

 

 27 weeks

At my next doctor's appointment, we were relieved to learn that the cyst was gone. We were so thankful for all the prayers from our family and friends that it would go away on its own. My doctor had assured us that it would, but there was still some anxiety until we learned it was gone. God is good! At that appointment we also learned of another small complication with the position of my placenta and were told we'd get to have one more ultrasound. I went back a couple of weeks ago for our last ultrasound. Samuel is so big that we didn't get to see much. We did learn that he is in the right position for delivery and weighed about 6lbs (give or take a pound) That seems like a big margin of error, by the way. We got a few cute pictures of his face. His head took up the entire screen when just a few weeks earlier we could see his whole body in one picture. It's amazing how fast he grew.

 

36 weeks

Again, thanks to all the prayers from so many dear friends and family, my placenta moved away from my cervix and everything is set for delivery whenever Samuel decides he is ready (God taught me a few lessons about trusting Him and the power of prayer through this pregnancy).  The next pictures of him I post will be us holding him in our arms. We CANNOT WAIT to meet our precious boy!