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26 October 2004

Today Mamma and Daddy went to the Fetal Medicine Centre in London for another Fetal Wellbeing Scan. Perhaps they will leave me alone after this one!

Read on to find out what happened...

The Pictures...

Look at that nose! I look just like Daddy. 33w6d, 26 October 2004	Another profile just after I stuck my tongue out at Nonna. 33w6d, 26 October 2004

What Daddy Said About Today

This ultrasound will be the last one before Giulia is born. It was an opportunity to see our daughter one more time before her big day, and also to check on her progress in the womb. Cristina's mother, Carmen, came with us too. She will stay with us until a couple of months after Giulia's birth. My Italian has really improved since Carmen arrived; especially since now we have the Rai and Mediaset television channels at home.

Our sonographer today was Dr Stefano Faiola, originally from Rome. This was very helpful since we could conduct the Fetal Wellbeing scan in Italian, allowing Carmen to fully participate and ask questions.

The good news is that the choroid plexus cyst has now disappeared completely. This is a big relief, though as Dr Faiola pointed out, an isolated CPC isn't something to worry about. Unlike on our previous scans, Giulia wasn't exactly being coy with her positioning and she left little doubt over her gender. She is most definitely a little girl!

The detail on the scan was astonishing – we managed to see hair on her head! We were assured that this is 'proper' baby hair, not lanugo. During the scan, Giulia played with her fingers in her mouth, waved at us, opened and closed her hands, stuck out her tongue, swallowed and made little kicking motions with her feet. This is all pretty timid stuff compared to the karate chops and kicks that we know that she is capable of, but it was endearing and exciting to see her playing in utero.

We had a good look at her facial features. Apparently Giulia will look like a miniature female version of me. That nose in the profiles above is most definitely a Barton nose, and those lips are certainly mine. Cristina said that our daughter will look like me and have her temperament. We’ll have to wait to see whether this is true!

Giulia is currently 2.175 Kg (4.785 lbs) and in the Occipito posterior position (head down, facing away from Cristina’s spine). Her estimated birth weight is 3.2 Kg. We’ll have to wait to see if she will eventually end up in the Occipito anterior position (head down, facing towards Cristina’s spine) by the time of her birth. She is approximately the correct size and weight for her developmental age. If she was born tomorrow, she would have a 100% chance of survival and probably would not need any assistance with breathing. Although this is reassuring, everyone would prefer her to stay where she is until she is completely ready.

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