32 Week Update

I had my first biophysical profile (BPP) test today. It's a series of tests performed to ensure the well-being of the baby in the 3rd trimester. The first step was a quick ultrasound to check heart, lung, and kidney functions as well as amniotic fluid levels. Everything looked good. Baby girl was doing fine in there, all snuggled up against my left side. She was head down 2 weeks ago, but I guess she's still got plenty of room to move because she's laying sideways again. The sonographer printed us a couple of quick pics which I've attached below, including a 3-dimensional face shot. Of course, the first thing I did was stare at the photo trying to figure out who she looks like!

After the ultrasound, I went to another room where I was hooked up to a heartrate and movement monitor. The goal is to make sure her heartrate is stable and that she is moving enough at this point in the pregnancy. After about 20-30 minutes of observation, I "passed" the test, although I think they were hoping to see a little more movement during that time period. We'll repeat this sequence of tests once a week until she arrives in June, so we have a lot of doctor time to look forward to.

Here's a 32-week belly shot. I was really tempted to edit out my bad hair day in this photo!

This is a picture from our last ultrasound 2 weeks ago. Look for the letters "NOMO" (for nose mouth) in the middle of the picture, and then to the immediate right is the tip of the baby's nose with her two little nostrils. It's as if the picture were taken from under her chin.

Here's a picture from today. This is a front face shot. Her forehead is off to the left and you can see her eye sockets, nose, and lips. It almost looks like she's smiling at us. And check out those already plump cheeks (the solid white round semi-circle in the very middle)!

This is another under-her-chin shot of her nose and lips.
And here is her face in 3-d. I can't tell if that's her hand covering the side of her face or what. She was nice and snuggled in there. It almost looks like she has a baby cap on her head!