The big ultrasound

The big "20 week anatomy scan" happened today. I had originally been instructed to drink 32 oz of fluid prior to the ultrasound so that my bladder would be nice and full. The reason for that is so that the bladder would balloon up and push my uterus farther out for the world (and the ultrasound tech) to see. Such an instruction is very troublesome for any pregnant woman, given the fact that the uterus already sits on the bladder in an uncomfortable way, but it seems even worse for me because I suffer from a self-diagnosed condition called "marble-sized bladderitis."

Well, I attempted to drink that much fluid. However, I didn't count how many ounces I drank because my Panera cup didn't have measurements on it. I also started this procedure about 3 hours prior to the exam. By the time I got to the doctor's office, I had to go so bad that I ran to the bathroom and took care of the issue. I then helped myself to another glass of water and hoped that my bladder would refill in the 10 minutes or so I had to wait. Luckily, there weren't any further problems, and I'm glad I went when I did because holding that for another 1.5 hours would have led to a "I wish I had Depends on" moment.

As for the ultrasound itself, everything seemed to go well. The tech didn't run out of the room or look uber nervous about anything, but since she's not allowed to communicate anything that so much as smells like it's diagnostic in nature, I'll have to wait until I meet with my regular doctor to hear if anything's up. A few fun facts about Fahy child #1:

-- He enjoys hanging out upside down, facing my back. While most people wouldn't care if their babies hung out upside down, this fact weirds me out. I wish he would be upright, at least for now. I know, I know, come April I'll be glad he's hanging out with his head down.
-- He is occupying my entire "uterine cavity" and will not move his feet or hands or anything out of the way for the doctors to check on my amniotic fluid. Yes, I realize he's supposed to take up a lot of space, but if you read my post from long ago about cramped spaces, you'll remember that this also makes me nervous. Also, I've now added the word "cavity" as it relates to anything but teeth to my list of least-favorite words.
-- He weighs around 12 oz, which is slightly larger than your average 20 weeker. His head is around 17 cm in circumference.
-- He is not shy whatsoever about showing his boy parts. The tech was able to get several shots of them, so if this child comes out a girl after all, I'm going to be very worried.

All in all, it was a decent experience. He wasn't overly wiggly and cooperated most of the time, and I guess that's all I can ask for from my little one :)