Today we had an appointment at the maternity unit for a routine ultrasound scan. The scan is so the development of all the the baby’s organs can be checked, any annomalies can be spotted and to just check that everything is generally OK.
The sonographer went through all the routine stuff; two hands, ten fingers, two kidneys, one brain in two lobes, one stomach, one liver, two legs with ten toes, one spine and so on. While she was doing all this with speedy efficiency she asked us if we wanted to know the gender of the baby.
We’d already discussed this and decided we did. Knowing ahead of the birth meant we could shop for clothes, decorate the nursery and chose a name at our leasure.
Mrs Nobody particulaly wanted to give the baby a name while its still cooking because she feels it helps with bonding, makes the baby more ‘real’ and less abstract.
So we told the sonographer our wishes and she quickly positioned the ultrasound probe to reveal the baby’s bits. It was such a fleeting glimpse the Mrs Nobody completely missed it but I saw clearly, for a split second what the sonographer referered to as a shape like a snail indicating that in all probability our child is a boy.
At this age and with ordinary ultrasound and with such a fleeting glimpse, there’s no way to be one hundred percent sure, but it’s still very good odds. We’re going to have a son.
Later on we’re hoping to have one of those new-fangled 3D scans which should show us without doubt if he has an innie or an outie (so to speak) but for now we feel confident enough to buy a few blue outfits to go with all the yellow stuff we have already.