How much can you tell from a 31 week scan?

Our little girl is shy! We tried on a few occasions to get an ultrasound scan of her face but she kept looking away and wouldn't have her picture taken! Last week she finally relented - somewhat - and presented her left cheek to us! With her arms folded casually behind her head, she looked like she was chilling out!

What amazed me more than the scan was Panliang's excited reaction. From the fuzzy images and the 10 or so minutes of scanning, he was able to infer (with great confidence and certainty!) the following:

1) Baby has his eyes, eyebrows and lips
2) Baby has my nose
3) Baby is astute

I was (and still am!) baffled by him but I'm really glad and thankful that he's so involved and as excited, if not more excited about this pregnancy than I am. He loves to touch and watch my bump jump about. Sometimes when I'm lying in bed , relishing the feeling of Baby moving inside me, Panliang gets really excited and comes over demanding, "What is she doing now? What is she doing? Tell me! Don't just lie there smiling to yourself! Tell me!" He's started reading up more about babies, doing research, making phone calls and appointments, and he's even volunteered to arrange the furniture and rooms for Baby! It's very heartening to have his support and it helps me to enjoy being pregnant.

Baby at 20 weeks

This is a late post. It should have been up a week ago. That was when we did a detailed 20 week scan for baby. Been too busy to sit down and post this.

I am so thankful to know after the scan that baby and Serene are both well and happy. Also, its 98% confirmed that we are expecting a daughter. Hehe, Serene and myself are quite happy to know we will be having a baby girl whom we can bring everywhere! However, I am most thankful that all the organs of baby are forming well! We are looking forward to the day the little one can join us when she is out.

From the scan, I can tell with some accuracy that she has Serene's chin and my lips. Serene said I was talking nonsense but when baby is out, we shall see who is right. :)

I am also certain baby's soul is already here with us. There are times when I talk to her and I can sense her laughter and her answering me. I have also a sense that she will be like Serene and myself, full of questions about things around her.

Here are some pics for you folks to judge if what I said is true:

Baby at 16 weeks

I am taking a lunch break now. We are now in the final phase of the meetings.

I am missing family and home a lot and this trip seems to be too long for good.

I looked through the photos of baby at 16 weeks that Serene sent me and felt a flutter of warmth course through my heart. I love the picture of her hand, it's almost like she is reaching out and wanting to hold our hands.

I look at the side profile of the baby and find her fabulously cute and gorgeous.

The meeting is starting and I need to pretend that I am paying attention :)

Baby at 13 weeks

Baby is now 13weeks old and 7cm tall! The spine is now well formed and I think our baby looks vaguely like Serene with a pointy cute chin :)


I find the following scan of baby's foot most amazing. Baby is very active, kicking and 'boxing' constantly throughout the scan.

9 weeks: The Paddling Baby

The first time I saw the little legs kicking my heart did a flip flop. What had been a baby bean just 2 weeks back now had a recognisable head, arms and little paddling feet. (as if he was diving!) There is something miraculous about having a little life form inside you which is both awe-inspiring and humbling.

Sometimes, when I'm a squashed commuter on a peak-hour train, I look around me at the different shaped, sized and textured people, short people, tall people, fat people, skinny people, people with big hair, people with thinning hair, people with oily faces, people with fresh faces and people with tired faces - and I marvel that every single one of them was at some point a tiny foetus growing in a woman who worried often that the baby might not be healthy, or that she might be unknowingly doing something that might hurt the foetus.

It's comforting to hear from other pregnant woman or ex-pregnant woman ('mothers' doesn't quite convey the same meaning) that I'm normal. My imagination wanders and creates the most worrying scenarios in a way it never did before. Mum says it's important to remain cheerful and positive because negative thoughts can send signals, hormones and chemicals through the body which could affect the foetus. (See! Doing something wrong again!). It truly is mind over body, and I'm determined to be happy and optimistic and enjoy this pregnancy, nausea and all. And surround myself and thoughts with happy, nice things and look at cute creatures like Darcy. I heard from a pregnant lady that her parents forbade her to even LOOK at her dog in case the baby came out looking like it - the dog is black, furry and has a flat nose! I am thankful that I have a loving a supportive family on both sides, which makes all this very much easier and happier.

The First Meeting

Place: Fong Clinic for Women
Date: June 25th, 2008
Time: 16:33:24

We met our dearest baby bean for the very first time! Baby is the size of bean and is 8mm tall. We think this is the cutest creature we have ever seen, maybe even a bit cuter than Darcy. Here is the baby's 1st picture:


I know it's not easy to spot. Serene kept asking, "Where, where? I can't see!" But I tell you most solemnly, I saw it quite quickly when I noticed some movement in the centre of the dotted line. It was our our baby's heart beating. The most amazing thing was that it was magnified for us to see and hear!
That was the most amazing rhythm I have ever heard and I was very moved at that instant, that I could experience a new life through my own ears and eyes. Leaving the clinic, I saw the world around me with a whole new perspective: that of joy, hope and overflowing life everywhere. I will not forget the heartbeat rhythm I heard, it is one that signifies a miracle, a gift that God has given.

I will end the post with this picture:
This was the 2nd sign that baby is coming. The first was 2 weeks of mood swings from Serene and hunger pangs that kept hitting her :)