Our baby boy's first portrait! This ultrasound was done at 9 weeks "gestational age" (7 weeks post-conception).* Usually at this stage, the ultrasound captures a side view of the baby, which looks about as interesting as a prawn. This view is quite remarkable as it appears that our little man was floating on his back in his kidney-shaped paddling pool (the black space around him is the amniotic fluid). His tiny leg and arm "buds" made him look like a Teddy Bear to us, thus his nickname "Teddy" before we even knew his gender... But funny thing, that. Mike was quite certain he saw a 5th "bud" though medical references we found online indicated it's not possible to tell a baby's gender via ultrasound until the 12th or 13th week at the very earliest. In this image, the technician's crop marks (to measure baby's crown-rump length) unfortunately covers up what Mike saw. Nommi was too far away from the screen (being on her back) to see what Mike saw.
"teddy" at about nine weeks - only 2.5 cm long!
* How obstetricians count the weeks: "Gestational Age" refers to the number of weeks going back to the first day of the mother's last period, roughly two weeks prior to conception. The "due" (guess) date is 40 weeks from the last period, or 280 days, which is in fact 10 lunar (28-day) months, not 9! Or course, a baby is considered "full term" and ready to be born anywhere from 37 through 42 weeks.
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