Guess who aced their first big test?

Yesterday, we had our first fetal echocardiogram to check & make sure there's no fetal heart block or defects, based on my autoimmune disease history. I wasn't nervous until a day or so before, when for a couple of days the baby didn't move a whole lot and I thought, "What if there IS something wrong? Or the baby could just be going through a growth spurt and is taking some siesta time. Or... ACK!" I'm a worrier by nature, although I've got nuthin' on my Grandma Rosella who sincerely enjoyed being worried about anything and everything, even things that didn't need worrying about. All of my bloodwork & ultrasounds before this had been perfect, so there was no true cause for concern, but c'mon. I'm a first-time mom. I want to make sure my baby is okay!

So, we trooped off to UCLA to meet with a pediatric cardiologist. A fetal EKG involves an ultrasound where they focus in on the heart & map out the four chambers, the major nerves & arteries, and look at the pattern of the heartbeat to make sure it's normal. The doctor brought along another doctor who is doing an advanced residency with him (fellowship?) to train him on the procedure, which I was fine with. Both were extremely, extremely nice. This is pretty rare for specialists, who tend to be holier-than-thou and snobby in my experience, but I suppose when you deal with little kids most of the day you have to be a nice guy to begin with.

Anyways.

The baby aced their first big test!! The heart was a strong 130+ beats per minute, and looked and sounded perfect. We got to see the wee hands & feet and they pointed out the stomach & face to us, before getting down to business. The baby is head down, which explains why I feel all the kicks at the top of my uterus, and in order to get the scan they needed I ended up having to lay on my left side, facing away from the ultrasound screen. TORTURE FOR ME. I wanted to see! Thankfully, Dave was there so he got to watch, and he had a huuuuuge grin on his face the whole time.

So the baby looks great, although I still have to go for 2 more fetal EKGs at 24 and 28 weeks just to be on the safe side. YAY! No pictures to share, but we have our standard 21 week ultrasound in a few weeks with our regular OBGYN and I'll get some then.