Q and A

We did this for the last one, so might as well this time, too.

Was this planned, or a surprise? We were actively trying to get pregnant, so it wasn't a surprise from that standpoint. However, this process took a lot less time (three or four months) than it did with Ayden (2.5 years), so that was (pleasantly) surprising. No need for fertility drugs this time around.

What's the due date? March 19th, which would be exactly one month before Ayden's second birthday.

Have you told Ayden? Allison has attempted to explain it to him several different times, but he is just too young. He hasn't really been around any babies, so he doesn't even understand what one is.

How is Allison feeling? Baby #2 has been much harder on her than was Ayden. The nausea has lasted longer and, this time around, she hasn't been able to avoid the puking.

You said you're having another boy? That's correct. Ayden will have a little brother.

Is that what you wanted? That's an interesting question. With Allison's first pregnancy, I always said I didn't care whether we had a boy or a girl, I just wanted the baby to be healthy. Obviously, that didn't work out so well. This time, then I felt like I should pick. I ultimately settled on preferring a girl, for reasons I'd rather not have memorialized here. Allison has always wanted boys.

You don't have a name picked out? Nope.

Whatever. You just don't want to tell us yet, right? I can't say for sure if we would divulge the name at this point (we were going to keep Ayden's name a secret, but changed our minds), if we actually had something to divulge. Which we don't. We really have no idea what we are going to name this kid. Thankfully, we've got some time left.

Given what happened last time, were you worried about the 20 week ultrasound? Sadly, yes. We know way too much information now about how things can go wrong. That made it really hard to look forward to it. We wanted to know, but we didn't want to know, if that makes sense.

Are there statistics about subsequent births in families with a child with a defect? Yes. In the general population, some form of congenital heart defect occurs in 1 out of 100 births. For families who already have a child with a defect, we heard several different rates, including 3, 10, and 30 out of 100. Put another (much scarier sounding) way, a subsequent child is 3, 10, or 30 times more likely to have a defect than the general population of births.

What did it feel like to see a heart with four chambers? The most accurate word would probably be "emotional." Allison and I both got very quiet for a brief time when the ultrasound tech told us there were definitely four chambers.

And this was confirmed by a fetal ECHO at the cardiologist's office? Correct. They also looked at a bunch of other things and saw nothing of concern. Dr. K read the ECHO and described Baby #2 as "very boring." I can't think of a better result than that. (NOTE: Every night, I sit with Ayden for a few minutes before I put him in his crib. Most nights, I'll same some prayers with for him. For quite a while, "we" have been praying about Baby #2. We have asked God a lot of things, in a lot of different ways, including that this pregnancy would be a boring one. How about that?)

So Baby #2 doesn't have a congenital heart defect? That's great. To quote Coach Corso: "not so fast, my friend." At this stage, there are some problems that just aren't detectable. For example, while they might be able to see a large hole, there may be a smaller one that isn't visible yet. Additionally, while his heart is formed at this point - i.e., if there's four chambers now, there will always be four chambers - other things are continuing to develop, which leaves the possibility that they don't develop correctly.

Bummer. How do you find out if any of those things happen? Dr. K wants to do another fetal ECHO 8-10 weeks after the last one. Baby #2 will also probably get an ECHO after he's born.

That's enough of the serious stuff. You got any pictures? A few, including two (what I think are kinda creepy looking) 3D shots. I also have video from the 20 week ultrasound, which I have cut down to a manageable length, but I can't post it unless I can find a way to crop out the information bar at the top of the video. I use Windows Live Movie Maker to create the videos, but it doesn't have a crop function. If you have a software suggestion, shoot me an email.

This is from an ultrasound done at 8 weeks. That blob is Baby #2.

A 3D shot from the 20 week ultrasound.

Another 3D shot, this time with his hands up by his face.